The Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon Anitah Among has called on Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to promptly settle the six-month wage arrears owed to its casual labourers.
Her statement follows a demonstration by some labourers at Parliament on Monday February 26,2024, protesting the prolonged delay in receiving their wages from the Authority.
Speaking on the matter in Parliament on 28, Feb, 2024 plenary, the Speaker emphasized the constitutional principle of equal pay for equal work without discrimination, underlining the dire consequences of withholding wages for these labourers and their families.
She urged KCCA leadership to prioritize addressing the concerns of the aggrieved workers, stressing the importance of fulfilling financial obligations to employees.
“They haven’t been paid for 6months. Article 40(1) of the Constitution provides for equal payment for equal work without discrimination. I want to urge the leadership of KCCA to ensure that the aggrieved persons are attended to because people can’t work without being paid, how are their families being looked after? We want those people to be paid because at least we know, money has always been released for wages,” said Speaker Among
The Speaker’s plea coincides with previous concerns raised by MPs regarding the cleanliness of the city, which they attributed to the low wages paid to cleaners. The Mps on the Presidential Affairs Committee led by Richard Sebamala (Bukoto Central) raised concern over the deteriorating cleanliness within the City, asking the officials to explain whether this could be attributed to the meagre pay of Shs6000 being given to the cleaners daily.
Dorothy Kisaka, Executive Director of KCCA, has cited budgetary constraints as the reason for the meagre wages, stating that cleaners are currently organized within SACCOs in the five divisions, where they manage their finances.
On Monday, the front-line workers employed by KCCA, including cleaners and related staff protested the non-payment of wages for the past five months and the failure to submit their NSSF contributions for two years.
Demonstrators expressed frustration over their low salaries, which are insufficient to cover basic needs such as rent and education for their children.
Led by activist Joy Kirabo, the workers petitioned parliament and called on KCCA to expedite the settlement of their outstanding payments or face legal action. They allege that despite efforts to engage with relevant authorities, including Parliament and the Minister for Kampala, their grievances remain unaddressed.
The Auditor General’s report for the Financial Year 2021/22 highlighted governance conflicts between the Lord Mayor and KCCA’s technical wing, further complicating matters. However, Kisaka has previously assured that efforts are underway to ensure timely payments to casual workers in the future, attributing the delays to financial constraints.
Comments are closed.