KCCA Casual Workers Strike Over Unpaid Salaries and Wages

Several front-line workers employed by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), mainly cleaners and related staff, have protested their unpaid wages for the past five months and the failure to submit their NSSF contributions for two years.

The workers, responsible for tasks like road sweeping, flower bed maintenance, and drainage cleaning across Kampala’s five divisions, stormed KCCA offices on Monday and expressed frustration over their low salaries, with some earning as little as 250,000 shillings per month, which they say isn’t enough to cover basic needs like rent and education for their children.

While their exact monthly pay varies, some claim they earn 12,000 shillings per day, while others receive 180,000 shillings per month. The workers, dressed in their light green work reflector jackets, gathered at the KCCA offices with placards expressing their dissatisfaction.

The protesters accused KCCA of failing to honor their agreement by withholding their wages for several months and failing to remit their NSSF contributions. They voiced their struggles to afford meals and pay rent, despite diligently showing up for work every day.

They blame KCCA for not adhering to the terms of their agreement.

“Why should we go unpaid for five months when we’ve been working every day?” one protester questioned. “We can’t afford to send our children to school without money, even government schools require fees.” Another protester expressed frustration, saying, “We’ve been told that money is being sent to NSSF, but none of it shows up in the system or our accounts. Where does the money go?”They also mentioned struggling to afford meals and rent.

Led by activist Joy Kirabo from the Joy Initiative, the women are urging KCCA to settle their outstanding payments or face legal action. Kirabo stated that they’ve reached out to parliament, the Minister for Kampala, and the mayor, but to no avail. She questioned why 4,000 jobs were created only to be handed over to a private company, leaving the workers without income. 

“What is wrong with this country? 4000 jobs were created for this and someone is taking them away and giving them to a private company, and everyone is quiet, these are 4000 bread winners,” she said

The 7 Hills group, which initially started as volunteers assisting KCCA workers in keeping the city clean later began advocating for formal employment, leading to conflicts between them and the laborers operating under SACCOs established in Kampala’s divisions.

Last year, KCCA initiated a bidding process, allowing interested parties, mainly SACCOs, to apply for cleaning and de-silting services, further exacerbating the situation.

KCCA is facing scrutiny once again over delayed payments to casual laborers, as well as non-remittance of statutory payments like NSSF contributions and pay-as-you-earn taxes.

This issue was raised by Parliament’s Committee on Public Accounts – Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) during a session where KCCA’s technical team, led by Executive Director Dorothy Kisaka, was questioned.