MPs Recommend Salary Enhancement for Electoral Commission Staff

Parliament has recommended the allocation of a total of Shs765.626 billion to the Electoral Commission for the first phase of activities leading up to the 2026 general elections.

This recommendation comes after the government provided only Shs8.638 billion in the Commission’s 2024/25 budget, leaving a significant funding gap of Shs756.9888 billion.

The Electoral Commission informed MPs that failure to fund the phase 1 activities would necessitate rolling them over to the following phase. However, many electoral activities have statutory timelines that must be adhered to in chronological order, making such rollovers challenging.

Additionally, Parliament recommended an additional allocation of Shs11.16 billion to enhance the salaries of Electoral Commission staff.

This move aims to address the anxiety among workers and follows a 2017 resolution by Parliament requiring the implementation of enhanced remuneration for EC staff within three financial years, starting from 2017/2018.

MPs were briefed that while the Ministry of Finance released the first two installments totaling Shs25.91 billion, the third and final installment of Shs11.16 billion, due in the financial year 2019/20, has yet to be honored.

In the proposed budget for 2024/25, the Electoral Commission’s budget is projected to increase to Shs149.614 billion from Shs148.890 billion in the previous financial year. Of this amount, Shs38.391 billion is allocated for salaries, while non-wage expenditure amounts to Shs107.503 billion, with development expenditure set at Shs3.72 billion.

As preparations for the 2026 general elections intensify, ensuring adequate funding for the Electoral Commission is crucial for the smooth execution of electoral activities and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.