Fundraiser to save driver who exposed Judiciary over poor pay gains momentum

KAMPALA, UGANDA: A fundraising campaign has been initiated on social media to save Mr Stanley Kisambira, the heroic driver who came out to expose the Judiciary for its poor welfare and meagre pay of its support staff.

Kisambira who was arrested and detained at the Central Police Station in Kampala by Monday evening has been hailed as a hero for telling the truth about the exploitation of the non-judicial staff inside the third arm of government.

In an audio recording widely shared on WhatsApp, Kisambira expressed his discontent on his monthly salary of shs 200’000 (about $54) plus additional operational allowance of Shs 200,000 per quarter, yet he has been working with the institution for the last 15 years.

“Sincerely speaking, I am very annoyed,” said Kisambira, adding, “What exactly do you want me to do? I am a driver. I can ram into a stationary trailer, killing all the occupants, including the judge and bodyguard,” Kisambira, who hails from Bugiri in eastern Uganda said in one of the recordings.

“People make declarations before their deaths,” he further cautioned.

Now following his Monday arrest, Ugandans have kicked off a fundraising campaign that will see well-wishers donate to save the driver from detention, where he says he is ready to be punished or sacked but won’t be silenced for telling the truth.

Proceedings from the funds raised will be channeled his (driver’s) legal defence and welfare, and such can be sent to 0753-567-458 (Registered in Stanley Kisambira).

Earlier today, responding to the clip and its contents shared in, Judiciary acknowledged the driver (Kisambira) as their employee, but was quick to add thay each driver is paid a reasonable consolidated monthly allowance paid out on a quarterly basis, of which if added together with the salary, the total monthly payment for a driver is over one million shillings.

“These payments exclude duty facilitating allowances and operational funds which Mr. Kisambira refers to as OP in one of his audio recordings. In addition to all this, every Staff of the Judiciary benefits from health insurance services,” explained Jamson Karemani, the Judiciary Spokesperson.

While it is true that salaries of non-judicial staff in the Judiciary Service are low like for workers in other institutions, Karemani said it has made interventions as stated above to bridge that gap.

He added that the Judiciary had reached out to Mr Kisambira in an effort to guide him on how best his concerns ought to have been addressed.

“This is to reassure all Staff of the Judiciary that everything is being done within the laid down legal precincts to further address their welfare concerns.”

It remains to be seen what charges will be preferred against the disgruntled driver, turned whistleblower, whose threats come at the backheels of a recent murder incident in which the late Minister Charles Okello Engola was gunned down by his personal bodyguard killed over what was alleged to be poor welfare and undeserving allowances.

Pte Wilson Sabiiti shot and killed the minister on May 2nd at Kyanja, a Kampala suburb before he later turned the gun on himself in a double murder incident.