KABALE: 41 teachers forced to refund money in inflated salary scheme

KABALE, UGANDA: At least forty-one (41) teachers in Kabale Municipality who allegedly received extortionate salaries have been forcefully made to refund the money after investigations proved that they connived with the former Municipal officers to receive the salaries.

Preliminary investigations indicate that between the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years, the Municipal Human Resource Officer Beddah Mugyendesa and the accountant in charge of salaries Gideon Ahebwomugisha enrolled some art teachers as science teachers to benefit from the Presidential directive that saw all civil servants under science category have their salaries enhanced.

A reliable source from the office of the Kabale Municipal Education Department who spoke to DailyExpress on conditions of anonymity said that the two officials also enrolled some undergraduate diploma teachers to earn money equivalent to that of postgraduate teachers in secondary schools.

The Kabale Municipal Town Clerk Justine Barekye told this publication in a Wednesday evening interview that the matter which is still under investigation by police and the State House Anti-corruption Unit (SHACU) has unearthed a total of forty-one teachers who have been earning much above their principal and actual salaries which has led the government to lose millions of money.

Ms Barekye said that all the implicated teachers have consented that they connived with Mugyendesa who transferred his services to Rukungiri District and Ahebwomugisha who is currently on the run and will refund the money in instalments until full payments.

Without revealing the particulars of officials, Barekye said that she has already interdicted some officials who were allegedly involved in causing a financial loss to the government adding that an investigation to thoroughly dig out other reported ghost civil servants is ongoing.

According to Barekye, the auditor general is expected to come next month to intervene and find out whether there are other civil servants that are illegally being paid extortionate salaries.