By Alexander Mackey Okori
Kotido and Karenga are among the four districts that have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) due to failure to pay civil servants salaries for December.
Other districts where civil servants have not been paid December salaries are Kumi Municipal Council and Bukedea in the Teso sub-region.
Earlier Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service had directed accounting officers to ensure that civil servants are paid by December 23rd, however, the civil servants in the four local governments are yet to be paid.
Jim Mugunga, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development blamed district officials from the affected local governments for indiscipline.
He said that the four local governments had been sanctioned due to failure to comply with mandatory statutory submissions.
However, one of the officials attached to the finance department at Kotido district who preferred anonymity blamed failure by the district to pay civil servants by December, 23 on failure of the Integrated Management System (IMS) at the Ministry of Finance.
He said that the district working with the ministry of Finance to ensure that the problem solved as fast as possible to enable payment of salaries and other obligations.
Information obtained by this publication indicates that this is not the first time Kotido district is failing to pay its civil servants’ salaries in time.
In September, 2025, the district again delayed pay salaries in time after the transfer of the former Chief Administrative Officer Donato Oola.
Among those affected by delay in salary payments in in the month of September were the newly recruited staff who reported never receiving a salary since their appointment, while others said they were paid for only one month after waiting for two.
Kotido Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Emmanuel Oyuku Ocen attributed persistent delays in salary payments for local civil servants to widespread negligence by heads of departments and a lack of initiative by affected staff.
