Ghost teachers earning Shs7m every month

Kampala- The government has been paying some primary school teachers, including ‘ghosts’, at least Shs7 million per month, Sunday Monitor has established. Some of the ghosts have been paid salary advances up to April 2018.

Officially, a primary school teacher who holds a Grade III certificate is paid Shs277,240 per month, a diploma holder is paid Shs568,000 while a graduate teacher earns Shs723,000 monthly.

Sunday Monitor investigations show that under dubious circumstances, some of the teachers received abnormal salary payments monthly. Copies of payrolls this newspaper has seen show that some teachers got gross salary pay of between Shs3 million to Shs7 million a month. Some pocketed a net payment of between Shs2 million to Shs5 million monthly.

For instance, one payslip indicates that one Anthony Muhumuza, a teacher at Iraramira Primary School in Mitooma District on August 28, 2012 received a net pay of Shs5, 081,605.

Police are now investigating the anomaly after one of the beneficiaries in Mitooma District became overjoyed by the unexpected monthly cash inflows to his bank account and took to regular buying of crates of beer for his peers in the locality.
Police confirms the investigations.

“We have so far investigated the anomaly in Mitooma and Bundibugyo districts,” the Director of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence, Ms Grace Akullo, told Sunday Monitor. “It’s widespread and we have written to the Auditor General to help in the audit because it’s complex,” she added.

The matter caught police attention after one of the teachers continuously chided his colleagues, saying that he was no longer a poor man after voting President Museveni because the President “has honoured” his pledge to improve teachers’ pay thus the Shs7 million into his account monthly. The excited teacher reportedly told those who didn’t vote wisely not to complain.

Police sources say other teachers who said they had also voted President Museveni but there wasn’t any improvement in their pay started whispering in anger. The intelligence picked the whispers and alerted the office of the Resident District Commissioner who then alerted the police.

Ms Akullo said detectives swung into action and confirmed that some teachers received the pay while some of the huge salaries were paid to non-existing teachers commonly referred to as “ghosts”.

She said the teachers who received inflated salaries say they had taken long without pay and when they received the money, they thought it was indeed as the President had promised.

“One teacher said she had lost her husband and she thought the payment was her husband’s gratuity,” Ms Akullo said.

Police’s initial probe found that at least Shs75 billion had been paid out under the inflated payrolls.

Further investigation by detectives, however, found that the practice was widespread in nearly all districts but concentrated in the new and those far from the capital Kampala, forcing police to solicit help of the Auditor General.
In sampled districts in east and central regions, police found at least 400 ghost beneficiaries under the scheme with Luuka District alone boasting of at least 270 ghost teachers on the payroll.

“The thing is big and widespread,” Ms Akullo said.
Asked whether police was able to bring the investigation to the desirable conclusion, she said: “Huh! The scope of stealing is too much; we will try our part but it now needs cooperation of other agencies.”

After receiving inflated salaries, most of the “ghosts” secured loans from financial institutions using photographs of people police are yet to trace.

Ministry of Public Service Permanent Secretary Adah Mwanga Kabarokole confirmed the inflated salaries but said such salaries were paid in error. “They happened by error because we changed from one payment system to another. We have agreed on recovery schedules,” she said.

Public Service ministry has told police that they will make monthly deductions of eight per cent from the beneficiary teachers’ monthly pay to recover the money. This implies that from Shs277,000 monthly pay for a primary school teacher, the ministry will deduct at least Shs30, 000 monthly to recover the millions of shillings paid out. Some teachers received the illegal pay for six months and others for years.

Asked how the error went on for months, Ms Kabarokole said: “They (police) will find out whether it was done intentionally or in error.”

She said with the new payroll reforms rolled out by Secretary to the Treasury Keith Muhakanizi, “each accounting officer should be responsible for any ghosts”. Mr Muhakanizi has decentralised the government payroll.

The ESC has also compiled a list of at least 200 fraudulent entrants into the teachers’ payroll in Mbale centre. In this case, it was done by manipulating District Service Commission (DSC) minutes appointing teachers. Some teachers share registration numbers while others are paid salaries above their actual scales or appointments.

Our investigation shows that the scam was made possible because of a syndicate that involves bankers, ministry bureaucrats and local government officials and worsened by the collapse of school inspections.

How teachers get on payroll

1. After vacancies are advertised, shortlisted candidates are interviewed by the Education Service Commission
2. Successful candidates are communicated to by the Secretary ESC through the PS Education ministry
3. ESC compiles a list of successful candidates and sends it to the PS for appointment letters to be signed.
4. The candidates are called upon and accept the appointments in writing
5. The Commissioner Human Resources at Education Ministry writes posting instructions.
6. The head teacher writes to the ministry confirming that the teacher has reported to the duty station
7. Once that is done, a pay change form is filled capturing the particulars of the teacher ie bank account number, academic qualifications, appointment letter, posting instructions and communication from the head teacher
8. The pay change form is verified by HR and internal auditor to ascertain there is an appointment letter, minute of appointment, posting instructions and acceptance letter
9. In case of secondary school teachers, the form is forwarded to Public Service by the ministry but in case of primary schools, the pay change form is sent to the Chief Administrative Officer to send to Public Service.
10. At Public service, a teacher is allocated a computer number and entered into the payroll system then forwarded to Finance ministry that releases salaries.

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