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Government raises salary of Principal Judge to Shs17.5m
What you need to know:
- The jurist argued that the pay that they were earning was too little compared to the high cost of living and yet they are supposed to live a descent life given their high social standing in society.
Kampala. Government has raised the monthly salary of Principal Judge Yorokamu Bamwine from Shs10m to Shs17.5m, Daily Monitor has learnt.
The government had about two years ago raised the salaries of Chief Justice Bart Katureebe and his deputy Alfonse Owiny-Dollo to Shs20m and Shs18m respectively, leaving out the Principal Judge.
However, the government recently had to pay arrears to the Principal Judge amounting to more than Shs56m dating back to July last year when the new financial year started.
It is now the Chief Registrar, Ms Esta Nambayo, the only judicial officer among the four highest ranking Judiciary officers, who has not yet been considered for a pay rise. The new considered pay for the Chief Registrar is about Shs16m.
However, the latest development has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some judges, who feel they are being discriminated against by government when it comes to the pay raise.
Unhappy judge
“Congratulations to the Principal Judge for the pay rise but we the foot soldiers who really hustle with the cases, should also have been considered,” one of the High Court judges, who declined to be named, lamented yesterday.
Adding: “What the government has done is unfair and discriminatory. All of us (judges) are very annoyed.”
Apparently, a High Court judge earns a monthly pay of Shs9m, which is not taxed by the Uganda Revenue Authority. Besides, the basic salary, they are also entitled to housing allowance of Shs4m, security, medical insurance, a car, among other allowances and benefits.
Given the sensitivity that comes with hearing of cases, judicial officers are not supposed to have a side income business to supplement their salary for fear of being compromised.
In the just concluded annual judges’ conference, President Museveni in his address to the judges, assured them that his priority is pay scientists better salaries and also work on roads and other infrastructure rather than enhancing their salaries.
The President explained that if he prioritised the salary enhancement for judges and other civil servants at the expense of working on infrastructure like roads and electricity, that would be ‘suicidal’ on his side.
“Roads… roads, this is my strategy and I plead guilty to the Supreme Court justices that I am the one causing this confusion,” President Museveni said.
Previous demand
In 2012, then Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki while speaking on the sidelines of the 15th annual judges conference, demanded for Shs50 million as his monthly salary, explaining that the Shs5 million he was earning at the time was just mere “pocket change” for a lawyer in private practice.
The jurist argued that the pay that they were earning was too little compared to the high cost of living and yet they are supposed to live a descent life given their high social standing in society.
