Govt Pays Salary For Ambassadors Still In Kampala

At least 16 ambassadors continue to draw a monthly salary of 1.5 million shillings each even though they are yet to report to their respective missions six months after their appointment.

Ambassador James Mugume, Foreign Affairs permanent secretary

This means government has spent up to 130 million shillings to pay salaries for its ambassadors who are not posted.

Uganda has 33 missions abroad and currently only twenty are active.

Ambassador James Mugume, the Foreign Affairs permanent secretary, on Thursday said 16 are yet to leave for their missions due to the late release of money by the Ministry of Finance.

However, they still earn their monthly pay of 1.5 million shillings each.

Ambassador Mugume explains that besides financial delays, the other reason for their stay is that they were still finalizing their contracts, undergoing induction and were also being attached to some ministries.

Mugume says moving both the incoming and outgoing ambassadors to their particular missions could not be done at the same time without using a supplementary budget.

However, ambassadors meant to go to Somalia, Eritrea and Malaysia will not go until next financial year when government gets money to open new missions. Those affected include Prof Sam Turyahikayo and Alintuma Nsambu among others.

So far only six diplomats including the Ambassador to Cairo Richard Angualia and Grace Akello, who is heading to Rome, Italy, have reported to their duty stations.

Other appointees include Dorothy Hyuha to Tanzania, Richard Nduhuura to New York, Prof. Joyce Kikafunda to London, Betty Aketch to Beijing, Moto Julius Peter to South Africa, Christopher Onyango to Geneva and Kibedi Zaake to Copenhagen.

Speaking to URN Oliver Wonekha, the Ugandan Ambassador to Washington DC, confirmed their monthly payments saying they have had to wait until now to leave for their missions. She adds that she understands the lack of money but there is also need to understand that each mission has unique needs. She however remains hopeful that she will be able to leave in this fourth quarter of the financial year.

Others yet to leave include Ebuk Moses, who was appointed to head Uganda’s mission in Moscow, Irene Florence Persis, who goes to Saudi Arabia, Kintu Nyago heading to New York, Susan Adong Odong to Ottawa, Nkuruho Enock to Canberra and Olwa Johnson Agara, Uganda’s ambassador to Ankara, Turkey.

Mugume is confident they shall all leave before the end of this month.