By Vasco Gift

Teachers of Nyakaliso Seed Secondary School in Koboko District have threatened to demonstrate over 9 months’ unpaid salaries.

The teachers argue that they struggle to survive and sustain themselves and the learners at the school. As a result, many teachers share food with the learners and they eat once in a day as the condition worsens.  

Some teachers have also failed to pay fees for their children while others end up picking loans from financial institutions which is also a threat for the teachers who have failed to pay back the loans.

Addressing the press in Kuluba Sub County on Friday 27^th March 2026, Edson Mushabe, a teacher, revealed that this affects learners’ performance and concentration in class.  

“You see a teacher is starving and the student he is going to teach is also starving whereby learners don’t feed well because the little food they contribute is also shared by the teachers and you wonder how the learner is going to understand things in class, They eat food once in a day which is provided by the community,” Mushabe said.  

Mushabe also said, he has so far visited the office of the Chief Administrative Officer five times on the same issue but the only promise is that the school should give the district 2weeks. 

He added that this will now no longer work as teachers are not willing to give another 2 weeks lest they have agreed to organize and march to the district headquarters within 2 weeks in a peaceful demonstration.

Patrick Onema, the Director of Studies, observed that the staff motivation has gone down as they survive on borrowing money and if their cry is not listened to within 2 weeks, teaching of the students will be difficult.

Irene Aderu, an Education Officer, who has spent 23years in teaching profession also revealed that it has taken 9 months without receiving any wage though they keep teaching the students.

On her own experience, she said that her boy who is the first born in the the family didn’t join university since last year (2025) because she is unable to provide daily family needs

Aderu further laments that they share the little food community provides for the learners and even sometimes teachers forego without food as the condition is becoming unbearable as her hope has vanished because when she was working in other schools and organizations  her money is paid timely and it was easier to support her children in school. She appealed to the government to come to their rescue before the end of March.

Sara Agnes, the Head Mistress, expressed that they started teaching in July, 2025 unfortunately, they have not been paid though she made a lot of efforts like submission of their documents of employment so that they can be put on payroll but the Chief Administrative Officer of Koboko District said, there is a shortfall in the wage for secondary education.

Besides that, Sara also expressed her disappointment in the Chief Administrative Officer of Koboko for not signing the letter she wrote on the 3^rd of January 2026 and addressed through the district to the Permanent Secretary.

Sara further said that if the district will not respond to them within the 2 weeks, the school will have to bring in other arms of government like IGG to intervene in and find out what is happening.

In a response, Nicholas Ogwang, the Chief Administrative Officer of Koboko district, said official letters on behalf of the district needs to be written by a responsible officer from the district not any correspondent from any school can do that because it addresses key matters of the government and as a district, they are charged with the responsibility of managing and paying of staff salaries and also coordinating all the government programs in the district.

On the salary issue, Ogwang said there is a challenge with the budget to pay the wages of the teachers and as officers they have tried to push to the ministry to be effected and harmonized at the level of the Ministry. 

Ogwang also revealed that there was a harmonization exercise which was done by the Ministry to shift some funds from Primary sector to Secondary level to solve the issue though not harmonized yet, the staff should be disciplined and  patient because the salaries of affected staff will be paid in arrears.

Nyakaliso seed secondary school which was constructed by the government of Uganda through the Ministry Of Education has 28 teachers and the staff have given 2 weeks for the district to respond to their demand before they lay down their tools.

END.