By Bazio Doreen.

“I joined service in December 2024 but I have never received my salary arrears.”

For Ambayo Godfrey, an Education Assistant at Elegu Primary School, those words describe nearly two years of working without the financial benefit expected from a government job.

He made the statement on 7^th October 2026 at an Inspectorate of Government (IGG) Ombudsman Clinic in Adjumani Town Council, where current and former public servants brought complaints about unpaid salaries, pension calculations, payroll records and employment procedures.

His was not the only grievance.

Another teacher said she could not access a loan because her employment details remained on an old payroll system. A former senior government officer questioned his retirement benefits. A former town council speaker complained about unexplained deductions from councilors’ allowances.

Taken together, the cases reveal how administrative problems can become personal financial problems for public servants.

A national problem playing out locally.

The Adjumani clinic was organized as a pre-activity ahead of International Ombuds Day on 8^th October 2026.

This year’s theme is “Ombuds: Office of Options”, with the campaign slogan #TalkToTheOmbudsman. The IGG says its Ombudsman mandate covers maladministration, delays in service delivery, workplace victimization and other administrative injustices.

National statistics show why these complaints matter. In FY 2025/2026, Ombudsman matters accounted for 37 percent of all complaints investigated and concluded by the IGG.

The Inspectorate says it resolved 1,011 Ombudsman cases during the year and recommended Shs 2.353 billion for payment to people whose employment benefits had been denied or delayed.

The complaints most frequently received nationally include delayed salaries, pensions and gratuities, payroll access, delays in obtaining documents and workplace malpractice.

In Adjumani, those national statistics have names and faces. Ambayo’s complaint was perhaps the most direct. He joined public service in December 2024 but says he has not received a salary.

However, Igama Nobert, the District Principal Human Resources Officer, told the clinic that payroll problems can arise from mismatches between NIRA and payroll records.

He explained: “When you miss salary in June, you automatically miss the one for the next financial year, especially July.”

He said it can take up to four months to regain access to the payroll after harmonization and gazettement.

But Adjumani has experienced salary problems before.

In 2023, district officials reported that 447 employees had not received salaries for February and March, amounting to Shs 592 million, while the district reported a Shs 5.1 billion wage shortfall.

The history suggests that payroll and wage management deserve sustained attention rather than being treated solely as isolated individual cases.

For teacher Madraa Gloria Koma, the problem is different but the consequences are similar.

She told the clinic that her details had remained on Payroll-Based System (PBS) since 2024, even as other staff were migrated to Human Capital Management system (HCM).

The consequence, she said, is that: “I can’t get a loan.”

Igama confirmed that 17 staff members were still being paid through PBS because they had failed to migrate their details in time.

The district says staff with mismatches between PBS and NIRA records can request a waiver where they cannot harmonize their details.

For Opeli Steven, a former Senior Assistant Chief Administrative Officer and pensioner, the problem emerged at the end of his public-service career.

Opeli said his service was irregularly terminated in 2021 and that he retired in 2023 at the age of 47.

He told the clinic: “The pension and gratuity I received was inadequate and wrongly computed.”

Other former public servants raised complaints concerning underpayment of pension and gratuity and alleged irregularities surrounding the retirement of SACAOs and Parish Chiefs.

District officials said some pension cases are affected by missing documentation.

Igama explained that some former employees lack minutes confirming their appointment or confirmation of service, which are required when processing retirement benefits.

The staffing problem behind the complaints.

The administrative complaints are occurring within a wider staffing challenge.

In March 2026, Adjumani resumed recruitment for 59 public-service positions after protests disrupted the recruitment exercise. The district had an allocated Shs 810 million wage bill for the positions. Only 64 percent of the district’s human-resource positions were filled.

This is important because the effect of staffing shortages is not confined to government employees. When positions remain vacant, citizens can experience longer waiting times, fewer frontline workers and weaker access to government services.

Adjumani’s staffing challenge is particularly significant because the district serves both host communities and a substantial refugee population. A teacher’s problem becomes a community problem. The impact of public-service employment problems can extend beyond individual workers.

In 2024, Adjumani Teachers’ SACCO reported that teachers had failed to repay Shs 85 million in loans, with some loans dating as far back as 2017. The SACCO said some teachers were difficult to trace.

While the SACCO problem is not itself an Ombudsman complaint, it illustrates the wider economic consequences that can arise when public servants experience unstable incomes or administrative disruptions.

A delayed salary can affect loan repayment. A payroll migration problem can affect access to credit. A disputed pension calculation can affect retirement planning. An identification mismatch can delay employment benefits. Administrative systems may look technical from an office desk. For the person affected, they are not.

Francis Were, Ma’di Sub-Region Inspectorate Officer, believes communication is part of the solution.

“People complain because of a communication gap that needs to be addressed. Information should be shared on all available information platforms,” Were observes.

The statement goes to the heart of several grievances raised in Adjumani.

If an employee understands why a salary has been delayed, what document is missing or which institution must correct a record, they are better positioned to pursue a solution. If they do not, the problem can become a cycle of visits to different offices without resolution.

Hon. Osman Yusuf Shaban, Former Town Council Speaker, raised concerns about deductions from councillors’ sitting allowances.

He said: “Allowances of councilors was being deducted without clear reason from the Town Council leaders.”

Eriku Patrick Keleture, Adjumani Town Clerk, offered a different explanation. He said the allowances are subject to a 40 percent tax deduction, which he described as secondary tax charged by URA. He explained that the deduction occurs at the bank before councilors withdraw the remaining money.

The exchange illustrates why clear communication of administrative decisions matters in public service. A deduction may be lawful, but where the affected person does not understand its basis, it can become a grievance.

Vundru Dominic, NIRA Registration Officer, told the clinic that harmonization of identification details is ongoing.

He said ordinary processing of a National ID can take about three months, while express processing costs Shs 300, 000 at NIRA headquarters in Kampala.

He also said changes to details intended to harmonize National ID information with academic records can take about one month and require approvals involving the courts, URSB and NIRA.

This matters to public servants because identity information increasingly links employment, payroll and access to financial services.

Emmanuel Okware, Deputy RDC, urged aggrieved staff and citizens to use the IGG’s complaint mechanisms.

Meanwhile, the national record suggests complaints can produce financial outcomes. The IGG says it resolved 1,011 Ombudsman cases in FY 2025/2026, with more than Shs 2.35 billion recommended for payment to people whose employment benefits had been denied or delayed.

Adjumani now has an opportunity to demonstrate the same principle locally. The district could track the complaints raised during the clinic, identify the responsible institution, publish progress and report how many have been resolved.

That would make accountability measurable. For Ambayo, Madraa and Opeli, the Ombudsman Clinic was a chance to be heard. But their stories will only have a satisfying ending when the administrative systems they complained about actually respond.

The clinic opened the door for complaints. The real test of accountability is what happens after the door closes.

END.