Local governments in Uganda are asking the government to significantly increase the monthly remuneration of political leaders, with district chairpersons proposed to earn UGX 13 million every month instead of the current UGX 2.38 million.

The proposal has been presented by the Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA), which says the salary increases are necessary to motivate local political leaders and attract people with the skills and experience needed to oversee development programmes.

ULGA presented its memorandum during the National Budget Conference for the financial year 2027/28, asking the government to consider the proposed changes when preparing the next national budget.

Under the proposal, district chairpersons would see their monthly pay rise from UGX 2.38 million to UGX 13 million. This would represent one of the biggest increases among the categories of local political leaders whose remuneration ULGA wants reviewed.

The association is also asking for a major increase for district vice chairpersons. Their current monthly remuneration of about UGX 190,000 would, under the proposal, rise to UGX 9 million.

District speakers are also included in the proposal, with ULGA asking government to increase their monthly pay from UGX 724,000 to UGX 6 million.

The association further wants district and city executive committee members to receive UGX 6 million per month, compared with the current UGX 620,000. ULGA argues that these leaders have important responsibilities in local administration and development oversight.

Mayors and city division chairpersons are also being targeted for salary increases. ULGA is proposing that their monthly remuneration should rise from about UGX 1.19 million to UGX 13 million.

The proposed increases also extend to councillors at district and city level. ULGA wants their monthly allowances increased from UGX 250,000 to UGX 500,000.

At the grassroots level, the association is seeking a substantial increase for Local Council One chairpersons. It says LC1 chairpersons currently receive only UGX 10,000 per month and wants this amount increased to UGX 150,000.

ULGA says local political leaders perform important duties in their communities, including mobilising residents, monitoring government programmes, overseeing development priorities and demanding accountability from service providers.

The association argues that the current remuneration does not adequately reflect these responsibilities. It also says the rising cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for local leaders to perform their duties effectively under the existing payment structure.

According to ULGA, inadequate remuneration can affect the motivation and retention of political leaders. The association believes better pay would make local government leadership more attractive to capable people and improve the quality of oversight.

However, the proposed increases face a major challenge because government has to consider them alongside many other demands on the national budget. Officials have cautioned that the proposals cannot automatically be implemented at the requested levels.

Minister of Public Service General Katumba Wamala said government remains committed to improving salaries but explained that the process has already been designed to take place in phases.

Katumba said Cabinet had approved a phased programme for salary enhancement and that government was still committed to implementing it. However, he warned that every new proposal must be carefully examined against the country’s wider economic priorities.

The minister also cautioned against demands for extremely large increases to be implemented at once. He questioned expectations that government could simply move from relatively low salaries to much higher figures in a single step.

Katumba further explained that oil revenues cannot simply be used to finance all salary demands because they are specifically intended for investment in infrastructure. This, he said, limits the government’s ability to rely on oil money to meet recurrent expenditure.

Finance Minister Henry Musasizi also stressed the need for government to make careful choices when allocating limited public resources. He argued that spending should prioritise productive sectors such as agriculture, tourism and minerals because these areas can help expand the economy and create greater fiscal space in the future.

The government has also pointed out that ULGA has not yet presented a detailed simulation showing how much the proposed salary increases would cost the country each financial year.

State Minister for Finance Amos Lugoloobi said such calculations would be necessary before the proposals could be properly assessed.

For now, the UGX 13 million figure and other proposed increases remain requests by ULGA, not approved salary changes, as government considers competing priorities under the 2027/28 budget process.