Kira Municipality leaders questioned due to mishandling of payroll.

 

Kira Municipality officials were questioned by the Public Accounts Committee (Local Government) due to mishandling of their payroll.

 This led to both underpayment and overpayment of salaries and pensions for staff. An Auditor General's Report for the 2021-2022 fiscal year revealed instances of ghost workers receiving pensions for several years.

 The report highlighted a case where an individual used fake documents from the Education Service Commission to earn over Shs7 million in a year and remained on pension for seven years.

 The committee members expressed concern and demanded explanations from the municipality. Some legislators suggested legal action against the responsible individual to prevent similar incidents in the future. The report also disclosed Shs49 million paid to 10 secondary school employees not listed in the Commission's database. 

Kira Municipality's officials stated that the unverified staff had been added to the payroll before verification. They promised improved verification processes moving forward. The delay in adding new staff to the payroll and removing retired or transferred staff caused underpayment issues and frustration among legislators. 

The officials were criticized for spending public funds on individuals who were no longer working. The report also noted an underpayment of Shs155 million for pensions and gratuities, leading to calls for compensation.