Sharifah Buzeki, the executive director of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), has reprimanded town clerks from Kampala Central and Kawempe divisions over delayed salary payments to city casual workers, ordering that all outstanding wages be cleared before Christmas.
Buzeki raised the issue while speaking to Bbeg Media during the Weyonje Sanitation Challenge 2025 at Kitante Primary School. The exercise brought together all five city divisions Nakawa, Kampala Central, Lubaga, Kawempe and Makindye in a coordinated effort to improve waste management.
Activities included garbage collection, desilting sewage and drainage channels, cleaning public toilets and sorting waste.
“I usually call upon your SACCO leaders to mobilise you to clean up our city and you have responded positively. However, I have heard about your concerns regarding delayed payments yet I already approved your salaries. Where is the problem, affected division town clerks?” she asked.
Following complaints from casual workers in Kawempe and Kampala Central divisions over delayed salaries, Buzeki summoned Deogratius Nsubuga, the town clerk of Kampala Central Division, and Grace Mazapkwe, the acting town clerk of Kawempe Division, to explain the delays in the presence of their staff.
Nsubuga admitted that the December salary payment process had started and said the matter would soon be resolved. On the issue of protective gear, he said the Shs 5 million allocated to the division had been kept on the account pending further guidance from City Hall.
Mazapkwe also confirmed the delays and assured the executive director that the payment process was already underway. She acknowledged receipt of funds meant for protective gear and pledged to spend the money once official direction was received from City Hall.
The development followed complaints by several casual workers who said they had not received their November and December salaries despite City Hall having approved the payments ahead of the festive season.
As Buzeki announced plans to convene an emergency meeting to address the issue, she received confirmation that the funds had been deposited into the divisions’ accounts, just minutes into her speech.
Flanked by Dr Sarah Zalwango, the KCCA director for public health and environment, Buzeki pledged to increase the budget for protective gear in the next financial year. She also welcomed President Museveni’s commitment to raise the daily pay for casual workers from Shs 6,000 to Shs 10,000, translating to a monthly wage of Shs 300,000 from the current Shs 180,000.
