MPs on the committee chaired by Soroti district Woman Member of Parliament, Angeline Ossege, while meeting the officials from the ministry of public service led by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Catherine Musingwire, discovered this  through the Auditor general’s report  for the financial year 2013/14  that a total of 19,135 pensioners who had attained the maximum pensionable period of 15 years were still on the ministry of public service payroll and earning monthly pension yet they had not furnished the ministry with life certificates.

Member of Parliament for Ntungamo district, Gerald Karuhanga

MPs who included the Member of Parliament for Ntungamo district, Gerald Karuhanga and Angelline Ossege wondered whether all the pensioners paid were still alive suspecting that there could have been ghosts who benefited.

MPs queried the officials especially the Director Human Resource, Aidah Muwanga Kabarokole and the assistant commissioner in charge of compensation, Victor Buwaleka, on what stopped them from verifying for the right pensioners using the life certificates before effecting payments.

Masaka Municipality MP, Mathius Mpuuga among the MPs.

The Member of Parliament for Masaka Municipality, Matthias Mpuuga, was angry over this questionable payment to suspicious ghost pensioners when the right pensioners are frequently made to go to the pension office to be paid.

While responding to MP’s concerns over the suspicious ghost pensioner’s payment, Kabarokole, said that though MPs are suspecting payment to ghost pensioners but the ministry conducted the payment using available proper records.

MPs told the ministry of public to avail the list of life certificates they claim to have used to effect this doubtful pension to pensioners.

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The ban was imposed about six months ago with the intervention of the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) that intervened and transported a number of girls back home.

However, while appearing before Parliament on Tuesday August 16, officials from the MGLSD attempted to persuade Parliament to lift its ban saying the situation has since improved following their numerous meetings with officials especially from Saudi Arabia where most complaints were registered and other neighboring countries. Their attempts were however, futile as the Parliamentarians stood their ground on the matter.

State Minister for Labour, Herbert Kabafunzaki.

State Minister for Labour, Herbert Kabafunzaki, said that a law would be made to monitor workers’ right but faced stiff resistance from members; Beatrice Anywa,Woman MP, Kitgum district, Matthias Mpuuga, Member of Parliament  , Masaka Municipality, together with the leader of opposition Winfred Kiiza, who argued that lifting the ban would endanger the unemployed youths whom they said were mixed with both the literate and the illiterate and make them slaves.

“It is a responsibility of leaders to ensure that Ugandans are not involved in the modern-day slavery. We shall not accept this because previously there have been assurances on this matter but all we continue hearing and seeing in the media are these ugly scenes where Ugandans are humiliated by their employers in the Middle East. Let us get a solution for these youths here,” Kiiza charged.
Lucy Akello, the MP for Amuru district, said that the workers taken out especially to Arab countries should be given both going and return tickets so that when they are mistreated, it is easier for them to return home.

The Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, however, asked the gender ministry officials to take to parliament a bill in regards to externalization of labour so that there can be a mechanism that regulates the export of labour prompting the Minister of State for Labour, Herbert Kabafunzaki who said he would draft the document that he will soon table before the house.

Parliament also mandated the parliamentary committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development to investigate more into issues of labour exports and give a report to parliament.

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