The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Agago, Uganda | URN | Teachers at Kotomor Seed Secondary School have laid down their tools protesting a seven-month delay in salary payments.
The affected teachers, who assumed duty in September 2025, say they have stopped teaching and all related professional duties with immediate effect until their salaries are paid in full.
Kotomor Seed Secondary School, located in Kotomor Sub-county in Agago District, is a government-established institution created to expand access to secondary education in rural and underserved areas under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Programme (UGiFT).
Teachers said the prolonged delay has pushed them into severe financial hardship, forcing some to depend on food brought by students while their families struggle at home.
Dickens Otole a teacher at the school, said survival has become extremely difficult, yet many teachers have dependents who rely on their incomes.
“At school we are surviving on the food that learners bring, yet we have children and relatives at home who depend on us; some of our children have been sent back from school because we cannot pay fees,” Otole said.
Otole said they are demanding that the district authorities urgently review the payroll situation and pay all the 25 affected staff their salaries without discrimination.
According to the teachers, only 16 out of the 25 teachers had been added to the payroll, a move they say violates provisions of the Public Service Standing Orders.
Otole claimed that the teachers felt mistreated when they went to office of the CAO on Thursday for redress.
Mary Amito, another teacher, said the situation has placed many teachers in difficult personal circumstances.
“Life at home is not good. We are living on meagre resources, and even at school, we do not have what to take care of ourselves,” she said.
Amito added that some teachers share meals with students and struggle to meet basic needs such as medical care and transport.
Patrick Olila, the CAO of Agago, assured teachers that the issue is being resolved.
Olila confirmed that the district had engaged the Ministry of Public Service to verify the teachers’ details and ensure their inclusion on the government payroll.
“The Principal Human Resource Officer went to the Ministry of Public Service to activate their names on the payroll. They will receive all their approved salary,” Olila said.
While the teachers’ frustration is understandable, the delay appears to be a procedural issue rather than intentional neglect. Payroll activation for new staff requires verification with the Ministry of Public Service, which can take time.
The district, through CAO Patrick Olila, has already taken steps to resolve the matter and assured that all salaries will be paid. Halting duties, however, risks disrupting students’ learning, and continued engagement may be a more constructive approach.