Gov’t Deactivates over 4,000 Public Servants from January 2025 Payroll

Kampala, Uganda – The Ugandan government has deactivated over 4,000 public servants from the January 2025 payroll following a second round of validation exercises conducted between March 11th and June 28th, 2024.

The validation process was initiated based on recommendations from the Auditor General’s Office.

A letter issued by Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Service, on January 16th, 2025, outlines the categories of the 4,149 deactivated employees.

They include; 2,967 employees who failed to participate in the second round of validation, 15 employees suspected to be “ghosts” (non-existent), 557 employees who remained on the payroll despite retirement or resignation, 368 employees who were confirmed to have absconded from their duties and 242 deceased public officers whose records were still active on the payroll.

The Ministry of Public Service conducted a comprehensive validation process and presented its findings to the Cabinet, which subsequently appointed a sub-committee to review the recommendations.

The sub-committee met on January 9th, 2025, and directed the deactivation of the identified records from the payroll.

The letter further advises public institutions to recommend any deactivated employee who qualifies for reactivation to the Ministry of Public Service.

The recommendation must be accompanied by a clearance letter signed by the responsible officer, original academic and professional documents, original appointment and confirmation letters, original National Identity Card, pay slips for December 2024 and January 2025, and certified minutes of employment.

The Ministry has also stated that a window for further validation will be implemented from January 20th to February 7th, 2025.