Some pension beneficiaries at a waiting room at Public Service. Right is the ministry’s suspended Permanent Secretary, Mr Jimmy Lwamafa.
Pensioners’ misery as they chase their stolen billions
http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/ugandaat50/Pensioners--misery-as-they-chase-their-stolen-billions/-/1370466/1609792/-/o9qu73z/-/index.html
By Dear Jeanne
Posted Saturday, November 3 2012 at 02:00
KampalaTime check is 8am on a Wednesday. Elderly people queue at Ministry of Public Service headquarters in Kampala. They are conversing in low tones and in different languages after beating the sweet early morning sleep to be at the ministry on time.
With dusty shoes and creased clothes, some of the elderly statesmen and women are visibly weary for they have been through the process again and again with little progress.
Sitting nearer to the inquiries desk, none of the pensioners is smiling for it is problems that have seen them lining up at the office. I move closer to one Peter Iku Dolo, holding the biggest file. He seems more composed than most of his peers. Two to three words to the man at the inquiry desk and he is sent to the Pension registry office.
Thrown in towel
Unlike most of those who turned up, Mr Iku has come to represent three members of the Moyo Pension Association which he chairs. They had individually, tried to follow up their benefits but gave up. “It is not easy to have a problem solved. Most of the people here [Ministry] are inconsiderate. I am trying to help three of my members have their pension and gratuity,” Mr Iku says.
His association has many suffering pensioners but due to limited funds and time to the chase, Mr Iku is only handling three cases. One of the cases, he says, is about Anthony Anjiri, who had been tossed up and down for three years.
Mr Anjiri was an academic registrar and although his name is on the payroll as receiving a monthly payment pension of Shs695,000, he has never received a shilling. He has put all his hopes on Mr Iku to do the chasing. Mr Anjiri has also written to the Permanent Secretary over his plight.
“I regret to painfully inform you that although my name is on your teaching services monthly pension payment schedule as E/2691087221 receiving Shs695, 987, I do not get any cash. This means that the real cash goes elsewhere,” reads part of the October 22, 2012 letter.
Mr Iku says Mr Anjiri is not the only one in despair in Moyo District. “When we asked for the full list of pensioners on the payroll in Moyo District, we realised that so many people were suffering from similar issues,” Mr Iku says.
Another case is about Mr Dominic Ottugo Drabua, who worked as an agricultural mechanic in the Ministry of Agriculture. Apparently, Mr Drabua was receiving his monthly pension payment of Shs118,647 until 2009 when his name was allegedly deleted from the payroll.“He has received promises from all sides [officials] until he eventually gave up. But what is most saddening is that the payroll indicates that he is still receiving the money,” Mr Iku said.
Mr Iku is among the lucky few receiving their entitlement, however, he is egalitarian. “I may be getting my pension but so many old people are suffering in the villages,” he said.
Mr Iku narrates a story of one Daniel Drapin, a retired assistant agricultural officer in the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the payroll, he is alleged to have been paid his gratuity of Shs37 million in July but the money has never reached his account to date. According to Mr Iku, it is unbelievable that human beings can be so heartless. But he has preferred to give benefit of doubt and believe that it is a system error that will be sorted. “I do not want to think anyone stole the money. The members I am representing lost all hope because of such thoughts. I know systems have problems,” the retired civil servant says.
He adds: “Yes, the officials may delay to help and sometimes ignore us but I know people will get their money.” Having been used to a monthly salary, retirement is now dreaded because of the uncertainty of its benefits.
A pension payment amounts to three quarters of a working civil servant’s salary as per the new system that was introduced in 2008. Good as it sounds, no one is sure when or whether they will get the money yet the majority of pensioners are of advanced age.
They are faced with challenges of sustaining larger families coupled with children still studying. In addition, some pensioners have to contend with grandchildren dumped in the villages because their parents were unable to sustain them in towns due to either unemployment or meager pay.
Kampala
Time check is 8am on a Wednesday. Elderly people queue at Ministry of Public Service headquarters in Kampala. They are conversing in low tones and in different languages after beating the sweet early morning sleep to be at the ministry on time.
With dusty shoes and creased clothes, some of the elderly statesmen and women are visibly weary for they have been through the process again and again with little progress.
Sitting nearer to the inquiries desk, none of the pensioners is smiling for it is problems that have seen them lining up at the office. I move closer to one Peter Iku Dolo, holding the biggest file. He seems more composed than most of his peers. Two to three words to the man at the inquiry desk and he is sent to the Pension registry office.
Thrown in towel
Unlike most of those who turned up, Mr Iku has come to represent three members of the Moyo Pension Association which he chairs. They had individually, tried to follow up their benefits but gave up. “It is not easy to have a problem solved. Most of the people here [Ministry] are inconsiderate. I am trying to help three of my members have their pension and gratuity,” Mr Iku says.
His association has many suffering pensioners but due to limited funds and time to the chase, Mr Iku is only handling three cases. One of the cases, he says, is about Anthony Anjiri, who had been tossed up and down for three years.
Mr Anjiri was an academic registrar and although his name is on the payroll as receiving a monthly payment pension of Shs695,000, he has never received a shilling. He has put all his hopes on Mr Iku to do the chasing. Mr Anjiri has also written to the Permanent Secretary over his plight.
“I regret to painfully inform you that although my name is on your teaching services monthly pension payment schedule as E/2691087221 receiving Shs695, 987, I do not get any cash. This means that the real cash goes elsewhere,” reads part of the October 22, 2012 letter.
Mr Iku says Mr Anjiri is not the only one in despair in Moyo District. “When we asked for the full list of pensioners on the payroll in Moyo District, we realised that so many people were suffering from similar issues,” Mr Iku says.
Another case is about Mr Dominic Ottugo Drabua, who worked as an agricultural mechanic in the Ministry of Agriculture. Apparently, Mr Drabua was receiving his monthly pension payment of Shs118,647 until 2009 when his name was allegedly deleted from the payroll.“He has received promises from all sides [officials] until he eventually gave up. But what is most saddening is that the payroll indicates that he is still receiving the money,” Mr Iku said.
Mr Iku is among the lucky few receiving their entitlement, however, he is egalitarian. “I may be getting my pension but so many old people are suffering in the villages,” he said.
Mr Iku narrates a story of one Daniel Drapin, a retired assistant agricultural officer in the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the payroll, he is alleged to have been paid his gratuity of Shs37 million in July but the money has never reached his account to date. According to Mr Iku, it is unbelievable that human beings can be so heartless. But he has preferred to give benefit of doubt and believe that it is a system error that will be sorted. “I do not want to think anyone stole the money. The members I am representing lost all hope because of such thoughts. I know systems have problems,” the retired civil servant says.
He adds: “Yes, the officials may delay to help and sometimes ignore us but I know people will get their money.” Having been used to a monthly salary, retirement is now dreaded because of the uncertainty of its benefits.
A pension payment amounts to three quarters of a working civil servant’s salary as per the new system that was introduced in 2008. Good as it sounds, no one is sure when or whether they will get the money yet the majority of pensioners are of advanced age.
They are faced with challenges of sustaining larger families coupled with children still studying. In addition, some pensioners have to contend with grandchildren dumped in the villages because their parents were unable to sustain them in towns due to either unemployment or meager pay.
