Top Police, Prisons Officers Hit Pay Jackpot in Major Salary Shake-Up

Top-ranking officers in the Uganda Police Force and Uganda Prisons Service will now earn a uniform monthly salary of Shs12.75 million. This follows a newly approved pay structure by the Ministry of Public Service for the 2025/26 financial year.

Catherine Birakwate, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, issued a circular confirming the new salary alignment. It affects officers holding the ranks of Commissioner, Senior Commissioner, and Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP).

Previously, salaries for these ranks varied widely, ranging from Shs7 million to Shs12.75 million depending on their specialization and departmental duties. This created noticeable pay disparities among officers at the same rank.

Under the old structure, a Commissioner earned Shs7.8 million, while a Senior Commissioner received Shs10.6 million. AIGPs in the legal directorate earned Shs8.7 million, while those classified as scientists were paid the highest at Shs12.75 million.

AIGPs in general service were the lowest-paid at Shs7 million. The new pay structure ends these inconsistencies by standardizing salaries across departments for officers at the three senior ranks.

The Uganda Prisons Service will implement a similar harmonization, ensuring equal pay for officers of equivalent ranks. This aims to promote fairness and cohesion across the two security institutions.

In the police command structure, Commissioners and Senior Commissioners usually serve as deputy directors, while AIGPs are in charge of key directorates. These roles are crucial to the administration and oversight of operations.

This realignment follows a larger salary reform launched last year, which significantly raised salaries for the Inspector General of Police and Commissioner General of Prisons—from Shs6.8 million to Shs15.4 million monthly.

While senior officers benefit the most, lower-ranking personnel also saw increases last year. Special Police Constables’ pay rose from Shs375,200 to Shs440,000, with modest boosts for other junior ranks as part of phased salary reforms