Uganda government releases new salary structure

Ramathan Ggoobi, the permanent secretary to the ministry of finance and secretary to the treasury -PSST

Ramathan Ggoobi, the permanent secretary to the ministry of finance and secretary to the treasury (PHOTO /Courtesy)

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has released a comprehensive salary and grading structure for 2026, aimed at standardizing compensation for personnel working on externally funded projects.

The new guidelines, contained in a 2026 job description directory, establish uniform pay scales across four distinct grades to eliminate long-standing wage gaps within project implementation units (PIUs). Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Ramathan Ggoobi said the initiative seeks to enhance transparency and ensure fairness across all government ministries, departments and agencies.

Strict qualifications and experience

To ensure value for money, the ministry has set high bars for entry. For Grade 1 roles, candidates must possess a relevant honors bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from a recognized university. Most leadership roles in this category require 12 years of experience, with at least five of those in a management position. Certification in project management is listed as an added advantage.

Standardized pay scales

Under the 2026 framework, remuneration is strictly tied to a four-tier grading system. Every role now has a defined minimum, midpoint, and maximum salary.

Grade 1 (Leadership/Technical): Includes project coordinators and project managers. Starting monthly salary is 24 million shillings, rising to 28 million shillings.

Grade 2 (Specialist/Middle Management): Covers 15 roles including financial management specialists, senior procurement officers, monitoring and evaluation specialists, and legal officers. Salaries range from 12 million to 17.9 million shillings.

Grade 3 (Officer Level): Covers 12 roles such as accountants, IT officers, and social safeguards officers. Salaries range from 4.5 million to 6.48 million shillings.

Grade 4 (Support Staff): Includes administrative assistants (up to 4.2 million shillings) and drivers (starting at 1.8 million shillings).

All staff across every grade are entitled to an annual medical insurance package of 1.08 million shillings per individual, which covers the employee and up to four dependents for a total annual value of 5.4 million shillings.

Addressing historical disparities

Historically, pay for these roles was often dictated by individual donor agreements with partners like the World Bank or the African Development Bank. This led to significant variation, where a manager on one project could earn double what a peer on another project received.

“Projects backed by larger donors or with bigger budgets offered substantially higher compensation packages, creating competition for talent within government institutions,” a ministry source said.

The new directory seeks to harmonize these differences across high-value initiatives, including the 906.2 billion shilling Northern Uganda Social Action Fund IV and the 654.3 billion shilling Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project.

Implementation and governance

Ggoobi noted that project coordinators will now be commissioners or their equivalents. He urged accounting officers to ensure that all appointees meet the specific expertise and minimum requirements for these roles. The ministry expects the standardized structure to improve project implementation timelines and align with the national development plan and the tenfold growth strategy.

Detailed grading for 33 key PIU positions

Grade Selected positions Minimum pay Maximum pay

Grade 1 Project Coordinator, Project Manager 24,000,000 28,000,000

Grade 2 Specialists: Procurement, FM, M&E, Gender, Legal, GIS 12,000,000 17,900,000

Grade 3 Officers: Accountant, IT, Livelihood, Communications 4,500,000 6,480,000

Grade 4 Assistants: Accounts, IT, Admin, Fleet (Driver) 1,800,000 4,200,000