President Museveni has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing the welfare of public servants, including teachers, while emphasising that Uganda must first strengthen foundational infrastructure and peace before implementing significant salary increases.
Speaking on Monday at Paridi Stadium in Adjumani Town Council during the conclusion of his campaign tour of the West Nile sub-region, Museveni—who is also the flagbearer of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) for the 2026 election—called for patience and a focus on national priorities.
“We are not against the salaries of public servants, but first of all, peace, the roads, electricity, health, and schools—then we can add on other things,” he said.
While acknowledging the legitimacy of teachers’ demands for higher pay, Museveni asked whether it was fair to raise salaries when key infrastructure remains incomplete.
Drawing loud applause from supporters, he asked: “You have been hearing the teachers striking, saying that they want more salary. But is it correct to pay public servants more money when the roads are not done? Is it fair?”
The rally, which marked the climax of Museveni’s West Nile campaign trail, saw him articulate why government spending remains focused on infrastructure and social services.
Referencing his own experience with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), he reminded the crowd that soldiers endured decades of modest pay because their motherland lacked resources.
“We in the UPDF have been fighting for no pay or low pay for the last 55 years because we could not demand a high salary from our mother, Uganda, when we knew that our mother did not have enough money.”
Museveni pointed to specific road projects—such as the Pakele–Pabo and Adjumani–Obongi routes—highlighting their poor condition and pledging government intervention.
He recalled that before NRM came to power, the tarmacked road network ended at Gulu; today it stretches north to Atiak, Adjumani, Laropi, Moyo, Yumbe and Koboko, thereby opening border regions for trade and security.
“Once we agree on the budgeting—what comes first—things will move,” he said. “If there’s extra, then we can do other things. But let’s do the minimum first: roads, electricity, schools, and hospitals.”
In June 2025, teachers belonging to the Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers’ Union (UPHTU) — representing humanities and arts teachers — initiated an industrial action over persistent salary disparities with their science‐teaching counterparts.
The strike began on June 6 and involved more than 10,000 of Uganda’s approximately 17,000 government‐employed arts teachers.
Their grievance was based on the assertion that despite holding equivalent qualifications and performing comparable workloads, arts teachers were paid significantly less than science teachers — some earning as little as Shs 672,000 monthly compared to roughly Shs 4 million for a science counterpart.
After negotiations at State House, the strike was suspended at the end of June following government guarantees of phased salary increases and additional benefits.
Meanwhile, schools were directed to develop learning recovery plans to compensate for lost instructional time.
Teachers’ body, UNATU and public‑servant representatives will closely watch how the government translates Museveni’s remarks into tangible budget allocation and policy, especially as the education sector recovers from the recent strike and awaits promised salary reforms.
