"Everyman for himself, God for us all", the language being spoken by the Ugandan Parliament and those occupying Nakasero and Entebbe. The latest and active Minimum Wage Act was last updated on January 1, 1884, that's 139 years ago, so I believe that Ugandan leaders are good political economists who care about the people they are representing in the parliament. We can imagine the current inflation to the extent that a kilogram of rice or sugar is worth the current monthly minimum wage of UGX 6000.
Indeed, Uganda is one of the countries which cares about its citizens. Recently in 2019, President Museveni declined to assent to the Minimum Wage Bill of 2015 on the grounds that "Having received advice from the Attorney General... I hereby REFUSE to assent to the bill. There are no gaps in the Minimum WAGE Advisory Board and Wages Council Act that the Bill seeks to cure". Museveni's letter to then Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga dated August 27, 2019.
This implies that the current minimum wage of UGX 6000 which was in effect on January 1, 1884 is still relevant and serves the interests of Ugandans based on Museveni's letter to the then Speaker of 10th Parliament of Uganda. Fantastic, What a patriotic leader we are based with. The Minimum Wage Bill of 2015 that had allocated UGX 136000 (USD 37) per month was declined due to the need to protect the interests of Ugandans at the expense of Asian investors.
In just 6 months of 2023, the Parliament has passed 12 Bills and all have been assented by the beloved President,Wow, when will ordinary citizens expect to have a minimum wage that will be key factor in reducing poverty and leading to the Middle Income Status, Imagine the Deep State maintaining the Minimum Wage Act of 1884 yet we are in 2023, this implies that Uganda is the only country where cost of living was and is STATIC but if it wasn't static, the Beloved President "the Fountain of Honor" would have at least assented the Minimum wage Bill of 2015.
This would imply that the State serves the interests of ordinary people like housemaids who do donkey work, they are underrated, and underpaid but the old man decided to side with his fellow investors who often fly out of the country during election period at the expense of his voters who have allegedly been voting him into power for the last 6 terms.
It is on record that that Uganda's parliament is one of overpopulated parliaments with 556 MPs representing 45M people, yet India the world's second largest populated country has 545 MPs representing a 1.4 billion people, the US, the World's number one economy has only 535 Members of Congress representing 334M people.
It is also on record that none of 556 MPs in Uganda's 11th parliament cares about his/her electorates including the 5 MPs representing Youth yet we think and believe that they are associated with the most disadvantaged group in the society (Youth) which makes over 75 percent of Uganda's population but they are either sleeping or representing their stomach in Parliament, 10 MPs representing UPDF, none of these 10 has ever raised the issue of minimum wage yet military is one of underpaid sectors in Uganda. Even after Private Wilson Sabiiti shooting his boss, Labour Minister Charles Engola, these UPDF MPs have not even woken up to deliberate the military welfare at the floor of parliament.
The Opposition and Independent comprises of over 100 MPs but none of them has ever altered any statement in line with Minimum Wage in this current parliament, for NRM MPs, I have no comment because their boss once said that as long as NRM MPs can walk to vote during passing any bills s/he is better than a vibrant Opposition MP.
'The cost of living wants to kill the living' the social media in-laws, therefore, I am not in position to answer the question "Who will rescue Ugandans from the Minimum Wage Act of 1884?" I think it is a simple and beautiful question that requires a handsome and determined answer, and I believe that the residents of Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono are the right people to answer my question because they pay a lot of taxes and they are the ones whose cost of living is skyrocketing daily.
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I believe that they will answer my question at the right time because they have the power to do so whenever they feel like that it is time for them to take action towards the realization of Minimum Wage but I warn them never, never and again to rely and place their hope in any politician to rescue them from the Minimum Wage Act of 1884 because NONE of the 556 MPs has taken a step on the flow of parliament regarding the poor working conditions of ordinary laborers that is why I decided to sum up this piece with Chaucer Knight's tale of the year 1386 "Everyman for himself and God for us all"
Richard Mbayo is a PhD Student at the Department of Politics and International Affairs at Northern Arizona University. He has a Master's degree in Political Science from the Renmin University of China and a Bachelor of Development Studies from Kyambogo.
