Staff at Kyambogo University have a reason to smile after the university council approved a 14% increment on their top-up allowance with effect from July 2014.

The acting Vice Chancellor, Prof Eli Katunguka made the announcement during a press briefing over the weekend.

Katunguka said the top up allowance raise is aimed at improving staff welfare and motivating them to work harderr and smarter.

There are 420 teaching staff members and 1,080 non-teaching staff members at Kyambogo university.

The university’s deputy vice chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration, Assoc. Prof Fabian Nabugomu pointed out that the university spends 5.2 billion shillings on top-up allowance annually.

The top up allowance raise takes the university’s expenditure on top up allowance to sh5.92billion since the 14% increment amounts to 728million shillings.

Prof. Katunguka however noted that the raise will vary with the ranking of staff. The nethermost placed members of staff such as the cleaners, sweepers and cooks will get at least a 25% increment while the top profile staff, like the vice chancellor will get the least increment of about 5%.

“The essence of making the bottom-placed people get the highest increment is because they are most affected by vagaries in the economy,” explained Nabugomu.

Prof. Katunguka said the university would use internally generated funds, by rationalizing expenditure to foot the increment.

Nabugomu said the university will cut down on less important expenditure such as those on stationery, photocopying, workshops and travels.

  Kyambogo University, Prof Eli Katunguka