More than 50 Village Health Team (VHT) volunteers from Kikyenkye Sub-county in Ibanda District on Thursday staged a peaceful protest over delayed payment of allowances earned during the nationwide Long-Lasting Insecticidal Mosquito Net distribution campaign.
The volunteers marched to the Office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), calling on the government to intervene after waiting for nearly three months without receiving the promised payments.
The VHTs said they successfully completed the mosquito net distribution exercise, which ended in May this year, and were each promised Shs120,000. However, they claim that while volunteers in other sub-counties have already received their allowances, those in Kikyenkye are still waiting.
The protesters said the delay has left many of them facing financial hardship. They also accused the Assistant Sub-county Health Officer, Michael Mujurizi, of demanding Shs5,000 from each volunteer before allowing them to participate in the campaign.
Ibanda District has more than 1,000 Village Health Team volunteers who support primary healthcare delivery through disease surveillance, health education, immunization mobilization, and malaria prevention.
Responding to the concerns, Ibanda District Health Officer, Dr. Julius Bamwine, acknowledged the delayed payments but clarified that the allowances are processed and paid directly by the Ministry of Health.
Mujurizi denied allegations of extortion, maintaining that the money collected was not for his personal benefit.
Meanwhile, Assistant Resident District Commissioner Richard Banjo urged the volunteers to remain calm, assuring them that the RDC’s office is engaging the relevant authorities to ensure the matter is resolved.