URSB's Mercy Kainobwisho dismisses circulating salary list as false

The document claims that Kainobwisho, as the Registrar General, earns UGX 40 million monthly, while her deputy registrar and board secretary earn UGX 31 million.

According to the list, the least-paid URSB employees, categorised as support staff, receive UGX 3,005,000 a month.

The salary list was shared by Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, a well-known cartoonist and lecturer who has been active in disseminating government salary structures over the past week.

Ssentongo’s posts include screenshots of salaries sourced directly from a document published on July 17, 2024, by the Public Service Ministry.

However, he has also encouraged the public to send him salary details of other government entities not covered in the official document, though it remains unclear if the URSB salary list was obtained in this manner.

In her statement, Kainobwisho dismissed the purported salary list as “completely false and should be ignored.”

She said ever since the list came out, she received many calls from people seeking clarification since the list was shared.

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Mercy Kainobwisho pulse uganda

Social media, a toxic battleground

The URSB chief used the opportunity to highlight the challenges of engaging on social media, which she described as having turned into a “toxic battleground” where false and misleading content can spread without consequence.

“This X space has unfortunately become a place where anyone can spread false, misleading information without consequence,” Kainobwisho said.

She urged the public to exercise caution when encountering information shared on the platform and warned against being drawn into online conflicts or hating people based on misinformation.

Kainobwisho also invited people to seek accurate information through official and professional channels.

“For accurate information or any clarifications, please feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn or email,” she advised, describing LinkedIn as a “professional, peaceful platform where respectful engagement is valued.”

Her statement further expressed concerns over the negative impact that social media misinformation can have on mental and spiritual well-being.

“Unfortunately, this is what it has become. For our own mental and spiritual well-being, it’s safer to step back from such toxic spaces that lack safeguards against malicious content,” Kainobwisho stated.

She remained hopeful that improved digital systems would help combat the spread of false information in the future.