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Ex-EAC staff’s 28-year wait for benefits ends
2005-09-23 07:32:11
By Lusekelo Philemon
Former employees of the defunct East African Community (EAC) had a reason to smile after the government began paying their terminal benefits yesterday.
The government honoured its promise to pay over 28,000 ex-EAC employees who have waited for 28 years to get their terminal dues since 1977 when the community collapsed.
An on-spot check by The Guardian revealed that the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) on Water Front House is one of the pay-points.
Payment started at 2pm and will continue until all the former workers are paid.
The payment was effected after the legal hiccups that had prevented the exercise from taking off on Monday were sorted out.
The registration of the deed of settlement gave the Ministry of Finance the green-light to start paying the EAC retirees.
On Tuesday, thousands of the ex-EAC employees, some from upcountry, flocked to the Treasury demanding to be paid only to be told that legal technicalities were still being ironed out.
Alfred Kinyondo, the chairman of ex-EAC workers, confirmed that the payment started in the afternoon.
’I’m happy that the exercise is in progress,’ Kinyondo said.
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