More than a thousand former staff members of the now-defunct Uganda Electricity Board (UEB) have filed a lawsuit against the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), the entity tasked with the liquidation of UEB. The lawsuit, involving 1,117 ex-employees, seeks the recovery of unpaid terminal benefits, including a specific transport allowance, along with compensation for damages and legal costs, plus accrued interest.
URSB, serving as UEB’s official liquidator since its dissolution, is still in the process of liquidating the company, according to recent court filings.
The plaintiffs were part of a workforce reduction following government restructuring of parastatals between 1998 and 2001. They assert that upon their layoff, they were promised both terminal and transport benefits—the latter amounting to Shs600,000 for junior staff and Shs1,000,000 for senior staff.
Represented by Ms. Okurut and Company Advocates, the group, led by Julius Silver Onyait, alleges that despite promises, their final severance payments excluded the agreed-upon transport allowances. They further claim that the liquidator, appointed in 2006, has continually denied these payments despite having received funds from the government specifically for this purpose.
The ex-workers argue that the liquidator’s failure to disburse the transport allowance and the withholding of information regarding their payments constitute fraudulent actions. They are seeking a court order to compel URSB to pay the outstanding allowances, along with additional damages and legal fees.
In defense, the liquidator denies any malpractice, indicating an intention to object on the grounds that the current claims replicate those of a prior case dismissed in 2016 due to lack of prosecution. The liquidator argues that the new lawsuit is an abuse of the court process and should be dismissed.
The case is pending and awaits a hearing in the High Court. This legal action follows a previous dismissal by the High Court involving the same parties, where the case was dismissed with costs by Justice Musa Ssekaana.
