Kinshasa, May 24th, 2026 (CPA). – The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has forbidden any further increases in bonuses for State employees and civil servants who are already regularly paid, according to the minutes of the 90th Council of Ministers meeting, read out Saturday on national television. “Pending the completion of this audit and the implementation of the new pay policy, he has prescribed the following interim measures: the prohibition of any further increases in bonuses for categories already receiving regular pay, without prejudice to commitments arising from agreements concluded with the social partners and on-going pay scale adjustments, as well as the prohibition on the establishment of new commissions or permanent structures,” has reported Augustin Kibassa, Minister in charge of the Digital Economy, appointed to report on the matter. “The savings resulting from the rationalisation of the payroll, the rationalisation of the staff, as well as the additional budget provided for in the 2026 Amending Finance Bill, must be allocated as a priority to the gradual remuneration of certified, regular staff who are not yet on the payroll,” has insisted the Head of State, as quoted by Minister Kibassa. President Tshisekedi has attracted the Council’s attention to the fact that, despite the efforts already made by the government, many State employees—who are validly in service, physically identified and registered in the public administration’s reference register—continue to receive no remuneration, according to several reports received by him. The same reports also highlight the significant wage disparities between administrations, central services and decentralised services in the provinces within the decentralised territorial entities. “Such a situation is no longer acceptable, as it jeopardises the fulfilment of the sixth commitment subscribed to the Congolese people (…)”, he has lamented.
The Government instructed to act without delay
To this end, the President of the Republic has instructed the Deputy Prime Ministers in charge of the Budget and the Public Service, as well as the Minister in charge of Finance, under the coordination of the Prime Minister and in close collaboration with her office, to take without delay all necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of these measures and the rapid completion of the new wage policy, as well as the State audit work. At the third meeting of the Council of Ministers on June 28th, 2024, the Head of State had instructed the government to draw up a new fair, equitable and sustainable wage policy, based on the principles of rationalisation and harmonisation of the remuneration system. He had also tasked the General Inspector of Finance, in collaboration with the government, to conduct a general audit of the final accounts in order to identify the irregular expenditure and other undue costs that unnecessarily inflate the wage bill to the detriment of the eligible staff. CPA/