Secret of Senior Officials’ Salaries in the DRC Sparks Heated Debate: CNPAV Releases a Tense Report
While the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to face serious governance, economic, and social challenges, an analytical report published by the CNPAV coalition has reignited debate over the management of public funds—particularly regarding the salaries of senior state officials and the remuneration of civil servants.
The report indicates that, to date, no state institution has officially disclosed the salary of the President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, nor those of the Presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate, the Prime Minister, or members of the government. According to CNPAV, this lack of transparency prevents citizens and oversight institutions from clearly understanding how much these officials are paid, making it difficult to assess changes in their wealth while in office.
The report further notes that even the President’s salary remains “not clearly known,” highlighting inconsistencies in available information regarding his compensation—an issue it considers a serious breach of transparency and accountability principles. The same applies to leaders of the parliamentary institutions, whose undisclosed salaries continue to fuel speculation and unverified claims about their earnings.
On the government side, the national budget allocations for the Prime Minister’s Office and other state institutions do not provide detailed breakdowns of the salaries of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers, making it impossible to determine their exact remuneration.
While the salaries of top officials remain undisclosed, those of ordinary civil servants are publicly available. Ministerial Order No. 22/45 of 06/12/2022 indicates that a newly recruited judicial officer earns 240,720 Congolese francs (CDF), while a Secretary-General in a ministry receives a base salary of 390,439 CDF.
When compared with rising market prices, the high cost of living, and fluctuations in the Congolese franc, these figures reveal that many civil servants continue to live under extremely difficult conditions. Many report that these salaries are insufficient to cover basic needs such as food, housing, healthcare, and education for their children.
This disparity fuels ongoing debate over why the government continues to withhold transparent information about senior officials’ salaries, while ordinary civil servants bear the daily burden of state operations yet remain poorly compensated.
Articles 12, 36, and 58 of the DRC Constitution respectively enshrine equality before the law, the right to fair remuneration for work performed, and the obligation for public officials to manage state resources in the public interest and be held accountable for them.
CNPAV argues that the lack of transparency regarding senior officials’ salaries undermines the implementation of these constitutional principles. The coalition calls for full disclosure of all public officials’ remuneration to enhance transparency, strengthen public trust in governance, and enable oversight institutions to effectively carry out their duties.
Analysts argue that improving transparency in public financial management and enhancing the welfare of civil servants are key steps toward rebuilding public trust and strengthening accountable governance. Until such measures are implemented, the issue of low civil servant salaries and the secrecy surrounding senior officials’ pay will likely remain a major source of controversy in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
