As the Office du Thé du Burundi (OTB) faces a worsening financial crisis, new revelations expose shocking and unequal internal practices. Our organization has uncovered a dramatic rise in executive salaries amid ongoing budgetary and social turmoil.
🔶️ Salary Increases of 233% to 300%, Decided Unilaterally
Since October 2025, top officials at OTB — starting with Director General Engineer Gilles Mukundwa — have granted themselves massive pay raises. These increases, ranging from +233% to +300%, were made without transparency or consultation with internal oversight bodies.
The most glaring case is that of the Director General himself: his salary rose from 1,000,000 FBu to 4,000,000 FBu — a 300% increase.
Other executives, such as regional factory heads, saw their monthly salaries increase from 900,000 FBu to 3,000,000 FBu, representing a 233.33% hike.
🔶️ Employees in Distress: Unpaid Salaries and Years of Stagnation
Meanwhile, lower-level staff — including laborers, technicians, and support personnel — have yet to receive their salaries for November 2025. Some employees report that their wages have been frozen for over a decade, despite worsening working conditions.
More concerning, they have received no bonuses or salary adjustments, unlike the executives. Many employees who have served OTB for over 20 years still earn less than 1,000,000 FBu per month.
This highlights a deepening divide in income and governance at a public institution vital to Burundi’s economy. Further investigations are ongoing.
🔶️ A Two-Tier Salary Policy
These practices reveal a highly unbalanced approach to human resource management, where a small group of executives enjoys unjustified privileges while the majority of employees live under financial strain. This growing wage gap, deepened in the midst of a crisis, is eroding staff morale and weakening the overall productivity of the institution.
🔶️ Call for an Independent Investigation
In light of this unjust and unsustainable situation, voices within OTB are rising to demand accountability. The organization King Umurundi Freedom joins these calls and urges the immediate launch of an independent investigation to fully uncover the truth about OTB’s salary policies, their budgetary impact, and the responsibility of the leadership.
This report is the second part of our investigative series on internal dysfunctions at OTB. The first installment, focused on irregular public contracts and overbilling, is available here: OTB in Crisis: Millions of Francs Disappear Amid Financial Opacity – KUF-ASBL
More revelations to follow in our upcoming third part.