By Brian Mugenyi
mugenyijj@gmail.com
KAMPALA — The government has declared a zero-tolerance crackdown on graft within local administration, framing the campaign to eradicate public sector corruption as a non-negotiable directive from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Speaking at a high-level anti-corruption summit at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, charged state officials with making anti-graft enforcement their central operational mandate.
The conference convened thousands of Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and Government Internal Security Officers (GISOs) nationwide to sharpen grassroots monitoring, seal financial leakages, and ensure public funding yields tangible public benefit. Addressing delegates, Kumumanya cited anti-corruption vigilance as a core performance metric for public leadership.
“This meeting addresses the execution of His Excellency the President’s explicit directive: expose corruption and eliminate it across Uganda,” Kumumanya stated, noting that graft directly sabotages social infrastructure, health services, and educational quality. He tasked RDCs and GISOs with bolstering local oversight, warning that stolen revenue directly harms vulnerable citizens reliant on state services.
Babalanda Demands Grassroots Accountability
Minister for the Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda delivered a stern rebuke to institutional graft, pinpointing systemic rot within public operations. She cited the theft of essential medicines, procurement fraud, ghost beneficiaries, road fund diversion, and the illegal sale of government jobs as primary drags on national progress.
“Every stolen shilling denies Ugandans access to basic social services,” Babalanda warned. Invoking 2 Chronicles 19:7, she urged officials to execute their duties with impartiality and moral rigor.
Babalanda condemned official collusion, urging security agents and administrators to expose illicit networks rather than shield institutional actors. She called on RDCs to intensify physical inspections of state projects—including schools, health centers, and road networks—and praised President Museveni for driving the national anti-graft campaign.
Security, Ethics, and Inter-Ministerial Alignment
Security Minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi called corruption an existential threat to economic development, advocating for rigorous forensic audits and enhanced tracking systems to safeguard public capital. He highlighted the strategic necessity of protecting flagship wealth-creation initiatives, such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga, from fraudulent diversion.
Joining the call, Minister of State for Local Government Hon. Balam Barugahara Ateenyi reaffirmed his ministry’s resolve to enforce fiscal transparency, stressing that local governments must lead by example as the frontline interface of public trust. Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity Rose Lilly Akello added that policy frameworks alone cannot succeed without public servants committing to baseline honesty and ethical leadership.
The summit was also attended by Minister of State for Works Fred Byamukama, Hon. Justine Nameere, and numerous senior state officials.
A Mandate for Action
Closing the proceedings, Babalanda instructed RDCs and GISOs to return to their districts with renewed aggressive oversight, emphasizing that national transformation relies on shared operational integrity. The summit concluded with a unified mandate from cabinet leadership: corruption will no longer be tolerated, and local officials must protect state assets to serve the Ugandan public.
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