Gawaya Tegule’s critical assessment in the Daily Monitor—titled “Local Governments Need Stronger Watchdogs, Not Just Surprise Inspections” (published August 13, 2026)—completely misses the broader picture. Tegule’s argument reduces the fiery interventions of Ministers Balaam Barugahara and Justine Nameere to mere political theatre and unhelpful high-handedness. In doing so, he views them through an overly cynical lens, overlooking a vital truth: Balaam and Nameere are acting as essential positive disruptors against a stagnant, institutionalized “system” that Tegule seemingly adores but always criticizes in his articles.
For decades, Ugandans have rightfully complained about this very system—one paralyzed by entrenched corruption, pervasive absenteeism, administrative laziness, and a severe lack of energy or innovation. Yet, when dynamic actors step into cabinet roles and refuse to play by the quiet, comfortable rules of bureaucracy, critics like Tegule immediately move to dismiss them.
Consider the hypocrisy in how non-conventional leadership is received depending on who delivers it. Not long ago, many of the same commentators praising unorthodox methods were celebrating the radical approach of Uganda Law Society leadership—applauding the fiery rhetoric, the “banging of the table,” and the raw defiance of traditional, polite legal decorum. That refusal to adopt standard institutional softness was hailed as courage.
Why, then, should Balaam Barugahara and Justine Nameere be judged by a completely different standard? Balaam is doing the exact same thing—and arguably achieving even more direct impact. He is literally banging the table within the government structure itself, disrupting the status quo, demanding immediate answers, and unsettling comfortable civil servants who have long grown accustomed to impunity.
The deep-seated rot in service delivery cannot be cured by writing polished memos or waiting on sluggish, multi-year committee reports. It requires urgency, visibility, and a deliberate shock to the administrative machinery. By conducting on-the-ground spot checks, calling out corrupt tendencies publicly, and refusing to adopt the quiet complicity of traditional cabinet culture, Balaam and Nameere are injecting much-needed vigor where inertia used to reign. They are forcing lazy bureaucrats to stay awake and reminding them that public service is accountable to the people.
It is easy to sit on the sidelines and dismiss these actions as “unconventional” or unrefined. But true reform rarely arrives in a neat, polite package. Instead of bashing Ministers Balaam and Nameere for breaking bureaucratic decorum, critics like Gawaya Tegule should recognize that a broken system requires aggressive, non-traditional disruption to shake off its decades of slumber. Unsettling the establishment isn’t a flaw in their approach; it is precisely the point.
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