Permanent Secretary Kumumanya Orders Citizens to Expose Municipal Cartels Selling Public Office; Flashes Red Light to Corrupt Technocrats

By Brian Mugenyi

Watchdog Uganda

MAKINDYE SSABAGABO, UGANDA — The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, has fired a fierce warning shot at corrupt recruitment syndicates inside the country’s districts and municipalities. Declaring the widespread “jobs-for-cash” racket completely illegal, Kumumanya directed ordinary Ugandans to aggressively expose and report any public official demanding bribes in exchange for government employment.

Addressing political and technical top brass during the Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality Induction Training on Effective Leadership for Improved Service Delivery, Kumumanya stated that his ministry has drawn a bloody line in the sand, adopting a zero-tolerance policy against the commodification of public service entries.

“To ask for money in exchange for employment is criminal, wrong, and completely illegal,” a visibly firm Kumumanya declared to the gathered leaders.

“I issued strict public advertisements and direct orders making it clear that demanding bribes during recruitment into local governments is a crime. No Ugandan should ever have to pay a single shilling to get a government job that they qualify for.”

The Permanent Secretary explicitly challenged citizens to stop shielding corrupt human resource officers and district service commissions, urging them to weaponize state anti-graft agencies against these extortionists.

“Anyone asking for money to give people jobs should be reported immediately. Do not sit on that information. Report them to the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), and the police. Expose them because they are common thieves stealing opportunities that rightfully belong to deserving, qualified Ugandans.”

Merit vs. Extortion: The Graft Cycle

Kumumanya explained that local government recruitment is legally governed by the Constitution, the Local Governments Act, and Public Service Regulations—all of which strictly demand appointments based purely on merit.

He noted that buying entry into civil service triggers a dangerous domino effect of corruption that directly destroys public service delivery.

“When people are forced to buy jobs, they enter public office with one primary objective: to recover the money they paid through bribery and corruption. That is the vicious cycle the government is determined to break. We want competent, clean Ugandans getting these jobs fairly,” Kumumanya stated.

He reminded the municipality that because local governments control critical sectors like primary healthcare, universal education, road networks, and clean water supply, hiring compromised staff invariably sabotages the entire decentralisation agenda.

Decentralisation is Judged by Potholes, Not Speeches

Spelling out the heavy responsibilities tied to Article 176 of the Constitution, the Permanent Secretary reminded the room that decentralisation was meant to take power and services closer to ordinary people, not to create independent fiefdoms for political bickering.

He ordered political leaders and technical technocrats to cease their frequent supremacy wars, which routinely freeze development projects and hurt the taxpayer.

“Citizens do not judge your leadership by the length or flow of your political speeches. They judge you by the state of the roads, the equipment in the health centers, the quality of classrooms, and the cleanliness of the markets. That is the only report card that matters,” Kumumanya fired.

Carrots and Sticks: State Boosts Leaders’ Transport

To ensure leaders have zero excuses for failing to monitor government projects on the ground, Kumumanya highlighted massive state investments currently being poured into administrative facilitation.

He revealed that the Ministry has already dispatched official vehicles to District (LCV) Chairpersons and Town Clerks to maximize field supervision. Furthermore, Sub-County (LCIII) Chairpersons have been heavily mobilized with official motorcycles to penetrate grassroots communities.

“The government has invested heavily in facilitating you. LCV Chairpersons have vehicles, Town Clerks are fully facilitated, and LCIII Chairpersons have motorcycles. This is for supervision, not personal luxury,” he warned.

Kumumanya also disclosed that a technical proposal is actively being processed to upwardly review the sitting allowances of municipal and district councillors to better empower their oversight functions—but emphasized that increased facilitation must strictly match measurable performance and transparent accountability.

The Leadership Response: “Taxpayers Want Value”

Welcoming the hard-hitting ministerial brief, the Mayor of Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality, John Bosco Sserunkuma Galabuzi, admitted that local taxpayers are becoming increasingly demanding, but noted that transparency breeds compliance.

“Our people are willing to pay local revenue when they can see tangible value for their money,” Mayor Galabuzi noted. “When roads are graded, when markets function, and sanitation is managed, revenue collection becomes easy. This training gives us the legal tools to push Makindye Ssabagabo into one of the top-performing municipalities in Uganda.”

On the technical execution side, the Municipal Town Clerk, Mr. Moses Otimong, rallied his technocrats to comply with the anti-graft directives, affirming that his office is ready to walk a clean slate.

“As the technical team, we are fully committing to building a corruption-free institution. We have resolved to throw out the old habits, embrace absolute transparency, and ensure that every single public resource handed to Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality translates to visible value on the ground,” Otimong pledged.

Watchdog Verdict

The intensive induction training—which rigorously drilled leaders on Programme-Based Budgeting, Public Procurement limits, and National Development Plan (NDP IV) alignments—ended with an unmistakable ultimatum.

By personally appearing to draw the line on recruitment corruption and fiscal mismanagement, Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya made it clear that the Ministry of Local Government is shifting from passive monitoring to aggressive oversight. For the leadership of Makindye Ssabagabo, the message is simple: clean up the hiring processes, plug the financial leaks, and deliver actual services, or face the wrath of anti-corruption agencies. The honeymoon is officially over.

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