The Minister for Local Government, Hon. Balaam Barugahara, has ordered the arrest and interdiction of four senior Sembabule District officials over alleged corruption and misuse of government funds. The arrested officials have been identified as the Town Clerk, the Chief Finance Officer, the District Land Officer, Mr. Kananura, and the Forest Officer. The action followed an interactive engagement with district leaders and residents under the ongoing Expose the Corruption campaign.
Balaam said the arrests were made after residents and local leaders provided credible information about alleged corruption and abuse of office in the district. He thanked the people of Sembabule for speaking out, saying their cooperation played a key role in exposing the suspected wrongdoing and promoting accountability.
He also announced that the District Health Officer will be formally charged before the Anti-Corruption Court over allegations of stealing hospital equipment. According to the minister, the government is committed to ensuring that every public officer accused of misusing public resources is investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
To allow investigations to proceed without interference, all the officers mentioned will be interdicted from office, while new officers will be deployed to Sembabule District. Balaam also directed that the Chief Administrative Officer be recalled to the ministry headquarters to support a transparent, impartial, and speedy investigation.
The minister commended the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, State House Legal, the Ministry of Works technical team, the Criminal Investigations Directorate, the Internal Security Organisation, the Office of the President, Crime Intelligence, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, and all stakeholders who participated in the operation for their dedication to fighting corruption.
He stressed that there is no room for corruption or impunity under the current government, adding that the campaign is aimed at restoring integrity in public service, strengthening accountability, and improving service delivery across all local governments.
Balaam further announced that the Expose the Corruption campaign will continue in Mbarara City and the greater Ankole region. He invited residents with credible information on corruption, abuse of office, and poor service delivery to meet him in Mbarara City next Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. and support the government’s efforts to build transparent and accountable local governments.
