KAMPALA – Vice President Jessica Alupo has praised the Minister for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, and the State Minister for Local Government, Justine Nameere, for their proactive efforts to combat corruption in Uganda’s local governments.
Speaking during the opening of a one-day high-level national meeting on the implementation of President Yoweri Museveni’s directive to expose and eliminate corruption, Alupo said the ministers’ recent inspection and monitoring activities have sent a strong message that corruption and misuse of public resources will no longer be tolerated.
The meeting, held at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala, brought together political and technical leaders from districts, cities and municipalities across the country to discuss strategies for strengthening accountability and improving service delivery.
Alupo said the government’s anti-corruption campaign requires committed leadership, adding that the actions taken by the Ministry of Local Government demonstrate the urgency needed to address corruption at the grassroots.
“Corruption remains one of the greatest obstacles to Uganda’s socio-economic transformation. Public office is a position of trust, and every leader entrusted with public resources must account for every shilling spent and every decision made on behalf of the people,” she said.
Minister Balaam Barugahara said President Museveni has made the fight against corruption one of his top priorities during the current term of office.
He noted that the President tasked him with identifying weaknesses in local governments and ensuring that public resources are properly managed to improve service delivery for Ugandans.
“As a good student, I was given the responsibility of fixing the existing gaps and ensuring local governments operate efficiently so that citizens receive the services they deserve,” Barugahara said.
The President of the Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA), Andrew Moses Awany, welcomed the government’s anti-corruption campaign and reaffirmed local governments’ commitment to promoting accountability and transparency.
Awany, who also serves as the LC5 Chairperson of Kole District, said local governments are ready to work closely with the Ministry of Local Government and other anti-corruption agencies to eliminate corruption while improving service delivery.
He said the campaign should also acknowledge the achievements recorded by local governments in supervising and implementing development projects, including roads, schools, health centres, markets and irrigation schemes.
At the same time, Awany acknowledged concerns over abuse of office, mismanagement of public funds and weak accountability, saying these challenges have negatively affected service delivery in some local governments.
He, however, appealed to the Ministry of Local Government to ensure that monitoring and inspection visits are conducted fairly by verifying allegations in advance, documenting evidence properly and giving both political and technical leaders sufficient time to respond before any public conclusions are made.
According to Awany, such an approach would uphold the principles of natural justice, protect innocent officials from unfair public criticism and strengthen the credibility of the government’s anti-corruption campaign.
The meeting forms part of the government’s broader efforts to implement President Museveni’s directive aimed at exposing corruption, strengthening accountability and improving public service delivery across Uganda.
