I would like to thank the Minister for Works and Transport, Hon. Fred Byamukama, for his efforts towards the fight against corruption, although his move to expose corruption has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage of his exposure is that it lets people know that there is a disease called corruption and that it needs to be fought hard. However, the disadvantage is that there is no sufficient evidence at hand to pin the people allegedly involved in the planned corruption.
We are all aware that Uganda, this time around, with the help of our badman, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and with the blessing of Jaja Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, is very serious about eliminating corruption.
But we should be mindful that the two supreme leaders will not be convinced that you are fighting corruption based on hearsay.
I would like to categorically draw attention to the online publication attributed to Minister Byamukama, which I can recopy from Watchdog Blog.
Below is the story attributed to Minister Fred Byamukama:
“When the dust of scandal rises, it is often the courageous who are first targeted. The recent arrests of two Ministry of Works officials over alleged compensation fraud have been seized upon by detractors as proof of rot within the Ministry. Yet, a closer look at the record reveals a different story: the Ministry itself had long raised red flags, documented inconsistencies, and acted decisively to protect taxpayers. The real culprits are not the patriots who blew the whistle, but the engineers and staff who manipulated valuations and later sought to hide behind media smears.
The evidence is clear. In a report submitted to the Chief Government Valuer by former UNRA Director of Roads and Bridges, Eng. Samuel Muhoozi, glaring inconsistencies in the valuations for Project Affected Persons (PAPs) along the Nakawuka–Kasanje–Mpigi road were highlighted. The report noted: ‘The captured built-up area in the valuation report for some of the structures does not tally with the actual built-up area on the ground. For example: The built-up area for structures for PAP Saturday Frank of Ref: ML/L/025.’ It further observed that ‘some affected structures were not captured in the valuation report, for example…’
The Ministry did not sit idle. It acted. The Chief Government Valuer’s team conducted site inspections, verified measurements, and demanded corrections. As the response matrix later confirmed: ‘A follow-up site visit was conducted to verify and harmonize the building measurements… All buildings and structures have been duly captured as was discussed during the joint visit… The building rates were subsequently adjusted in accordance with the observations and guidance provided during the joint inspection.’ This is not the behavior of a corrupt institution; it is the hallmark of an accountable one.
Yet, the engineers who were fired by President Museveni were deeply entangled in these fractious valuations. Their fingerprints are all over the discrepancies. It is precisely because of their inefficiencies and manipulations that the President refused to let them off the hook. To suggest otherwise is to ignore the documented record. These engineers, now outside the system, have desperately tried to fight back by buying media space, recruiting bloggers, and funding selfish journalists to divert the public from their failures. Their strategy is simple: demoralize the good officials, smear the patriots, and confuse the public into believing that the wrongdoers are the heroes.
Minister Fred Byamukama has borne the brunt of this smear campaign. Bloggers have branded him corrupt, journalists have labeled him incompetent, and detractors have even questioned his education and private life. Yet, the truth is undeniable: Byamukama’s only crime is fighting the real corrupt. As one article maliciously claimed, he was ‘the most incompetent minister.’ But incompetence does not expose billion-shilling scams. In fact, it was Byamukama who tipped off the President about irregularities in the Mpigi–Busega Expressway compensation, a move that saved the nation from a grand heist. To call him corrupt is not only absurd—it is a deliberate inversion of reality.
The smear campaign has gone so far as to question President Museveni’s judgment in dismissing the engineers implicated in theft. This is shameful and unwise. The President has been at the helm for decades; he has mastered how the real thieves behave. His instincts in corruption matters are rarely wrong. In a recent statement, he told off detractors mudslinging our anti-corruption heroes, praising Byamukama and his team of patriots for blowing up the heist in the Mpigi–Busega Expressway and other projects. His words were unequivocal: ‘No level of intimidation and blackmail will derail the cause.’ That endorsement should silence any doubts. The President is behind the fight, and his support is the strongest assurance that the Ministry is on the right path.
The attacks have not stopped there. One paid writer even called out General Muhoozi Kainerugaba to rethink the recognition conferred upon a Ministry official who has been key in cleaning the institution. This is ridiculous. General MK rarely puts a foot wrong when it comes to corruption. That Eng. Isaac Wani was recognized with the PLU rank is not a mistake—it is a testament to how highly the President and the CDF value his role in the fight against graft. Recognition of patriots is not a weakness; it is a reinforcement of the anti-corruption front.
The narrative being pushed by detractors is clear: paint the Ministry as corrupt, brand its leaders as incompetent, and question the President’s judgment. But the facts tell a different story. The Ministry raised concerns about fraudulent valuations long before arrests were made. It documented speculative structures erected to target compensation, noting: ‘Properties within the project corridor that were made to look complete and habitable by the PAPs, yet on closer inspection, were erected speculatively to target compensation. Some of the properties were made to look as if they have concealed roofs yet do not have roofs, others are painted on the external surface but internally they are hollow.’ These observations were not ignored—they were acted upon, with rates adjusted.”
That is the whole story attributed to Hon. Byamukama. Now, as an empowered citizen, I would like to seek answers on behalf of other Ugandans who may not be able to respond to this.
When you read the whole story attributed to Hon. Byamukama, it clearly shows that there was no money lost during the compensation on the Nakawuka road.
What I have understood is that the Minister’s reaction is based on the valuation process as required by law. Hence, no report has been approved because there is no approved valuation report.
My question to the Minister is: Where did we get the money you are saying people have stolen or are planning to steal without an approved valuation report by the Chief Government Valuer?
Which law has the Minister used to turn himself into an authority on land acquisition values and come up with his own prices?
In my little understanding, I thought it is only the Chief Government Valuer who dictates the prices of land acquisition in a free-market economy involving a willing buyer and a willing seller.
The process of land acquisition involves back-and-forth negotiations until the parties agree. When they fail to agree, that is when money is deposited in court. So, at what stage of the valuation are you now, Hon. Minister?
Are you not trying to cover the government’s failure to pay the PAPs and blaming people? Ugandans need to know the truth about this.
When the two engineers were arrested, since when have engineers become responsible for land acquisition? I thought it is the surveyors and valuers who do that.
I would like to appeal to the Minister for Works, as a brother, that corruption is not only in offices but also in how some of you won elections. So, let us move with the fight against corruption in the right way, with evidence, and not by victimizing innocent officers at the expense of pleasing the appointing authority.
President Museveni has ruled this country for many years, but he has depended on facts, not outbursts or hearsay. I stand to be challenged on this.
If you want to prove that some of us have evidence of errors made, including by you yourself, before going through unopposed, and by Isaac Wani, we shall expose them so that when we are fighting corruption, we also expose ourselves.
The writer is a senior veteran journalist.
