Twenty-three Bududa District officials will be interdicted to pave way for investigations into allegations of corruption, abuse of office, misuse of public resources and other administrative irregularities. The directive was issued by the Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, on Thursday during his anti-corruption tour and accountability campaign in Bududa District.
Barugahara said the officials had been implicated in alleged mismanagement of government resources and failure to ensure effective service delivery.
“We have identified 23 officers who are implicated in corruption, misuse of public resources and other irregularities and we are still adding others and they will be interdicted to allow investigations to take place without interference,” he said.
The Minister said the interdictions are intended to allow the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and other relevant government agencies to investigate the allegations and establish whether public resources were misused or misappropriated.
Among the officials named are Bududa District Health Officer, Dr Alex Kakala; Production Officer Felix Odongo; Internal Auditor Grace Nabutsale; Commercial Officer Fred Musabi; District Education Officer Betty Khainza Naster; Community Development Officer Beatrice Wakooli; Natural Resources Officer Michael Musamali; Principal Human Resource Officer Paul John Wanigina; Inspector of Schools David Muwoya Wekhoola; Chief Finance Officer Michael Malingo; Senior Commercial Officer Wafula Hashim; District Engineer Tom Sibale; Information Technology Officer Moses Nyenje Kayiira and Senior Agricultural Officer David Wakhata among. There is yet no concrete evidence established against them until investigations are completed.
Barugahara warned district officials against diverting government funds, abusing their offices or frustrating service delivery, saying those found culpable after investigations would face appropriate administrative or legal action. The Minister’s directive comes amid an intensified government campaign against corruption in local governments.
Clement Makhoso, the Councilor LC5 Bududa sub county, welcomed the minister’s directive saying it is a lesson for the civil servants who survived to remain genuine in there work. “Those who survived the interdiction will work professionally, after learning from their colleagues consequences,” he said.
During the visit, Barugahara also inspected government projects and listened to complaints from residents concerning service delivery, infrastructure and education.
One of the concerns raised was the collapsed Manafwa-Bududa Bridge in Buwangani Town Council. The bridge, which was washed away by floods and remains out of use for several months is the link between Manafwa District, Bududa Town, the district headquarters and Bududa Hospital.
Residents told the Minister that the collapse has disrupted access to the hospital, schools and markets, forcing motorists to use a longer alternative route while pedestrians rely on a temporary foot bridge.
The minister also visited Bududa Secondary School following complaints over alleged illegal charges imposed on students. According to Ministry of Local Government, the school has 1,920 students, while 36 of its 44 teachers are on the government payroll. The Ministry said the remaining teachers are privately paid, with more than 120 million shillings reportedly being spent on their salaries. This is an average of UGX 1.25 million per month for each of the 8 teachers.
The Minister reiterated that government-aided schools should not impose unauthorized school fees and directed officials to address gaps affecting service delivery. The interdicted officials are expected to remain out of office pending the outcome of the investigations and any subsequent administrative or legal action based on the findings-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
