Public servants should not fear Local Government Minister, Balaam Barugahara’s ongoing anti-corruption campaigns if they are innocent and transparent in the execution of their duties, Minister of Public Service Gen (Rtd) Edward Katumba Wamala has said.
Katumba made the remarks on Thursday in Gulu City during a meeting with local government leaders from the Acholi Sub-region, following concerns from some officials that Balaam’s approach to fighting corruption had left several public servants feeling scared and traumatised.
Nabinson Kidega Nok, the Agago Resident District Commissioner, said although local government leaders support efforts to fight corruption, some of the minister’s actions had created fear among public servants in the district.
Kidega said some employees had become “sleepless” over fears that they could be arrested, even when they had not committed any wrongdoing.
“We need to have case-by-case studies so that issues are handled on the table because everybody is scared. Even if you haven’t done anything, you are scared. People are not sleeping; people are thinking of different things of being arrested, and this is affecting their brains,” Kidega told Katumba.
Balaam has in recent months been traversing the country, holding public barazas in local governments to scrutinize government projects and demand accountability from officials over alleged failures in service delivery, particularly in the health, Transport and education sectors.
His campaigns have attracted attention after some public servants were arrested during the engagements or asked to explain themselves publicly over alleged corruption and mismanagement.
However, Gen Katumba said Balaam’s interventions are largely based on information obtained through investigations and reports from oversight institutions, including the Inspectorate of Government (IG), Auditor General and State House Anti-Corruption Unit, as well as information provided by whistle blowers.
“Hon. Balaam doesn’t just come and start picking people. By the time he comes, in most cases, he has all the information from the Inspector General’s reports, the Auditor General. So you take time yourselves and look at the Auditor General’s report,” Katumba said.
Katumba cautioned public servants against resisting government mechanisms established to fight corruption, urging them instead to cooperate with the investigations.
“Whatever system or measure that we put in place to fight this scourge, all of us must appreciate and help it to work. Don’t fight it; don’t fight what has been put in place,” he said.
He, however, stressed the importance of evidence and due process, saying allegations of wrongdoing should be supported by evidence and suspects found culpable should be subjected to the established legal processes.
Katumba also urged public servants, elected leaders and Resident District Commissioners to work together and avoid institutional rivalries that undermine service delivery.
Joan Natwenda, Commissioner of Human Resources at the Public Service Commission, also urged local government officials to support the anti-corruption drive.
“Me and you have an obligation to support him in all ways possible to ensure that we all achieve one goal – to serve this country,” Natwenda said.
The meeting brought together Chief Administrative Officers, district chairpersons, municipal and city mayors, Resident District and City Commissioners, and human resource officers from the Acholi Sub-region.
The engagement focused on public service delivery and the dissemination of Establishment Notice No. 3 of 2026 and Circular Standing Instruction No. 3 of 2026.
Among the challenges raised by local government leaders was the delayed transition of employee records from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS) to the Human Capital Management (HCM) system, a digital platform intended to improve human resource management.
The leaders also cited inadequate wage allocations to district local governments, which they said had constrained staff recruitment, delays in the approval of District Service Commission members by the Public Service Commission, and inadequate office space for staff in Gulu City and Gulu District-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
