The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has criticised the Minister for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, over the way he arrests and publicly questions headteachers and education officials during his inspections of government schools.
UNATU General Secretary Filbert Baguma said that while the union supports the government’s fight against corruption, enforcement should follow established investigative and administrative procedures rather than turn into a public spectacle.
Baguma said some officials are being accused of wrongdoing before any investigation is complete, damaging their dignity and professional standing.
“Public officers are being branded thieves and publicly humiliated in front of their own learners and communities long before any legal inquiry or conviction takes place,” he said.
He asked what happens to headteachers and officials who are publicly accused and later cleared.
Barugahara has been visiting schools in several districts, checking pupil enrolment figures, illegal fees and management of Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education funds. Some visits have led to arrests and investigations after school records did not match physical headcounts.
Tororo District Chairperson, John Okea, said some cases need a better understanding of how district education offices handle administrative procedures.
He cited a recent case in which Barugahara ordered the arrest of education officials over alleged inflation of pupil numbers to obtain extra capitation grants. Okea said the district had already verified enrolment, told the Ministry of Education about the excess learners and reallocated the surplus funds to other education needs, as procedure requires.
“While there are corrupt officers in the district, the minister rushed on this specific issue,” Okea said. “His aggressive approach makes it impossible for anyone to explain administrative procedures.”
The dispute also covers parental contributions in government schools. Baguma said schools have relied on parents to meet some running costs that government funding does not fully cover, including paying for additional staff and other basic needs.
He said the minister’s stand against unauthorised charges has left some headteachers unsure how to meet these costs without risking arrest or disciplinary action.
Baguma called for a look at the education sector as a whole, saying issues should be solved rather than politicised. “In the end, the child is going to be affected,” he said.
Government maintains that UPE and USE schools must not impose fees on learners and has stepped up inspections to identify schools collecting unauthorised charges or mismanaging public funds.
The campaign has exposed a wider problem. Schools and education leaders say government grants do not cover every operational need. In some schools, headteachers have laid off PTA-paid teachers and stopped all fees, leaving gaps in lessons.Yet questions also remain over how money collected from parents is accounted for-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
