Nwoya District Local Government has received a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) following the interdiction of Jenephar Nantume Egunyu over allegations of abuse of office and theft. Nantume was arrested on April 27, 2026, in Nwoya District on the orders of the Inspectorate of Government (IGG).
She was arraigned the following day before Chief Magistrate Peter Fred Lochomin at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala. She faces charges linked to the alleged abuse of authority between January 2023 and December 2024, particularly in relation to the irregular establishment of animal markets in the district.
Nantume was arrested alongside Fred Kalisa, a farmer from Got Okwara Village in Lungulu Sub-county, who is accused of being an accomplice in the matter. Another suspect, Ronald Wanda, a businessman from Kiyindi in Buikwe District, remains on the run while facing similar charges.
Although Nantume denied all charges, she was granted bail on May 4 after spending days on remand in the female wing of Luzira Maximum Security Prison.
Richard Madete, formerly the Chief Administrative Officer of Nabilatuk District, officially assumed office in Nwoya on Wednesday, May 13. His deployment was confirmed by Nwoya District Communications Officer Geoffrey Axuma on Thursday. Madete was appointed on May 6 by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya.
Axuma noted that Madete, according to the directive of Kumanya, is expected to assume office in accordance with Sub-section (F-d) of the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2021 governing the handing over and taking over of office.
Some district leaders have welcomed the appointment, expressing optimism that the new leadership will help restore public trust and address corruption allegations they say hindered the implementation of key development projects during Nantume’s tenure.
Nwoya Resident District Commissioner Christopher Omara described the appointment as a timely intervention that could rebuild confidence in public leadership and improve service delivery. “There has been an outcry for a very long time, and this will help restore confidence and trust in public leadership. It will also improve social service delivery because there were many corruption allegations, and there is proof on the ground,” Omara said.
He added that the new CAO assumes office at a critical time when the district is seeking to strengthen collaboration between technical and political leaders to advance socio-economic transformation in line with the government’s development agenda.
Omara cited several projects and programmes that allegedly stalled or were poorly implemented under the former CAO’s administration. Among them is the controversial Nyamukino animal market in Got Okwara Village, where revenue collections allegedly failed to reach district accounts.
Other projects include the incomplete Ayero-Olwangi–Dog Acwa bridge road works, the stalled construction of an eight-cell culvert where more than 1.8 billion shillings was reportedly spent despite little visible progress, and the delayed fencing of Anaka General Hospital staff quarters, for which 150 million shillings had been allocated in the 2022/23 financial year.
The former CAO Egunyu was appointed to Nwoya district in 2023. Before assuming the role, she served previously as the Women Member of Parliament for Buvuma district from 2011 to 2021-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
