The Minister for the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Budiope West Constituency, Milly Babalanda, has called on Local Government leaders to take a firm stand against corruption, warning that collusion among public officials is undermining service delivery and delaying Uganda's transformation.
Speaking at a meeting of Local Government leaders on the implementation of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni's directive to expose and eliminate corruption, held at Imperial Royale Hotel, Babalanda described corruption as "the theft of opportunities from our children, medicines from our patients, classrooms from our learners, roads from our farmers, and ultimately the theft of hope from our people."
"Every shilling diverted through corruption denies a Ugandan family access to better healthcare, quality education, clean water, better roads and improved livelihoods. That is why the President has directed all government institutions to intensify the fight against corruption without fear or favour," she said.
The Minister identified collusion as one of the biggest drivers of corruption in Local Governments, citing reports of collaboration between some Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and Resident District Commissioners (RDCs).
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
According to Babalanda, such collusion has resulted in the false certification of incomplete projects, payments for non-existent works, concealment of substandard construction, and manipulation of monitoring reports.
"When these two offices work together honestly, government succeeds, but when they collude, corruption flourishes," she said.
She added that the consequences are evident across the country.
"As a result, classrooms develop cracks before learners occupy them, health centres remain unfinished despite full payment, roads disappear after the first rains, and markets remain incomplete even after contractors have been fully paid."
Babalanda directed RDCs, District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) and Gombolola Internal Security Officers (GISOs) to submit truthful, objective and evidence-based reports to the Presidency.
She also expressed concern over corruption in the education and health sectors.
In education, she cited inflated enrolment figures under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) programmes, the existence of ghost learners, and cases where teachers abandon their duty stations and hire unqualified substitutes while illegally sharing salaries.
"I therefore call upon all GISOs and DISOs, together with RDCs, to execute their duties with integrity and professionalism. The children of Uganda deserve honesty. Taxpayers deserve accountability," she said.
In the health sector, Babalanda condemned health workers who divert government medicines for private gain or deliberately hoard drugs in public health facilities before referring patients to private clinics.
"Every government medicine belongs to the people of Uganda and must never become merchandise for personal enrichment. Those involved in these practices should desist immediately because government investigations are intensifying," she warned.
The Minister also cautioned District Service Commissions against turning public recruitment into what she described as a "commercial enterprise."
"Government jobs are not for sale. Recruitment must never be influenced by bribery, nepotism, favouritism, sexual exploitation or any other illegal consideration. Whenever jobs are sold, competence is sacrificed," she said.
She noted that incompetence, in turn, fuels more corruption, creating a vicious cycle that must be broken.
Babalanda commended the Ministry of Local Government and the RDC institution for inspection exercises that have exposed governance weaknesses. She urged all leaders to fulfil their respective responsibilities by promoting accountability and integrity.
She called on District Chairpersons to provide principled political leadership, Speakers to strengthen oversight, CAOs to enforce financial discipline, and security agencies to investigate corruption without fear or favour.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"The fight against corruption is no longer the responsibility of one institution. It requires collaboration among political leaders, accounting officers, security agencies, technical officers, oversight institutions and citizens," she said.
Babalanda also commended the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for reinforcing the President's resolve to eliminate corruption.
The Minister described corruption as a major obstacle to Uganda's development.
"Corruption is not merely a governance challenge. It is an economic enemy. It slows investment, discourages innovation and delays national transformation. Our collective responsibility is clear: We must expose corruption; we must prevent corruption; and we must finish corruption."
The meeting was attended by ministers, permanent secretaries, district chairpersons, mayors, Chief Administrative Officers, RDCs, DISOs, GISOs and other Local Government leaders.
