President Yoweri Museveni has thrown his weight behind the anti-corruption inspection campaign led by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara and State Minister Justine Nameere, saying the ministers are responding to genuine public concerns rather than simply going out to hunt for wrongdoing.
The President also wants the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to assign a dedicated officer to quickly review evidence gathered during the inspections and ensure that those implicated in corruption face prosecution.
In a statement posted on his X account, Museveni dismissed concerns that the ministers could be engaged in “Kutomera” — blindly searching for problems where none exist.
According to Museveni, widespread complaints from citizens suggest there is enough reason for the government to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse in public programmes and local government institutions.
The President said he personally encountered angry citizens raising corruption concerns during the recent campaigns, at times forcing him to interrupt his programme to address their complaints.
Among the issues raised, he said, were allegations of theft and corruption in the Parish Development Model (PDM), the sale of local government jobs and the existence of “ghost” learners and teachers on government payrolls. He also cited similar concerns involving government health centres.
Museveni said these repeated complaints made it necessary for government officials to move beyond their offices and directly inspect projects and services in different parts of the country.
He also recalled receiving complaints from a delegation of elders from the Bunyoro region who raised concerns about the alleged sale of local government jobs.
The President’s remarks come as Barugahara and Nameere continue conducting impromptu inspections of government projects, institutions and service delivery programmes across the country.
During the operations, the ministers have publicly confronted officials over allegations ranging from the misuse of public funds and shoddy work to payroll irregularities and other suspected forms of corruption.
Some of the inspections have resulted in arrests and interdictions, earning the ministers praise from members of the public who believe the approach is exposing wrongdoing that might otherwise go unnoticed.
However, the campaign has also sparked debate, with critics questioning the methods used during some of the high-profile inspections.
Museveni, however, has made it clear that he supports the operations, arguing that the volume of complaints from the public makes it difficult to dismiss the ministers’ actions as mere “Kutomera”.
He said the focus should now be on properly assessing the evidence collected and ensuring that cases with sufficient proof are swiftly taken to court.
