By Brian Mugenyi
mugenyijj@gmail.com
Kampala: The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, has called on Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and Government Internal Security Officers (GISOs) to intensify the fight against corruption, saying accountability remains central to improving service delivery across Uganda.
Speaking at a high-level anti-corruption meeting held at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Tuesday, Kumumanya said the gathering had been convened to implement President Yoweri Museveni’s directive to expose and eliminate corruption in public institutions, particularly within local governments.
Addressing thousands of RDCs and GISOs from across the country during the mid-morning session, Kumumanya said the success of government programmes depends on leaders who uphold integrity and protect public resources.
“Our relevance as public servants will be judged by our commitment to fighting corruption,” Kumumanya said. “This meeting has been convened to implement His Excellency the President’s directive to expose corruption and eliminate it from our institutions.”
He urged RDCs and GISOs to strengthen monitoring of government projects, ensure public funds are used for their intended purposes and work closely with technical officers to safeguard government programmes from abuse.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Local Government, Hon. Balam Barugahara Ateenyi, Minister of State for the Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda, Security Minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi, Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity Rose Lilly Akello, Minister of State for Works Fred Byamukama, Hon. Justine Nameere and other senior government officials.
In his remarks, Barugahara said local governments remain at the frontline of public service delivery and must therefore champion transparency and accountability.
He said corruption continues to divert resources away from communities and pledged that the Ministry of Local Government would continue working with security agencies and oversight institutions to strengthen accountability across districts, cities and municipalities.
The meeting’s strongest appeal came from Milly Babirye Babalanda, who urged RDCs and GISOs to become uncompromising defenders of public resources.
Quoting 2 Chronicles 19:7, she reminded leaders that public office demands justice, fairness and integrity.
“Let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice, partiality or bribery,” she said.
Babalanda condemned the theft of medicines from government health facilities, diversion of road funds, manipulation of recruitment processes, procurement irregularities and other forms of corruption that deny citizens access to essential public services.
“Every shilling stolen denies our people better health services, education, roads and other government programmes,” she said. “No individual is above the law. Every shilling recovered from corruption returns to the people.”
She challenged RDCs to strengthen supervision of government projects and ensure that taxpayers receive value for money from every public investment.
Security Minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi described corruption as a major threat to Uganda’s development and national security.
He called upon RDCs and GISOs to work closely with security agencies in protecting government programmes, warning that corruption undermines service delivery and slows socio-economic transformation.
Muhwezi also urged leaders to support ongoing forensic audits aimed at tracing misused public funds and strengthening accountability in government programmes.
Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity Rose Lilly Akello called on public servants to embrace honesty, fairness, justice and integrity, saying ethical leadership remains the foundation of effective governance.
She urged leaders to speak out against corruption and ensure public institutions are guided by the highest standards of professionalism.
As the meeting concluded, Babalanda delivered the closing address, urging the thousands of RDCs and GISOs to return to their respective districts with renewed commitment to exposing corruption, protecting government projects and restoring public confidence in public institutions.
She said the fight against corruption requires courage, patriotism and collective responsibility, adding that every leader has a duty to ensure government resources benefit the citizens for whom they are intended.
The conference ended with a renewed pledge from government leaders and security officials to strengthen accountability, improve oversight of public programmes and intensify the nationwide campaign against corruption in local governments.
