Kampala, Uganda | URN | Kabweri County MP, Dr Patrick Godfrey Wakida, has challenged the methods being used by the Minister of State for Local Government, Justine Nameere, in her campaign against corruption.
He argued that aggressive inspections and arrests could undermine the very principles of governance the government is seeking to protect.
Wakida raised the concerns during a parliamentary sitting Tuesday after a recent operation in his constituency, where he said public officials were subjected to what he described as humiliating treatment.
The legislator stressed that while he supports the government’s anti-corruption agenda, he disagrees with what he called the methodology being used to enforce it.
Wakida asked Parliament to censure the approach and direct the minister to hand over cases to the relevant investigative and judicial authorities.
He demanded the Committee on Local Government investigate the minister’s activities. The legislators said some of the actions being used by the minister are high-handed in total disregard of due process and the law.
Responding to Wakida’s concerns, Minister Balaam said he had not personally witnessed the incident in question and could therefore not confirm what happened.
He said ministers conducting inspections do not themselves carry out arrests but can refer suspected cases to the relevant authorities.
Balaam nevertheless defended strong action where there is evidence of misuse of public resources.
He cited examples from other districts where officials were allegedly linked to questionable expenditure on health facilities and roads.
He similarly cited a road project where, according to his account, substantial funds had been allocated but only a small section of the road had reportedly been completed.
He also said Wakida and residents affected by the incident deserved an apology if the doctor’s arrest had been carried out without adequate grounds.
The concerns come as the new Ministry of Local Government leadership has embarked on an intensified campaign to uncover corruption, poor service delivery and misuse of public resources in local governments.
Both Justine Nameere and her boss Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi are in the field over issues of corruption and service delivery.
Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi recently questioned the apparent emphasis on arrests during inspections by the Local Government Ministers.
He argued that inspections should primarily establish what went wrong and provide solutions, with arrests depending on the evidence gathered.
The Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers has also criticized what it described as arbitrary arrests and public humiliation of engineers before technical investigations are completed.
The Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa said he had contacted Minister Nameere after Wakida raised the matter and that she had indicated she was on an official assignment when the events occurred.
Tayebwa also said he did not want ministers to be “ambushed” in Parliament and suggested that Nameere should have an opportunity to explain the operations to MPs.
The Vice President, Retired Major Jesica Alupo, last month said that the anti-corruption operations must respect the Constitution and the rule of law.
She reminded the ministers about the presumption of innocence as stated in the Constitution.
She cautioned against practices that expose individuals to public humiliation before due process.
Alupo reiterated that Local Government is the face of the State and the place where public trust is strengthened or broken.
Uganda’s Public Service Standing Orders provide a framework for handling misconduct by public officers.
The 2021 edition states that the rules of natural justice apply in disciplinary cases and that a public officer should not be punished without first being informed in writing of the allegations and allowed to defend themselves. It also requires impartiality and that both sides be heard.
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