The Rubanda District Chairman Steven Ampeire Kasyaba has criticised Minister for Local Government Balaam Barugahara and his deputy, Justin Nameere, over their approach to fighting corruption, accusing them of turning investigations into public spectacles instead of allowing professional processes to take their course.
Kasyaba said although corruption must be fought, the interdiction, arrest and investigation of public servants must follow established legal and administrative procedures.
“We are all saying corruption is bad, but we are saying the procedure, the procedure, the procedure of interdiction, arresting and investigations must be followed,” Kasyaba said.
He warned that publicly suspending or dismissing suspects before investigations are completed could undermine justice and weaken possible court cases.
“Suspending or dismissing suspects on camera is designed for optics, not justice. It creates the illusion of action while avoiding the hard work of evidence collection, forensic audits and prosecutorial follow-through,” he said.
Kasyaba further argued that publicly portraying suspects as guilty before investigations are concluded violates the principle of presumption of innocence.
“When you publicly suspend someone before investigations are complete, you are already creating a guilty verdict in the public eye. This can bias witnesses, pressure investigators and make the final case legally vulnerable,” he said.
The district chairman warned that public servants whose rights are violated during disciplinary proceedings could seek legal redress, potentially exposing local governments to costly lawsuits.
“When you arrest someone without following the normal procedures, these public servants have what they call standing orders that protect them. What they are going to do after this is go to court and sue the district for defamation, character assassination and unfair dismissal,” he said.
He added that if the proper procedures are followed, government would be better positioned to successfully prosecute officials accused of corruption.
“If these procedures were properly followed, I am sure that all of us as leaders would agree that corruption must end,” Kasyaba said.
Kasyaba also questioned claims that Uganda loses about Shs9 trillion annually to corruption, arguing that the fight should focus on strengthening institutions mandated to investigate and prosecute offenders.
“The fight against corruption cannot be won through political statements and media appearances. It requires empowered institutions, evidence-based investigations and independent prosecution,” he said.
He warned against bypassing institutions such as the Inspectorate of Government, the Criminal Investigations Directorate, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Auditor General and the Financial Intelligence Authority.
“Politicians should not create parallel systems that compete with professional investigators. When institutions are weakened, cases collapse and nobody is held accountable,” he said.
Kasyaba said the fight against corruption requires proper investigations, coordinated enforcement and limited political interference.
He also cited actions taken within the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs to address corruption, saying they were handled through institutional processes rather than public exposure.
“The actions taken by the CDF in fighting corruption within the Ministry of Defence were not done for cameras. They followed internal processes,” he said.
Kasyaba urged Minister Balaam Barugahara and his deputy, Justin Nameere, to allow investigations to follow established procedures and ensure that suspected officials are handled through the appropriate legal and administrative channels.
He further called for the fight against corruption to extend to central government, arguing that corruption should be tackled across all levels of government.
“For corruption to be fair, it must cut across. We must see it across. I can tell you there is a lot of money being misused at central government,” he said.
Kasyaba claimed that Uganda loses about Shs9 trillion annually to corruption, while local governments receive only about Shs437 billion, representing approximately 3.5 percent of government resources.
“People are at local government, and that is where service delivery is, but government money remains at the centre,” he said.
CUE IN KASYABA….ON THE MATTER….RR/ENG//
