Enock Ndyamuhakyi | Tayari News
RUKIGA – Six Heads of Departments from Rukiga District Local Government, including a former sub-county chairperson, have been arrested over allegations of abuse of office, corruption and causing financial loss to the government.
The arrests followed a directive by the Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, during his nationwide “Expose the Corrupt” campaign in Rukiga District, where he questioned the management of public funds, the quality of government-funded projects and allegations of land grabbing.
Those arrested include Nicholas Kananura, the Principal Human Resource Officer; Bruce Turyamushangayo, the Chief Finance Officer; Christopher Ndyabegyera, the District Education Officer; Evans Bangirana, the District Water Engineer; Deogratious Mbabazi, the District Engineer; and Richard Sajabi, the District Fisheries Officer.
The seventh suspect is Eddy Mugisha, the former LC3 chairperson of Rwamucucu Sub-county, who was separately arrested over allegations of grabbing land belonging to a 94-year-old woman in Mparo Town Council.
During his visit, Barugahara raised concerns about several projects whose expenditure and implementation he said required closer scrutiny, questioning whether the funds released had translated into services and infrastructure that met the required standards.
“The key issue is accountability and value for money. Public funds must be used for their intended purposes, and government projects should deliver the services and infrastructure expected by the people,” Barugahara said.
One of the issues raised concerned the procurement of 90 chairs for the district council during the third quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year.
The minister questioned the reported purchase price of Shs950,000 per chair, with the items allegedly supplied by Paul Kangwegye Company Limited, a firm based in Kabale Municipality.
The procurement raised questions about the cost of the chairs and whether the expenditure represented value for money.
Barugahara also questioned the reported expenditure of Shs120 million on the rehabilitation of the Nyakanengo–Nyakasiru road during the same financial quarter.
According to the minister, the work appeared to have been limited largely to grading, despite the planned works reportedly including spot grading, gravelling and drainage improvements.
“Where substantial amounts of public money have been released for infrastructure, the work completed must be assessed against the approved scope and the funds spent,” the minister said.
The minister also questioned the rehabilitation of the five-kilometre Bukinda–Rwakijuma road, for which Shs110 million had reportedly been released during the third quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year.
Barugahara alleged that the work had largely involved grading, with no murram added to improve the road surface.
He raised concerns about the quality and durability of the works, questioning whether the road had been improved to the standard envisaged under the project.
The condition of the eight-kilometre Nyaruhanga–Kahama road also came under scrutiny after the minister questioned the use of Shs165 million reportedly released for its rehabilitation.
Barugahara said the road remained narrow and lacked murram, warning that its condition could expose it to further deterioration during heavy rains.
He further raised concerns about work undertaken at Kangondo Bridge, a project reportedly allocated Shs100 million, and called for accountability over the expenditure.
The concerns formed part of the minister’s broader assessment of public spending and service delivery in Rukiga District.
Meanwhile, Eddy Mugisha the former Rwamucucu Sub County LC3 Chairperson was arrested over allegations of grabbing land belonging to Jovia Korugyendo, a 94-year-old resident of Butekuma Cell, Sindi Ward, in Mparo Town Council.
The alleged land grabbing was among the complaints raised during the campaign, which is targeting suspected abuse of public office, corruption and the mismanagement of public resources.
The allegations against Mugisha remain subject to investigation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.
Barugahara said the arrests were part of the government’s efforts to strengthen accountability, combat corruption and ensure public resources are used for their intended purposes.
The nationwide “Expose the Corrupt” campaign is intended to address complaints of corruption, strengthen oversight of government expenditure and improve the delivery of public programmes.
The minister is expected to continue the campaign across the Kigezi sub-region, with Kabale District scheduled to be his next stop on Friday, October 23, 2026.