Nakaseke local leaders face probe over sh27b mismanagement allegations

NAKASEKE - The storm over accountability has hit Nakaseke district after local leaders were accused of mismanaging more than Sh27 billion meant for government poverty alleviation programs.

On Friday,  September 12, the state minister for Children and Youth, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, ordered an investigation to probe the reports.

During the accountability meeting he convened at the district headquarters on Friday, Barugahara accused top civil servants of frustrating government programs.

He warned that any official implicated in the suspected abuse of funds will face the law.

The contested funds include allocations under the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), and Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP). 

According to records presented at the meeting, Nakaseke has so far received Sh21.95 billion under PDM, Sh947.81 million under YLP, and Sh5.79 billion under UWEP.

The amounts were disbursed to hundreds of groups across the district with the aim of empowering youth, women, and vulnerable communities.

However, when pressed for accountability on how much of this money had been recovered, Parish Community Development Officer (CDO) Moses Muziira, who stood in for the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) could not provide adequate answers.

He admitted that recoveries stood at about Sh1 billion but had no detailed breakdowns.

This prompted the minister to question the absence of the Chief Administrative Officer, Edith Mutabaazi, and Town Clerk, Emmanuel Luyonde, both of whom are mandated to provide clear accountability reports and had been informed prior to the visit.

“I have been given authority by the President, and I am exercising it today. I order that the CAO and the Town Clerk be arrested and investigated by the Inspector General of Government and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit. Until these investigations are concluded, they should not step into their offices,” Barugahara declared.

According to the minister corruption in the districts frustrates President Yoweri Museveni’s development agenda. 

“When the President sends money to the grassroots, it should reach the common person: the youth, the women, and the elderly, not the rich. In the last election, the President ( Yoweri Museveni) performed poorly in Buganda, not because he has failed to deliver but because his efforts are undermined by mismanagement and misrepresentation on the ground,” he said.

He revealed that he had notified the Minister for Presidency, Milly Babalanda, and the IGG about the developments in Nakaseke and would formally write to them to fast-track action against the implicated officers.

Nakaseke District Commercial Officer, Samuel Kyarimpa's report  states that the presentation showed how the Sh21.95 billion PDM funds had been distributed as follows:

Sh7.9b to the central constituency, Sh4.94b to the north, and Sh9.87b to the south as of the August 2nd report.

Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Simon Peter Kaswabuli also condemned corruption within the district and warned against attempts by some leaders to sabotage his investigations.

“Ever since I started probing the misuse of government funds, some people have been uncomfortable with my work and are lobbying for my transfer,” Kaswabuli said without giving names.

Minister Barugahara stressed that the President’s vision for grassroots empowerment cannot succeed if funds are hijacked along the way.

“We cannot tolerate a situation where the very leaders entrusted with delivering services turn around and rob the people. This is why we are taking action, starting with Nakaseke,” he said.

The meeting ended on a stern note, with Barugahara vowing to personally monitor progress and ensure that all implicated officials face justice.

He later joined the Minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Kabuye Kyofatogabye, at a youth wake-up rally in Kiwoko playground, where he called upon young people to rise up and demand accountability from their leaders.

PDM, launched in 2021, is the government's flagship program to transition Ugandans from subsistence to commercial production, following earlier poverty alleviation schemes such as the YLP and UWEP. YLP, introduced in 2014, targeted unemployed youth with interest-free loans, while UWEP, started in 2015, supported women’s groups with revolving funds.

Despite their noble objectives, several districts, including Lira, Kaliro, Jinja, Arua, Masaka and Mbale, among others, have previously been cited by the Auditor General for poor recoveries, ghost groups, and diversion of funds