Tough-talking Witonze determined to fight corruption in internal affairs ministry
"I have been hearing corruption tendencies, however, under the guidance of senior minister Ephraim Kamuntu, we shall fight corruption."
Internal Affairs Minister Ephraim Kamuntu (right) displays a strategic development plan for the ministry during the state minister Juma Witonze Kisekka's (left) office handover held at the Internal Affairs offices in Jinja Road on August 12. (Photos by Alfred Ochwo)
________________
Uganda's internal affairs state minister Juma Witonze Kisekka sees corruption as a "disease", and he is determined to fight it.
“Outside, the public image of the internal affairs ministry is not good," he said when he took office earlier this week.
"I have been hearing corruption tendencies, however, under the guidance of senior minister Ephraim Kamuntu, we shall fight corruption."
His was a commitment aligned with the current term's stance of 'Kisanja no more sleep and no corruption", as clearly stated by President Yoweri Museveni in his State of the Nation Address in June.
The President rallied leaders to ramp up the fight against graft, one of the factors affecting service delivery in many agencies and institutions.
Internal Affairs Ministers Juma Witonze Kisekka (3rd left) and Ephraim Kamuntu (4th left) with their technocrats during the state minister’s office handover held at their offices in Jinja road on August 12. 
During his swearing-in ceremony at State House Entebbe, Witonze was keen to re-echo that call to action.
He reiterated the same call when he was ushered into his new office by minister Kamuntu on Wednesday, August 12.
His predecessor, Gen. David Muhoozi, was not present at the function.
Museveni has repeatedly underlined that proper supervision, transparency and efficiency by leaders is one sure way to restore baseline public trust.
The internal affairs state minister said they will work to see that all the services at the ministry are digitalised for efficient service delivery.
Officials from the ministry, Uganda Prisons, Police, National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory (DGAL) and NGO Bureau were present when Witonze took office.
Kamuntu handed Witonze a copy of the NRM manifesto ‘Protecting the gains,’ a copy of the Uganda constitution, the ministry's strategic plan 2026-2030 and ministerial policy statements 2026/2027.