Dr Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi the newly appointed Minister of local Government has vowed to clean his ministry of corrupt officials he kicks off work.
He has also unveiled an ambitious agenda aimed at fighting corruption, improving accountability, and accelerating service delivery in local governments across Uganda through rotations saying officers serving in the same districts for decades foster corruption and entrenched networks of abuse.
“I want to remove that habit of keeping people in one position in a district. They become chiefs of districts. How can someone serve 20 years in one single district?” Barugahara said.
Balaam plans to work within the provisions of the Local Government Act to introduce regular transfers of local government workers, particularly those appointed by district service commissions.
“Every three years, we should rotate these workers so that we remove the network of thieves. People have been stealing government money,” he said.
He pledged to put more emphasize on strengthening oversight of local government operations through training, guidance, and strict monitoring of public funds sent to districts by the central government.
“My focus will be on following up, guiding and training our local government officers and ensuring that the money sent by the President and the central government reaches the right beneficiaries,” Balaam stated.
He also issued a stern warning to Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs), Sub-County Chiefs and other local government officials whom he accused of absenteeism and poor work ethic.
Key planned Interventions
Balaam plans to introduce a biometric attendance monitoring system that will track reporting times, field visits and overall performance of government workers.
“Your time of reporting to office late and coming as and when you wish has come to an end,” he said.
He explained that attendance records would be linked to a centralized monitoring system at the Ministry of Local Government, with disciplinary action taken against habitual absentees.
“If you miss out on five different occasions without permission of the Permanent Secretary, count yourself out of that district,” Barugahara warned.
He credited his predecessor, Raphael Magyezi, for obtaining the necessary resources before leaving office.
“I want to thank the outgoing minister. Before he left, he had acquired the money. What is left is to give it to the Electoral Commission to conduct the elections,” he said.
Balaam described the organization of LC elections as his first major assignment in office, saying every village should have an opportunity to elect new leaders.
“That is my first assignment, to ensure every village gets a new LC,” he stated.
“The LCs who have been stealing people using LC1 stamps should prepare to exit immediately, honourably. Otherwise, the vote will apply,” he stressed.
Current Projects under Ministry of Local Government
Greening Uganda’s Urbanization and Industrialization Project: Run in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute in secondary cities (e.g., Gulu, Arua, Jinja, Soroti), aimed at creating compliant master plans for sustainable, green economic growth.
Uganda Support Municipal Infrastructure Development Programme that rehabilitated urban roads, constructed bus terminals, and installed solar lighting and greening measures in 14 municipalities across Uganda
Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) targets enterprise funding and skills development intended to empower women by providing access to financing for small-scale businesses
Parish Development Model the overarching government strategy for wealth creation and financial inclusion, implemented at the parish level to move households into the money economy among others.
