The Vice President, H.E. Jessica Alupo, has commended the Ministry of Local Government for its ongoing anti-corruption campaign while calling for accountability operations to be conducted fairly, lawfully and in accordance with due process.
Representing H.E. President Yoweri Museveni at a high-level meeting of Local Government political and technical leaders convened by the Ministry of Local Government, the Vice President applauded the efforts of the Minister of Local Government, Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, and the Minister of State for Local Government, Hon. Justine Nameere Nsubuga, in advancing the Ministry’s anti-corruption campaign. “Their inspections, follow-ups, oversight and decisive interventions have sent a strong message to all leaders that the era of laxity, impunity and misuse of public resources must end, and it must end now,” she said.
While reaffirming that corruption remains one of the greatest obstacles to Uganda’s socio-economic transformation, the Vice President emphasised that anti-corruption operations must respect the Constitution and the rule of law. She reminded leaders that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty and cautioned against practices that expose individuals to public humiliation before due legal process has taken its course.
Highlighting the central role of Local Governments in national development, the Vice President reiterated that Local Government is the face of the State and the place where public trust is strengthened or broken. She noted that the decisions made by Local Government leaders directly affect the quality of education, healthcare, infrastructure and other essential public services delivered to citizens.
The Vice President also called on leaders to support Government’s efforts to grow Uganda’s economy, strengthen transparency, supervision and financial accountability, and take prompt corrective action whenever gaps are identified so that anti-corruption efforts do not become mere rhetoric. She further called on every district, city and municipality to leave the meeting with practical action plans to implement H.E. the President’s directive and deliver better services to the people.
Minister for Local Government, Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, has called on local government leaders to fully support the Anti-Corruption team of ministers deployed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to expose and eliminate corruption across the country.
Speaking during a meeting convened by the Ministry of Local Government on the implementation of the President’s anti-corruption directive, Hon. Balaam urged district chairpersons, city and municipal speakers, mayors, chairpersons of district and city service commissions, chief administrative officers and town clerks to cooperate with the Anti-Corruption Unit and ministerial teams whenever they visit their respective districts.
He said the President’s directive is aimed at strengthening accountability, promoting transparency and ensuring that public resources are used for their intended purpose to improve service delivery for all Ugandans.
Hon. Balaam emphasized that local governments are at the centre of implementing government programmes and therefore have a vital role in exposing corruption and supporting government efforts to safeguard public resources. He encouraged leaders to provide the necessary information and cooperation to the Anti-Corruption Unit and the visiting ministerial teams to enable them to effectively execute their mandate.
The Minister welcomed H.E. the Vice President, Jessica Alupo, who represented President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the meeting, and encouraged participants to use the engagement to share practical recommendations that will strengthen accountability and improve governance across local governments.
