KAMPALA — Four Mbale District officials have been arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court over allegations of abuse of office, corruption through neglect of duty and unlawful collection of fees from students.
The officials were arrested and charged following investigations by the Anti-Corruption Unit of State House, in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), under the ongoing “Expose the Corrupt” campaign led by Minister of Local Government Hon. Balaam Barugahara.
Those charged are: Dr Jonathan Wangisi — Mbale District Health Officer (DHO), Sam Paddy Khaukha — Mbale District Education Officer (DEO), Asadi Walufu — District Inspector of Schools (DIS) and Betty Wamanga Nabiryo — Head Teacher of Nabumali Secondary School.
Dr. Wangisi was charged with abuse of office and corruption through neglect of duty and was remanded until August 4, 2026.
Prosecution alleges that between 2023 and 2024, while serving as Mbale District Health Officer, Dr. Wangisi abused his office by irregularly transferring health workers from various health centres to Busia Health Centre IV without consultation or approval from the Chief Administrative Officer, contrary to established staff deployment procedures.
Investigators claim the transfers left several health facilities understaffed, affecting healthcare service delivery across the district.
He is also accused of neglecting his statutory responsibilities, including assessing staffing requirements, monitoring staff leave schedules and coordinating the deployment of health workers, which allegedly worsened staffing gaps within the district health system.
In a separate case, Mr. Khaukha and Mr. Walufu were charged with corruption through neglect of duty, while Ms. Nabiryo faces charges of abuse of office. The three officials were remanded until August 6, 2026.
According to investigators, Ms. Nabiryo, while serving as Head Teacher of Nabumali Secondary School, allegedly abused her office during the financial years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 by unlawfully charging students additional fees in violation of the Education Act and Universal Secondary Education (USE) policy guidelines.
The investigations further allege that Mr. Khaukha and Mr. Walufu failed to properly monitor and inspect schools in Mbale District in their respective roles as District Education Officer and District Inspector of Schools, allowing the alleged illegal collection of fees from learners in government-aided schools, including Nabumali Secondary School.
The Anti-Corruption Unit said the arrests are part of broader government efforts to strengthen accountability and combat corruption within local governments through the nationwide “Expose the Corrupt” campaign.
The campaign targets public officials accused of misusing their offices, neglecting their responsibilities or engaging in practices that undermine service delivery. The accused officials will return to court on the respective dates as investigations continue.