MBALE, Uganda — The Minister of State for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, has ordered the arrest of the head teacher of Naiku Primary School after a surprise inspection allegedly uncovered hundreds of “ghost pupils” on the school’s enrolment register, raising concerns over the misuse of government education funds.
The minister made the directive during an inspection tour of government schools in Mbale District, where he said significant discrepancies were found between the number of learners reported for government funding and those physically present in classrooms.
According to Barugahara, Naiku Primary School had reported an enrolment of 1,352 pupils, on which government capitation grants are calculated under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme. However, during a physical headcount, only 705 pupils were found at the school.
The minister said the discrepancy could be costing government approximately UGX 14.1 million in capitation grants every school term.
“If this is happening at Naiku Primary School, how much more public money could be lost across government schools in Mbale District?” Barugahara questioned in a statement posted on his official X account.
He also questioned the oversight role of district education officials, including the District Education Officer (DEO), school inspectors, the district human resource office, and local leaders.
“The fight against corruption is a collective responsibility. Every shilling lost to corruption is a shilling taken away from our children’s education and our communities’ development,” he said.
The minister later extended his inspection to Nabumali High School, where he uncovered what he described as another case of serious financial irregularities.
Barugahara said the government is currently providing funding for close to 1,000 students under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme. However, after personally conducting a classroom-by-classroom headcount, he found only 240 students present.
He also questioned why students at the government-aided USE school were reportedly being charged between UGX 71,000 and UGX 110,000, asking who had authorised the fees despite government policy providing free secondary education under the USE programme.
“These allegations point to possible abuse of public funds and violations of government policy,” he said.
The minister announced that the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and other relevant government agencies would investigate both schools, with anyone found culpable expected to face legal action.
The latest discoveries come amid growing government scrutiny over inflated enrolment figures in government schools. In recent months, authorities have launched similar investigations in several districts, including Buyende and Ntungamo, where officials uncovered alleged ghost pupils used to fraudulently obtain higher UPE capitation grants.
Barugahara said the inspections form part of the government’s broader anti-corruption campaign aimed at ensuring public resources intended for education directly benefit learners.
Investigations into the alleged ghost pupil scheme in Mbale are ongoing.