MBARARA – Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara has ordered the arrest and suspension of several senior Mbarara City officials over the alleged mismanagement of government funds following an accountability inspection in the city.
The officials affected include Town Clerk Justine Barekye, Deputy Town Clerk Simon Ejua, Procurement Officer Dina Mwije, and other senior technical staff. The officials have been directed to step aside to allow investigations into the allegations.
Speaking after reviewing accountability documents, Barugahara said preliminary findings pointed to the mismanagement of “billions of shillings” in public funds.
“Billions of shillings have been mismanaged in Mbarara, but I have not seen the signature of Mayor Kakyebezi on any of the papers,” the minister said in remarks shared during the inspection.
Barugahara said his review of the documents did not implicate Mbarara City Mayor Robert Kakyebezi, noting that the mayor’s signature did not appear on the financial records under scrutiny.
The minister said the investigations are intended to establish individual responsibility and recover any public funds found to have been misused.
According to local media reports, the officials have been asked to vacate their offices temporarily to pave the way for investigators.
The latest action is part of Barugahara’s ongoing nationwide inspection campaign targeting corruption, poor service delivery and alleged abuse of public resources in local governments. Since the exercise began, several accounting officers, engineers and district officials in different parts of the country have been interdicted or arrested over suspected financial impropriety.
The minister’s anti-corruption drive has attracted both praise and criticism. Supporters argue the surprise inspections have strengthened accountability in local governments, while critics, including some professional bodies and government officials, have questioned whether arrests should precede comprehensive technical investigations.
Investigations into the Mbarara City allegations are ongoing, and no criminal charges had been announced against the officials at the time of publication. Under Ugandan law, the officials remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.