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JINJA, Uganda — The Minister for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, has directed Jinja District Chief Administrative Officer Lilian Nakamatte to step aside pending an investigation into allegations of corruption and maladministration.
Barugahara issued the order during a special sitting of the Jinja District Council at district headquarters, after Speaker Simon Kibombo tabled a memorandum accusing Nakamatte of abetting corruption and ignoring council resolutions.
Kibombo alleged that Nakamatte deliberately failed to implement council directives, frustrating service delivery and causing financial loss to the government. He cited the continued allocation of 15 million shillings for repairs to an aging district coaster, despite the council having resolved to sell the vehicle. The repair budget, he said, has appeared in district spending plans for three consecutive fiscal years without council approval.
Kibombo also accused the CAO of withholding Bills of Quantities for government projects, preventing councillors from properly scrutinizing costs and monitoring implementation. He further alleged that Nakamatte failed to address corruption scandals in various departments and colluded with LCV Chairperson Moses Batwala to conceal misconduct.
Billy Kasense, the district councillor representing Butagaya Sub-county, also questioned Nakamatte’s continued stay in Jinja District, arguing that her more than five years in office had created complacency.
“Civil servants like CAOs should spend three years, or at most five years, at one local government before being transferred. Ours has been here since 2021, and I believe this is affecting the proper execution of her duties. It is not that we hate her, but this overstay seems to have created a level of familiarity that is affecting service delivery,” Kasense said.
Nakamatte dismissed the allegations, describing them as attempts to tarnish her reputation.
She argued that many of the councilors are serving their first term and have limited understanding of the respective roles of political leaders and technical officers, leading to frequent disagreements.
Nakamatte called for the induction of councilors to help clarify their responsibilities and improve working relations between the political and technical wings of the district.
Despite her defence, Minister Barugahara directed Nakamatte to immediately hand over office to her deputy to allow for independent investigations.
The minister also instructed the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Inspectorate of Government (IG) to investigate the allegations within two weeks.
He said a decision on Nakamatte’s future would be made after the investigations are completed and directed her to report to the Ministry of Local Government headquarters for further guidance during the period of the inquiry.
The investigations are expected to focus on allegations of financial mismanagement, failure to implement council resolutions, procurement transparency and the handling of corruption complaints within the district administration.
, https://eastafricanwatch.net/minister-balaam-barugahara-directs-jinja-cao-to-step-aside-amid-corruption-probe/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=minister-balaam-barugahara-directs-jinja-cao-to-step-aside-amid-corruption-probe
