KAMPALA — President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has defended field inspection tours by State Minister for Public Service Grace Mary Mugasa Barugahara and Minister of State for ICT Joyce Nabbosa Ssebuggwawo Nameere, saying the government officials are unlikely to be “Kutomera” — blindly stumbling into problems — because of the widespread nature of corruption reported by citizens.
In a message addressed to Ugandans, particularly his supporters whom he referred to as “Bazzukulu,” President Museveni said the corruption allegations being raised during the ministers’ field engagements reflect longstanding concerns brought directly to him by citizens.
“Some of the commentators were worried that this may be Kutomera (bumping into issues blindly). This is most unlikely. Why?” Museveni asked.
He attributed the ministers’ findings to what he described as the “impunity and frequency” of corruption and the failure of some officials to account for public resources.
Museveni said corruption had repeatedly disrupted his own political activities, including during the 2026 election campaigns.
“I have told you before that during the campaigns, my campaigns had to be interrupted to deal with the information from the angry citizens about corruption in PDM, etc.,” he said.
He cited allegations of public-sector corruption in several areas, including the alleged sale of local government jobs and the existence of “ghost” learners and teachers on government payrolls.
“Earlier on, I had met a delegation of elders from the Bunyoro area talking about the selling of local Government jobs,” Museveni said.
He added: “There are numerous stories about the ghosts of learners and teachers in Government Schools, as well as health centres of the Government.”
Museveni calls for faster prosecution
The President said the challenge now lies in converting the information gathered during the field inspections into prosecutions.
He called on the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to assign an officer capable of rapidly assessing evidence collected against suspected offenders.
“The challenge now is for the DPP to have a dedicated officer that can quickly assess the abundant evidence against these criminals so that they are prosecuted,” Museveni said.
According to Museveni, Uganda’s anti-corruption efforts have been undermined by two major problems: official cover-ups and the failure of influential citizens to report wrongdoing.
“The main problems on the issue of corruption have been two: the cover-up by the responsible officials that should be protecting national interests and the failure to report by the elite that have access to the decision-making centres,” he said.
He said Barugahara and Nameere had taken a different approach by engaging citizens directly through barazas, or public gatherings, thereby bypassing officials who may prevent corruption complaints from reaching the authorities.
“That is why Barugahara and Nameere, by going to the People directly in the form of Barazas (Public gatherings), have bypassed the blockade of the thieves manned by the responsible elements of the elite,” he said.
Museveni cites State House corruption case
The President also pointed to an earlier case in which he said an official, Hon. Byamukama, alerted him to an alleged extortion racket operating within State House.
Museveni said the information enabled authorities to set a trap and arrest those involved.
“One of them is Hon. Byamukama, who exposed to me the racket of extorters that were operating in State House, here. He reported them to me, and we trapped the thieves and arrested them,” he said.
Museveni said the episode demonstrated that corruption can be confronted when officials and citizens refuse to remain silent. “This corruption in Uganda is stoppable,” he said.
He urged government officials to stop protecting corrupt colleagues and called on citizens to report wrongdoing. “Do not cover up if you are a Government officer and report if you are a citizen,” Museveni said.
He also recalled directing former Minister for Local Government Raphael Magyezi to follow up corruption complaints raised by citizens.
“I had, indeed, sent the former Minister Magyezi to follow up the issues of corruption the People had reported to me. He did go to these places but, it seems, decisive action had not been taken,” he said. ‘We are back to the earlier NRM days’
Museveni said the response to the recent barazas reminded him of the early years of the National Resistance Movement, when citizens voluntarily attended government and party meetings in large numbers.
He contrasted those gatherings with contemporary political mobilisation, where local elites are sometimes provided with amenities while ordinary citizens are left standing in difficult conditions.
“We are back to the earlier NRM days when huge crowds would flock voluntarily to our public meetings without being given water to drink, food, hiring tents for the local elite while the masses stay in the rain or the sun,” he said.
The President’s intervention effectively gives political backing to the ongoing field inspections and places pressure on investigative and prosecutorial authorities to act on allegations emerging from the engagements.