Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara accused district officials of presiding over fraudulent payroll payments and ordered investigations and disciplinary action as he inspected market and taxi park conditions.
Kabale District has lost Shs3 billion through payments to alleged ghost workers, Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi has said, accusing officials of failing to prevent fraudulent access to the government payroll.
Balaam made the allegations during an anti-corruption meeting at Kabale District headquarters, where he met district leaders, government employees and residents as part of his tour of the Kigezi sub-region.
The minister began the second day of his tour with an inspection of Kabale Central Market, where traders raised concerns about the management of stalls and shops.
He found that some individuals were allegedly posing as landlords and collecting rent from vendors operating in market stalls, while others controlled multiple stalls or shops, contrary to the restrictions he said applied to the market.
Balaam directed that traders operating the stalls should retain control of their businesses without paying rent to individuals claiming ownership of the facilities.
He also accused district officials of allowing people who did not work for the district to receive government salaries.
“People who are referred to as workers have been receiving government money yet they have nowhere they work in the district. Those people got jobs through fraud and have continued to receive government money under the watch of the Principal Human Resource Officer,” Balaam said.
The minister further accused former Kabale Chief Administrative Officer John Asiimwe and former district chairperson Nelson Nshangabasheija of involvement in the alleged misappropriation of public funds.
He said the alleged abuse of office had undermined service delivery in water, health and agriculture.
During the operation, district engineer Januario Bagamuhunda was arrested and taken into police custody. Barugahara also directed that other implicated employees who were absent be interdicted pending investigations.
The allegations against the named officials had not been independently established in the information available at the time of publication.
The minister also addressed disputes surrounding the market, saying ongoing court proceedings should not bring its operations to a halt.
“Those who are in court should continue negotiating with government but the market should continue operating,” he said.
From the market, Balaam proceeded to Kabale Taxi Park after mechanics complained about poor working conditions. His inspection on foot attracted crowds and disrupted traffic along the Kabale-Katuna road.
Following the inspection, he gave Kabale Municipal authorities one week to address the concerns raised about the taxi park.
Kabale Municipality Mayor Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha asked the minister to intervene in disputes involving individuals who had taken the council to court over market-related matters.
The anti-corruption tour is intended to address alleged misuse of public resources and concerns about service delivery in local governments across the Kigezi sub-region.
The tour was scheduled to continue in Rubanda District the following day. By press time, Barugahara was still addressing residents at Kabale Municipal Stadium.