By Spy Uganda
President Yoweri Museveni has thrown his weight behind the nationwide anti-corruption campaign led by Minister of State for Local Government Balaam Barugahara and Justine Nameere, saying corruption is among the major issues driving public dissatisfaction with the government.
Museveni said the two have taken an important step by going into communities, listening to citizens and exposing practices that undermine government programmes.
The President made the remarks on Friday while meeting members of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Parliamentary Caucus at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
“One of the problems that our people are disturbed by is of course corruption. I am glad some people are trying to do some little fighting; that is Barugahara and Nameere,” Museveni said.
The President’s comments amount to a strong endorsement of the duo’s highly publicised “Expose the Corrupt” campaign, which has taken them to different parts of the country to investigate complaints about poor service delivery, misuse of public resources and alleged corruption.
Rather than waiting for complaints to reach government offices, Barugahara and Nameere have in several areas made unannounced visits to public institutions, confronted officials and listened directly to residents.
Their engagements have brought to light complaints ranging from alleged demands for bribes and absenteeism by public servants to the alleged misuse of government funds and interference in programmes intended to benefit ordinary citizens.
The Parish Development Model (PDM) has been one of the areas attracting attention, with Museveni linking corruption at the local government level to growing resentment among communities.
“So this corruption, where you have local leaders taking PDM money, that is how you get local resentment,” he said.
Museveni also used the occasion to recount the political difficulties Nameere and her supporters reportedly faced in Masaka, saying the experience helped draw his attention to the link between local politics, corruption and public dissatisfaction.
He said that after the general elections, a group of about 20 young people from Masaka visited him at Rwakitura and warned that the NRM risked losing support in the area because of problems involving government structures.
“In Masaka, the government structures were all hostile to the Nameere group,” Museveni said, adding that the encounter prompted him to take a closer interest in the issues being raised.
The President further alleged that corrupt groups can influence information channels and use misinformation to protect their interests.
He compared the practice to HIV/AIDS, arguing that corruption can weaken the government’s ability to identify and address problems within its own structures.
The remarks come as the “Expose the Corrupt” campaign continues to attract attention, particularly on social media, where videos of officials being questioned and residents presenting complaints have generated widespread discussion.
Barugahara, who oversees local government affairs, has used the campaign to examine the delivery of government programmes, including PDM, health services and other local government services.
For Museveni, the issue goes beyond the loss of public money. He has repeatedly warned that corruption can undermine government programmes designed to improve household incomes and, in the process, turn beneficiaries against the government.
His latest comments therefore place the anti-corruption campaign at the centre of efforts to restore public confidence in government programmes and ensure that resources intended for citizens reach the people for whom they are meant.
