President Yoweri Museveni has publicly defended the field inspection tours conducted by Ministers Barugahara and Nameere, stating that their approach is a necessary strategy to bypass what he termed “blockades” manned by corrupt officials and elite elements who have been covering up corruption.
In a lengthy post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, President Museveni addressed concerns raised by some commentators who worried that the inspections might be “Kutomera” (bumping into issues blindly). He dismissed these fears, asserting that the widespread and brazen nature of corruption makes it easy to identify.
The President explained that the fight against corruption has been hindered by two main problems: cover-up by responsible officials and failure to report by elites who have access to decision-making centres. He stated that by holding public Barazas, Barugahara and Nameere are going directly to the people, effectively bypassing the “blockade of the thieves manned by the responsible elements of the elite.”
He cited his own experience during recent campaigns, where he had to interrupt his schedule to address information from angry citizens about corruption in programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM). He also mentioned receiving reports from a delegation of elders in Bunyoro about the selling of local government jobs, as well as numerous stories about “ghosts” of learners and teachers in government schools and health centres.
President Museveni praised the enthusiasm of the public in response to the ministers’ “decisive actions,” comparing it to the early days of the NRM when crowds would voluntarily flock to public meetings. He noted that the challenge now lies with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to have a dedicated officer who can quickly assess the “abundant evidence” against the criminals so that they can be prosecuted.
“Some of the elites are, however, patriotic. 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. This corruption in Uganda is stoppable,” the President stated.
He concluded by urging government officers not to cover up corruption and citizens to report it, reaffirming that the fight against corruption is a return to the “earlier NRM days” of decisive action.
