Iganga, Uganda: The Office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) has intensified efforts to fight corruption in the Busoga sub-region through community barazas aimed at promoting accountability, transparency and improved service delivery.
The latest engagement was held on Tuesday in Nakigo Sub-county, Iganga District, where officials from the Inspectorate of Government met residents and local leaders to discuss government programmes and gather community feedback on service delivery challenges.
The meeting provided a platform for residents to openly raise grievances ranging from corruption in public offices to poor implementation of government development programmes.
The IGG team was led by Gerald Gwaira, Director of Research, Innovation and Advocacy at the Inspectorate of Government, who said the outreach is part of a nationwide effort to educate citizens about the dangers of corruption and the importance of constitutional values.
“We sensitised locals on the dangers of corruption and its consequences, such as roads becoming impassable and health centres lacking drugs because money and supplies are stolen,” Gwaira said.
He noted that many residents attended the baraza and raised concerns regarding service delivery in sectors such as health, education and the Iganga District Service Commission, which some locals accused of corruption.
During the meeting, residents also asked government to increase funding under the Parish Development Model (PDM), arguing that the current funding levels are insufficient.
President Yoweri Museveni previously pledged to increase PDM funding from Shs100 million to Shs200 million per parish, a promise residents say should be implemented to boost local economic transformation.
However, some residents accused local officials of manipulating the programme.
The Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Iganga, Hakim Kirigwa, acknowledged complaints from residents about alleged manipulation of the PDM beneficiary lists.
He said some locals have accused parish chiefs and PDM committees of inserting their own names on the beneficiary lists while demanding money from genuine beneficiaries.
“We are intensifying efforts on the matter where locals claim that parish chiefs and PDM committees are staging their names on the beneficiary lists,” Kirigwa said. “We shall position our intelligence to apprehend those trying to abuse government programmes through extortion of beneficiaries.”
Residents also raised concerns about limited electricity coverage, with some parts of Nakigo Sub-county still lacking connection to the national power grid.
Kirigwa explained that government programmes aimed at expanding electricity access will continue to target underserved areas.
During the baraza, various district leaders responded to issues raised by residents.
Health concerns were addressed by the District Health Officer (DHO), education issues by the District Education Officer (DEO), road complaints by district engineers, and concerns regarding the service commission by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
Gwaira said the community engagement programme will not end in Busoga but will continue across the country to strengthen public awareness about corruption and its impact on development.
He noted that corruption continues to cost the government significant financial resources that would otherwise be used to improve public services.
“The major issues we are dealing with include theft of drugs from health centres, manipulation of the PDM programme, corruption in service commissions and negligence of duty by civil servants,” Gwaira said.
The IGG team also held a similar community engagement on Wednesday in Imanyiro Sub-county, Mayuge District.
Some residents urged authorities to take decisive action against corrupt officials. “We have suffered a lot because of corruption,” said a resident identified as Magala, citing drug theft in health facilities and manipulation of government programmes.
The Inspectorate of Government assured residents that it will work closely with responsible authorities to investigate the complaints and prosecute anyone found mismanaging public resources.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
