By Hakim Kyeswa
So, Hon Minister Balaam Barugahara is heading to Bulambuli with the President in tow to “expose and fight corrupt officials” in local governments. A three-day mega campaign. Sounds grand, doesn’t it?
But honestly, I had to read that letter twice to make sure I wasn’t missing something. Because while he’s busy planning a public audit rally, our local governments are literally struggling to pay teachers, fix one road, or even access their own locally collected revenue. And he wants to hunt for thieves? With what, a magnifying glass on an empty purse?
Let’s be real for a second. The entire budget for all local governments this year is just 7.7% of the national cake, and even that shrank compared to last year. Out of that tiny slice, about two-thirds goes straight to salaries. So what exactly is there to steal on a scale that needs a presidential launch? Are we pretending that LC5 chairpersons, who take home about Shs1.7 million a month, are running some kind of mafia?
I’m not defending corruption; nobody should. But if the minister really wants to fight the rot, why is he ignoring the Ministry of Finance bureaucrats who have made it almost impossible for districts to spend the little they get?
You know what’s happening? Money is released days before the financial year ends, knowing it can’t be used. So districts are forced to return billions to Kampala. Kitgum recently returned Shs1.7 billion, including nearly Shs1 billion meant for teachers’ salaries. Teachers go unpaid, and we’re worried about someone stealing a few million in procurement? Come on.
And now the Ministry of Finance has made it even worse. Local governments can’t even access their own locally raised revenue without seeking approval from the Accountant General. Nakaseke was paralysed for four months over Shs312 million of its own money. Four months! Where is Balaam’s campaign against that syndicate? That’s the real corruption, the slow, legal, bureaucratic strangulation of service delivery.
Meanwhile, the things that should keep a new minister awake at night are staring him in the face. Staffing gaps of between 40% and 70% exist in most districts, leaving critical positions for health workers, engineers and teachers vacant because of wage ceilings. Roads are crumbling because the maintenance grant is a joke, just Shs1 billion for an entire district to patch hundreds of kilometres of roads. And don’t even ask about road equipment; most districts don’t even have a working grader. Tororo has one. One!
And what about the new sub-counties and town councils created years ago? They have never received a single shilling for road maintenance. But we are going to Bulambuli to hold a rally about corruption? Really?
I’ve watched Minister Balaam on TV, always talking about graft, always pointing fingers. But he never mentions understaffing. He never mentions the broken-down road units. He never talks about the fact that most local leaders received no induction after the last elections. They were thrown into the deep end without even a life jacket. And now he wants to blame them for failing?
I wonder, did anyone bother to tell him what his actual job is? He’s the Minister for Local Government, not the Inspector General. His mandate is to coordinate and support, not to stage a reality show. Is he bored? Is he chasing cheap popularity? Because this campaign feels more like a photo opportunity than a genuine fix.
Look, if he really wants to shake things up, here’s a radical idea: fight for a bigger budget share, at least 15% as it used to be. Demand that the Ministry of Finance stops playing games with releases. Push for mass recruitment to fill staffing gaps. Increase the road maintenance grant to at least Shs2 billion per district and provide each district with proper equipment, graders, rollers and trucks. And for heaven’s sake, make sure every new council member gets proper training so they actually know what they’re doing.
That would be real change. Not a three-day circus in Bulambuli with the President as chief guest.
Mr. Minister, we see you. We’re not fooled. Please stop pretending that corruption is the biggest problem when the patient is bleeding from a thousand cuts, underfunding, understaffing and a chokehold from Kampala. Focus on that. The people in the villages don’t need a show; they need roads that work, teachers who show up and a government that actually supports them.
Otherwise, this campaign is just noise. And we’ve had enough noise.
The writer is a concerned NRM cadre. (Email: [email protected])
