IBANDA
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit has arrested four officials in Mitooma District over corruption allegations.
The suspects include Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Joanita Nakityo, Sam Tugume Karakuza, the Chairperson of the District Service Commission, Sadic Mugisha, the District Health Officer, and Richard Nabimanya, the Senior Education Officer.
They are accused of abuse of office, bribery, and selling government jobs. Their arrest follows investigations into the recent local government recruitment exercise, in which applicants allegedly paid money to secure positions.
Deputy Resident District Commissioner Umar Muhanguzi said the suspects are not the only individuals involved in corrupt practices and called for increased government funding to strengthen investigations.
“We had a parish chief who was arrested the other day. We also have a district councillor we are looking for, but he escaped. I condemn the situation, but I want to thank the government. If these teams are funded more, I believe they can fight corruption effectively,” he said.
Suspects in hand cuffs
Muhanguzi added that some individuals outside the official recruitment structures also act as agents, extorting money from job seekers while claiming to influence government recruitment processes.
“While we say the commissions are corrupt, you can also see agents outside who are not part of the commission but are extorting money from applicants. When people outside the commission get involved, the situation becomes tricky,” he added.
Reports by Uganda’s anti-corruption agencies, including the Inspectorate of Government and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, indicate that corruption remains widespread in Uganda, costing the country more than Shs9.1 trillion (about $2.3 billion) annually.
Torch Media Africa
