Babalanda orders investigations into corruption in RDCs

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister for Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda has directed investigation into reports of high-handedness and syndicate corruption against Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) in different parts of the country.

Speaking at the closure of a three-day capacity-building training for RDCs and Internal Security Officers of the greater Masaka sub region, Babalanda expressed concern about some President’s representatives who abuse their office against the residents whom they are meant to serve.

In some of the complaints according to her, some RDCs are participating in recovering revolving funds from defaulters of the different wealth creation schemes, and have instead diverted the money to personal use.

She says her office has already directed different government agencies including Internal Security Organisation-ISO to conduct thorough investigations into conduct of some RDCs who are castigated for using excessive force while handling citizens, as well as conniving to fleece money from civil servants and contractors who are hired to execute government projects.

According to her, the process of gathering evidence is ongoing, in addition to administrative actions of dismissal, the culprits will also face prosecution in courts of law.

Babalanda called upon the RDCs to be on the lookout for saboteurs of the government’s livelihood improvement programs in their respective areas and to vigorously mobilize communities to embrace them.

She revealed that the Ministry is already working on processes of developing an online reporting that will provide a platform that will enable residents to directly provide feedback about the performance of government programs and their implementers.

Colonel Emmy Katabaazi, the Deputy Director General of the Internal Security Organization also observed the need to build strong corroboration between the Offices of RDCs and Internal Security Officers, saying that this will simplify their work.

He cautioned the officers against colliding with each other while executing their responsibility, warning that this may give opportunity to wrong elements to infiltrate them to destabilize the communities.

Hood Hussein, the Masaka City Resident Commissioner also head of RDCs in the greater Masaka Sub region noted that they have been regularly carrying out introspection amongst themselves, saying the approach is helping them improve on their performances.

He also decried the high number of speculators and land brokers whom he accuses of complicating the work of many RDCs, by stirring endless land disputes in communities.

****

URN