Nakasongola Speaker invites Museveni to help him fight corruption in his district

Nakasongola, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Sunday Rogers Bwanga, the Speaker of Nakasongola District, has petitioned President Yoweri Museveni to extend his anti-corruption campaign to local governments.

Bwanga is particularly interested in seeing the anti-corruption drive expanded to his district.

In an interview with the Uganda Radio Network [URN], Bwanga highlighed the rising levels of corruption in various departments.   According to Bwanga, corruption in Nakasongola is rampant, particularly in the District Service Commission and procurement sectors.

According to Bwanga, people and local leaders have filed several reports and concerns about widespread corruption that is harming the district’s development efforts.

He adds that failure to solve these challenges jeopardizes the district’s prosperity and the well-being of its citizens.

Bwanga’s call comes as Ugandan media has been rife with stories concerning corruption by Members of Parliament.

Three MPs were remanded to Luzira prison last week after being accused of corrupt conduct.

President Museveni has this month repeatedly promised to crash corrupt individuals in government departments including the statehouse.  To show his determination, the  State House Anti-Corruption Unit led to the arrest of five Members of Parliament currently remanded at Luzira prison.

The Anti-Corruption court in Kampala remanded Micheal Maranga Mawanda (Igara East), Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi (Elgon County), and Paul Akamba (Busiki County) on Friday on allegations of diverting public resources.   Between 2019 and 2023, the trio, along with city lawyer Julius Kirya of Kirya Company Advocates and others who remain at large, reportedly planned to embezzle more than Shs 7.3 billion for their benefit.

The funds were intended to compensate the Buyaka Growers’ Cooperative Society in the Bulambuli district for wartime losses.   Joan Aciro, the chief magistrate, remanded them until July 9.

The MPs are also charged with Leonard Kavundira, the ministry of Trade’s main cooperative officer.

Kavundira, on the other hand, was not included on the remand list since he was not present when the charges were read.   The Legislators’ remand occurred just a week after two other MPs, Cissy Namujju (Lwengo Woman) and Yusuf Mutembuli (Bunyole East), were remanded to Luzira on various corruption accusations.

The State House Health Monitoring Unit also arrested the former Mulago National Referral Hospital Executive Director, Dr. Byarugaba Baterana Bonaventura, and six others arrested over alleged abuse of office.

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URN