State Minister for Local Government Justine Nameere has called on Ugandans to report corruption and poor service delivery, saying whistleblowers will play a central role in the government's efforts to improve accountability in local governments.
Nameere said public participation is essential in exposing corruption, arguing that citizens are often the first to witness failures in government service delivery.
She said the ministry is working closely with communities to monitor public projects and identify officials who fail to perform their duties.
“It was a brilliant idea by the President to have public money accounted for publicly with the owners of that money, and those are the people," Nameere said.
The minister said whistleblower reports have uncovered numerous cases of alleged corruption across the country, including complaints that had previously been submitted to institutions such as the Inspector General of Government (IGG) and the courts without action being taken.
She disclosed that as the ministry continues inspection tours, it receives detailed reports from members of the public documenting suspected misuse of public funds.
Nameere alleged that some corrupt officials attempt to compromise accountability institutions by preparing bribes for auditors and investigators before inspections are conducted.
“The corrupt prepare budgets for whoever has to audit them. They prepare money for different offices before inspectors even arrive," she claimed.
She warned that any individual attempting to bribe government inspectors would instead face arrest.
According to the minister, one suspect was recently arrested after allegedly preparing Shs250 million intended for State Minister for Youth and Children Balaam Barugahara during an inspection exercise.
She said the ministry had made it clear that no official involved in the current inspection campaign would accept financial inducements.
Nameere also defended the ministry's increasingly aggressive field inspections, saying they have exposed weaknesses in supervision across local governments.
She argued that poor monitoring has allowed corruption and non-performance to flourish.
“If there is no supervision, there will never be service delivery in Uganda," she said during an interview with NBS TV.
The minister cited an incident in Greater Masaka where she intervened after electricity transformers had remained unrepaired for weeks despite repeated complaints from residents.
She said she warned officials from the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) that failure to restore power within days would result in arrests for abuse of office.
The transformers were repaired shortly afterwards, she said.
Nameere said the experience demonstrated that stronger supervision can produce immediate improvements in public service delivery.
She also dismissed suggestions that government officials should adopt a softer approach when dealing with public servants accused of negligence.
According to Nameere, excessive bureaucracy and lengthy negotiations have often delayed action while citizens continue to suffer.
She argued that government officials must prioritise the needs of ordinary Ugandans, particularly small business owners whose livelihoods depend on uninterrupted public services.
"Many Ugandans depend on daily income. Delays in service delivery can push businesses towards collapse," she said.
The minister further defended the government's public accountability approach, saying corruption suspects should expect greater public scrutiny rather than private negotiations.
She maintained that the ministry's campaign is intended to protect taxpayers and ensure government systems serve citizens inst
