BUDAKA – The State Minister for Local Government, Justine Nameere, has ordered the arrest of Budaka Health Centre IV In-Charge Dr. Winfred Mutaki and the District Health Officer (DHO), Dr.
Elisa Mulwani, over allegations of mismanagement and failing public healthcare delivery.
According to Nameere, the duo have failed their duty of oversight, noting that there
was negligence of duty.
The directive was issued during the minister’s tour in Budaka District, where she
grilled officials over a string of institutional failures, suspected misappropriation of
public funds and extortion.
“If you listen to people’s cries, it shows there is a problem in this facility. It was very bad that patients are charged between sh150000 and sh200000 for operation and sh60000 for ambulance services,” Namere said while at the health facility within Budaka town council.
Complaining that the two officials lacked professional respect for their jobs, she ordered that, once apprehended, the officials should be handed over to Police and the Inspector General of Government (IGG) for statements and investigation.
Nameere is also probing reports that Budaka District engineer Sam Dida spent sh24 million on refreshments during road supervision.
The Chief Administrative Officer Richard Mugolo presented the report to the district engineering department, highlighting that Sh24m was spent on refreshments during road works supervision in one financial year.
The joint crackdown, spearheaded by Nameere and her senior colleague, Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara, aims to weed out corruption and negligence within local governments nationwide.
In recent weeks, similar spontaneous site visits have rocked districts like Bulambuli, Mbale, Masaka, and Mitooma, leading to the interdiction and arrest of several top technical heads and district engineers.
However, the ministers’ high-handed approach has exposed a growing rift within the cabinet.
Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, has publicly criticised the wave of on-the-spot arrests.
Baryomunsi cautioned against what he termed “over-zealous oversight,” arguing that ministers should prioritise supportive supervision and respect established administrative procedures through District Service Commissions rather than ordering immediate criminal detentions.
On Thursday, Nameere said that their hands-on and unyielding approach asserts that officials cannot negotiate with administrative chaos and that close supervision is vital to keeping public service functional.
Nameere said that the crackdown prioritises the defence of flagship social and economic programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and local infrastructure projects from being undermined by corrupt actors.
She added that the ministry’s nationwide drive focuses on uncovering shoddy construction work, inflated project costs, and the outright misappropriation of public funds allocated for community development.
The ongoing sweeps have led to direct interventions, arrests, and the interdiction of dozens of local government officials across multiple regions to clear the system of administrative graft.
Joel Kirya, a resident, said that many feeder and community access routes in Budaka District, such as the Kamonkoli Kabwangasi Road, remain in poor or impassable condition due to delayed repairs, seasonal heavy rains, and local environmental pressures like unregulated sand mining, despite major national allocations for district road equipment.
Road Conditions and Network: Only a small fraction of the district’s feeder road
network is classified as good; more than 80% remains in fair or poor shape.
Joel Kirya said that Heavy rains frequently turn murram and dirt paths into waterlogged craters, delaying travel times for farmers and transporters.
He said that key interconnecting routes face isolation when severe weather or flooding impacts low-lying segments in the Bukedi sub-region.
Richard Mugolo noted that Local governments struggle to service extensive community access and feeder networks despite central distribution of road machinery.
“Unregulated sand extraction near local roads weakens surrounding soil structures and accelerates erosion or localised flooding,” he said.
“Heavy downpours easily erode unpaved surfaces, creating deep potholes that trap vehicles and motorcycles,” Mugolo said.
He said that community transport costs for agricultural goods rise significantly, making it harder for rural farmers to reach markets in neighbouring towns.
“Access to essential services like health centres and schools is restricted during the
rainy season,” he said.
Source: New Vision
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