Leaders and residents in the Kigezi sub-region have welcomed a planned visit by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara, starting Thursday, to investigate allegations of corruption in local governments. The move comes as the Office of the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) investigates allegations involving ghost workers on the government payroll in Kabale District.
Kabale District Chief Administrative Officer Robert Mugabe confirmed he directed a physical headcount of staff in Kabale District Local Government as part of efforts to combat corruption and clean up the payroll, according to a letter dated October 12, 2026. Mugabe said the IGG was already investigating the existence of ghost workers on the payroll, with a list of 42 ghost pensioners being investigated. The district decided to conduct an internal verification exercise to establish whether ghost pensioners were receiving payments illegally as the investigations continued. Mugabe stated that cleaning up the payroll for both serving employees and pensioners would help curb financial leakages and protect public funds.
Mugabe noted that government had been losing money to leakages that enabled some civil servants to benefit illegally. Kabale District employs more than 4,000 civil servants, according to information provided by district officials, despite an earlier special audit and employee validation exercise conducted by the Office of the Auditor General across 367 government entities.
Minister Balaam's anti-corruption campaign across the country has resulted in the arrest and interdiction of several local government officials across different sectors over accountability failures. These have ranged from road works to classrooms and hospitals to council halls.
Residents in the Kigezi sub-region, including Can. Jack Katarishagwa and Syson Mwebaze, urged the Ministry of Local Government to investigate concerns surrounding pension payments and infrastructure development. They also called for the ministry's intervention in the allocation of lock-ups at Kabale Central Market and the compensation process involving lock-up owners. The planned visit is expected to provide an opportunity for leaders and residents to raise concerns about the management of public resources and seek accountability from local government authorities.