Dr. Ayub Mukisa: From Fear of Witchcraft to the Fight Against Corruption: Making the Impossible Possible

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion article by Dr. Ayub Mukisa, executive director of the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition, arguing that Uganda’s anti-corruption campaign is entering a more assertive phase. Mukisa points to initiatives he describes as “Operation Maliza Ufisadi,” associated in the article with Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and to public-facing efforts by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara and Justine Nameere as signs that officials are taking a tougher stance against graft.

The article’s distinctive focus is the role of fear and belief in witchcraft in public life. Mukisa says citizens have been asking whether anti-corruption figures fear occult retaliation from officials under scrutiny. He links that concern to academic discussions of witchcraft as a perceived force in governance and authority, citing studies he says examine jealousy, success, and informal political power. These references are presented as part of KACC’s “critical thinking and alternative analysis” perspective, not as findings newly established by Watchdog Uganda.

Mukisa also references a July 20, 2026 Watchdog News commentary by Dr. Opul Joseph, which praised Barugahara for exposing inefficiencies in local government. Mukisa endorses that assessment and frames Barugahara’s approach as evidence that entrenched corruption in districts can be confronted.

The piece matters mainly as a commentary on the politics and public psychology around anti-corruption campaigns in Uganda. It does not present documentary evidence of specific corruption cases or outcomes, but it reflects how some civil society voices are interpreting recent government rhetoric and actions against local government malpractice.