Engineers demand due process in anti-corruption arrests

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, citing URN, reports that the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers has criticized the manner of recent anti-corruption arrests involving district engineers, saying enforcement should follow due process and be informed by technical expertise. UIPE President Mwesiga Peterson made the remarks at a public dialogue organized by the Uganda Law Society in Kampala, while stressing that the professional body supports action against corruption in public works.

The concern follows inspection visits by Local Government Minister Ballam Barugahara and State Minister for Local Government Justine Namara in districts including Bulambuli and Mbale, where engineers, contractors and technical officers were arrested over alleged poor workmanship, abandoned projects and misuse of public funds. The Independent reports that images of the arrests spread on social media, drawing both public approval and unease from professional groups.

Peterson argued that failures in roads, schools, health facilities and other local government projects should not automatically be placed on individual district engineers. He said technical defects may arise from several factors, including weak supervision, design problems, procurement and contract management failures, inadequate funding, limited staffing or constraints beyond one official’s control. UIPE warned that public arrests risk turning professionals into scapegoats if broader institutional weaknesses are ignored.

According to the report, UIPE is urging government to pair accountability with reforms such as recruiting more engineers in local governments, funding district engineering departments, equipping teams to supervise projects, and involving qualified experts in investigations before arrests are made. The dispute highlights a wider policy question: how Uganda can pursue anti-corruption enforcement while also addressing chronic capacity gaps that affect public infrastructure delivery.