Masaka Town Clerk Arrested Over Shs14bn City Headquarters Project

What the report says

Masaka City Town Clerk Uthuman Ssebadduka was arrested after Minister of State for Local Government Justine Nameere visited the city headquarters construction site and found work continuing despite an earlier suspension, according to Nile Post. The project at the center of the dispute is the city’s Shs14 billion headquarters, which the minister said had raised concerns about procurement, contractor capacity and supervision.

Nile Post reported that Nameere ordered construction to stop and questioned city officials over why the works had resumed. She also raised concerns about the experience of personnel attached to the site, including the site engineer and a supervisor, and said the contractor, HANAN Constructors Limited, had previously been found to lack the technical capacity for the job. Ssebadduka was taken to Masaka Central Police Station for further questioning after he reportedly denied knowledge of the suspension directive.

The minister also called for Masaka City Mayor Florence Namayanja to give a statement to police, warning of further action if she did not comply. Nameere argued that public projects should deliver value for money and suggested that government construction work could be handled more cheaply by the UPDF Engineering Brigade. Police did not immediately comment, and the mayor’s response was not available at the time of publication. The dispute highlights ongoing scrutiny of local government projects and allegations of mismanagement in Masaka.