Minister Balaam Pushes to Cut Pay for Interdicted Civil Servants

What the report says

Uganda’s Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara has urged changes to public service rules so that civil servants interdicted over corruption, indiscipline or poor performance do not continue receiving salaries while their cases are pending. According to Nile Post, he made the appeal while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Public Service and Local Government with State Minister Justine Nameere and Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya.

Balaam argued that the current six-month interdiction period can be used as a loophole, allowing some officials to delay disciplinary or court processes until they can return to work. He said the rules should be tightened so that interdicted workers remain off duty until their cases are resolved, and that salary arrears should only be paid if they are cleared. The minister also said some technical officers have used court procedures to frustrate proceedings and resume office before accountability is completed.

He cited Sembabule District as an example of what he described as defiance of public service rules, including a case of a head teacher who allegedly ignored a transfer order for two years. Balaam did not provide independent evidence in the article for these specific allegations, and the report presents them as his remarks to MPs.

The minister also gave an update on anti-corruption operations in local governments, saying 44 officials had appeared in court, 26 files were ready for proceedings, and nine cases were still under investigation across the first 12 districts targeted. The operations have since expanded to Pakwach, Budaka and Kween. Committee members, meanwhile, raised questions about the role of internal auditors and the need to recover funds lost through corruption.