Wakida blasts Nameere, demands Parliamentary Committee investigation

What the report says

Kabweri County MP Dr Patrick Godfrey Wakida has criticized the way Minister of State for Local Government Justine Nameere is carrying out anti-corruption operations, following a parliamentary exchange reported by The Independent Uganda. In the sitting held in Kampala on Tuesday, Wakida said a recent operation in his constituency led to what he described as humiliating treatment of public officials and argued that aggressive inspections and arrests could weaken the governance principles the government says it is defending.

Wakida said he supports efforts to fight corruption, but not the enforcement style he believes is being used. He asked Parliament to censure the approach, urged that cases be passed to proper investigative and judicial bodies, and called for the Committee on Local Government to examine the minister’s actions.

According to the report, Minister Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi said he had not personally witnessed the incident and could not verify it. He defended inspections as a way to refer suspected wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities, while also saying any arrest made without adequate grounds should be apologized for. The article said the debate comes amid a broader push by the new Local Government leadership to investigate corruption, poor service delivery and misuse of public funds.

The report also noted wider concern from senior officials and professional bodies about arrests during inspections. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa and Vice President Jessica Alupo have all previously stressed due process, constitutional rights and the presumption of innocence in such operations.