Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara Atenyi is set to begin a nine-day anti-corruption tour of the Lango Sub-region on November 18. The tour, which will cover nine districts, follows a similar operation in Ankole where over 100 civil servants and local officials were interdicted or removed. Balaam's "Expose the Corrupt" campaign uses field inspections, expenditure audits, and investigations into absenteeism and financial mismanagement.
Residents in the Lango region are demanding that Balaam's inspections go beyond rhetoric and confront entrenched graft in parish development funds, district recruitment, and land offices. In Lira City, residents specifically asked the minister to visit the Lira City Council gate, where complaints about land transactions and urban authority corruption have gone unaddressed. The city has seen repeated land fraud cases, including the conviction of two former Lira City officials in July 2025.
In Alebtong District, allegations surfaced in May 2025 that job seekers were being asked for bribes, including a Shs4 million payment for a position in the Agricultural Department that the applicant never received. Residents say the minister should investigate the District Service Commission directly. In Otuke District, the focus is on the cattle compensation scheme, where more than Shs1.5 billion was stolen from elderly beneficiaries who lost livestock during the LRA insurgency and Karamoja raids.
The minister's visit is not entering virgin territory, as anti-corruption crusaders in Lango have said graft cases are rampant across all nine districts of the sub-region. The President's PDM directive and the Otuke cattle compensation prosecutions have already put local officials on notice. Balaam's campaign has already yielded results in Ankole, where officials in several districts were targeted for alleged corruption.
In Dokolo District, the minister is expected to face questions about the Parish Development Model, where officials have been accused of extorting beneficiaries and manipulating SACCO lists. President Museveni himself ordered police bonds revoked for PDM-related suspects in Lango in February 2025, following a report by the late Brig. Gen. Charles Oluka. In Amolatar District, residents raised concerns about corruption enabling illegal charcoal trade.
Residents in several districts have expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of Balaam's tour, citing previous promises that have not yielded concrete results. They demand that the minister's visit leads to officials being held accountable, stolen funds recovered, and services delivered. "We have heard promises before," said a resident in Lira City. "This time, we want to see names and arrests."
The success of Balaam's tour will be measured by the outcomes, including the number of officials held accountable and the amount of stolen funds recovered. The minister's visit is expected to conclude on November 27, with residents eagerly awaiting the results. The Lango region has been plagued by corruption, with residents demanding action from the government to address the issue.
Key points
- Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara has launched a nine-day anti-corruption tour of the Lango Sub-region.
- Residents in the region are demanding action on graft, jobs, and land.
- The minister's tour follows a similar operation in Ankole where over 100 civil servants and local officials were interdicted or removed.
