The Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, has directed the interdiction of two Rwampara District engineers over allegations of mismanaging more than Shs400 million allocated for the rehabilitation of three roads during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years.
The engineers, Gilbert Muhangi and Christopher Muhwezi, are accused of failing to ensure proper execution of works on Nguugo-Bituntu Road, Kinoni-Katereza Road and the 24-kilometre Nyamukana-Kibaare-Byanamira Road.
Barugahara issued the directive during a meeting with district leaders at the Rwampara District headquarters following complaints from residents about the poor quality of the road works.
The proposed interdiction followed a request by Rwampara County Member of Parliament Amos Kankunda, who said residents had raised concerns about the alleged shoddy implementation of the projects.
Kankunda said the two engineers had previously been investigated by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit over the same road works but were cleared after investigators reportedly found insufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations.
The meeting also considered concerns over the Kinoni-Ngoma bridge and an additional four-kilometre road stretch for which Shs100 million had reportedly been allocated. Residents alleged that no work had been carried out on the stretch despite the allocation.
In response, Muhangi told the minister that the works had been undertaken but attributed the subsequent damage to heavy trucks, particularly Sinotruk vehicles, as well as flooding.
However, Barugahara directed that both engineers be placed on interdiction pending further administrative action over the allegations.
In a separate directive, the minister ordered the interdiction of Asaph Kamugisha, a clinical officer at Kinoni Health Centre IV, over allegations that he solicited money from members of the public in exchange for securing them district jobs.
Barugahara said Kamugisha had been arrested earlier this year and had reportedly agreed to refund Shs23 million he was accused of collecting from job seekers after promising to help them secure employment in the district.
The minister also criticised former Chief Administrative Officer Willy Bataringaya for allegedly failing to interdict Kamugisha despite the accusations against him.
Barugahara further revealed that the case file against Kamugisha had been sanctioned by a Senior State Attorney in Mbarara City before it was subsequently recalled under circumstances that remain unclear.
The minister did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the recall of the case file.
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