Tension remains high at Mukono District following the arrest of a third suspect linked to a growing “jobs-for-sale” scandal that has rocked the district’s civil service recruitment processes.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) has confirmed the arrest of another broker identified as Ronald Mugerwa, who is believed to be part of a wider network accused of orchestrating the fraudulent sale of government jobs.
His arrest follows the earlier detention of Mukono District Service Commission (DSC) Chairperson Eng. Godfrey Kibuuka Kisuule and District Speaker Betty Nakasi.
Reliable sources within the district indicate that Mugerwa operated as a middleman, facilitating illegal transactions between job seekers and members of the commission.
The latest arrest has intensified fear and unrest among district officials, many of whom are said to be under investigation.
Investigations intensified over the weekend after SHACU operatives held a day-long closed-door meeting with DSC executives at the district boardroom, which reportedly culminated in the arrest of the key suspects.
Witnesses say the meeting exposed gross irregularities, including cases where commission members confessed to collecting bribes from more applicants than there were available positions. Some of these members have since turned state witnesses.
Sources privy to the matter told this publication that both Eng. Kibuuka and Nakasi were quietly transferred on Saturday night from Mukono Central Police Station to an undisclosed location, a move believed to safeguard the integrity of ongoing investigations and shield them from possible interference.
“This network is very wide,” a source said, adding that the corruption scheme stretches beyond Mukono into other districts in the Greater Mukono region. “More arrests are imminent.”
SHACU spokesperson Mariam Natasha could not be reached by phone on Sunday, but last week she confirmed that the suspects were in custody and that the unit was closely examining the involvement of other civil servants, political leaders, and DSC members.
“Whoever will be implicated will be arrested and accordingly charged in courts of law to answer to the charges, as we have done in other districts,” Natasha said.
She also revealed that Speaker Nakasi allegedly served as a go-between, collecting money from desperate job seekers and passing it on to commission members.
In addition to the racketeering involving brokers, SHACU is also investigating cases where officials used their offices to coerce appointment of unqualified candidates—some of whom reportedly failed the mandatory interviews and assessments.
Mukono District Chairperson Rev. Dr. Peter Bakaluba Mukasa is among those being implicated in influencing recruitment processes outside the commission’s established guidelines.
As the probe widens, panic is growing among district staff and political leaders, with many fearing they could soon be implicated in what is shaping up to be one of the most expansive job-for-cash scandals in local government.
Authorities have urged members of the public with relevant information to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigations.
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