The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Jinja District, Lillian Nakamatte, has been recalled to the Ministry of Local Government headquarters with immediate effect to pave the way for investigations into allegations of corruption and maladministration.
The recall follows a directive issued by the Minister for Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, during a special sitting of the Jinja District Council, where councillors presented a memorandum accusing Nakamatte of corruption, failure to implement council resolutions and frustrating service delivery.
In a letter dated July 9, 2026, Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya directed Nakamatte to report to the ministry headquarters immediately, saying the decision was made after issues raised during the minister’s meeting in Jinja warranted investigations by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
“As you are aware, a meeting was convened yesterday by the Honourable Minister of Local Government in Jinja District and a number of issues were raised against you. Accordingly, it was decided that you be recalled to Headquarters to pave way for the investigation by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit,” the letter states.
Kumumanya further instructed Nakamatte to hand over office in accordance with Section F-d (4) of the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders, 2021.
The recall formalises an earlier directive by Minister Barugahara ordering Nakamatte to step aside to allow independent investigations into the allegations.
During the council sitting, Speaker Simon Kibombo accused the CAO of deliberately ignoring resolutions passed by the district council, an action he said had frustrated service delivery and caused financial losses to government.
Among the issues raised was the continued budgeting of Shs15 million annually to repair an ageing district coaster, despite the council having resolved to dispose of the vehicle. Kibombo said the repair allocation has appeared in the district budget for the past three financial years without the council’s approval.
He also alleged that Nakamatte had failed to provide district council committees with Bills of Quantities (BoQs) for government projects, making it difficult for councillors to scrutinise project costs and effectively monitor implementation.
The Speaker further accused the CAO of failing to address corruption allegations in various district departments and of allegedly colluding with Jinja District LCV Chairperson Moses Batwala to conceal suspected corruption within the district administration.
Butagaya Sub-county councillor Billy Kasense also questioned Nakamatte’s continued stay in Jinja, arguing that her more than five years in office had created complacency and affected effective service delivery.
“Civil servants like CAOs should spend three years, or at most five years, at one local government before being transferred. Ours has been here since 2021, and I believe this is affecting the proper execution of her duties. It is not that we hate her, but this overstay seems to have created a level of familiarity that is affecting service delivery,” Kasense said.
Nakamatte rejected the allegations, describing them as an attempt to damage her reputation.
She argued that many of the district councillors were serving their first term and had limited understanding of the distinct roles of political leaders and technical officers, resulting in frequent disagreements between the two arms of the district.
She also called for the induction of councillors to improve their understanding of local government operations and strengthen working relations between the political and technical leadership.
Despite her defence, Minister Barugahara directed her to immediately hand over office to her deputy and instructed both the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Inspectorate of Government to conclude investigations within two weeks.
The minister said a decision on Nakamatte’s future would be made after the investigations and directed her to remain at the Ministry of Local Government headquarters during the inquiry.
The investigations are expected to focus on allegations of financial mismanagement, failure to implement council resolutions, procurement transparency and the handling of corruption complaints within the Jinja District administration.
The Permanent Secretary’s recall letter was copied to the Minister of Local Government, the Minister of State for Local Government, the Head of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Resident District Commissioner for Jinja District and the Jinja District Chairperson.
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