Minister of Local Government Barugahara Balaam Ateenyi has vowed to clean up the Mbale Ministry Zonal Office (MZO) following mounting public complaints over corruption and land-related malpractices across the Bugisu sub-region.
The Minister's intervention follows an extensive anti-corruption sweep across districts and cities, aimed at enforcing accountability and improving public service delivery in local government administrative units.
While recent field monitoring focused on public health, education, and road works, land administration has emerged as the most compromised sector in the sub-region. Citizens continue to cite the Mbale Ministry Zonal Office as a hub for land-grabbing, double-titling, and administrative delays.
To resolve these systemic failures, Minister Balaam announced a joint enforcement mechanism with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development to hold public officials accountable and restore order to the regional land registry.
"We continue to receive numerous complaints regarding land-related matters, with the Ministry Zonal Office (MZO) frequently cited as an area of concern," Minister Barugahara Balaam Ateenyi said. "I want to assure the public that these concerns will also be addressed in close collaboration with my colleagues at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, led by Hon. Judith Nabakooba."
The regional accountability drive involves multi-agency security oversight, including the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), the Uganda Police Force, and the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).
Minister Balaam commended local leaders, security agencies, and Bugisu residents for supplying credible information during the exercise, urging the public to continue exposing corrupt officials.
"Please continue providing us with credible and relevant information," Minister Balaam urged. "Together, we shall restore transparency, strengthen accountability, improve service delivery, and free Mbale City and the entire Bugisu sub-region from corruption."
