The Minister of Local Government, Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, has exposed a "ghost pupil" scam and severe payroll inflation during a surprise accountability inspection in Mbale District.
The discoveries indicate that the state could be losing millions in taxpayer funds through fraudulent enrollment figures and inactive medical workers.
The fact-finding mission forms part of the minister's ongoing tour of local government administrative units under the newly launched “Kisanja End Corruption in Local Government” and “Expose the Corrupt” campaigns.
Hon. Barugahara kicked off the inspection in Mbale at Naiku Primary School, where a physical headcount exposed massive discrepancies in student records.
The government releases capitation grants to the institution based on an official enrollment of 1,352 pupils.
However, the minister personally conducted a physical headcount on the ground and found only 705 pupils present.
The data discrepancy indicates that the government loses approximately UGX 14,098,648 per term through inflated enrollment figures in just one primary school.
"If this is happening at Naiku Primary School, how much more public money could be lost across government schools in Mbale District?" Hon. Barugahara questioned.
The minister demanded immediate answers from local administrative supervisors regarding the complete breakdown of structural oversight.
He questioned the whereabouts and efficiency of the District Education Officer (DEO), the School Inspectors, the District Human Resource Office, and the local political leadership.
In the same locality, the minister’s team extended the snap inspection to Naiku Health Centre III, uncovering rampant absenteeism and operational neglect.
By 10:00 a.m., the inspection team found only three junior medical officers on duty out of a total official establishment of 19 staff members.
The Officer-in-Charge of the health facility was absent, with local reports indicating that such truancy has become a habitual occurrence at the health center.
"Reporting to work late, or failing to report for duty altogether, is a form of corruption because it denies wananchi the healthcare services they deserve while taxpayers continue to meet the wage bill," Hon. Barugahara noted.
Furthermore, the inspection team uncovered four ghost workers actively maintained on the health facility’s payroll system.
The minister described the ghost payroll as a serious abuse of public resources and ordered immediate executive investigations to purge the payment systems.
Hon. Barugahara extended appreciation to Hon. Nangoli of Bulambuli for joining the technical team on the field mission.
He also commended the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), the Office of the President, and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit for their commitment to investigating municipal fraud.
The minister vowed to sustain the field audits across all local governments to ensure that public resources directly serve ordinary citizens.
