Ministers Balaam, Nameere face pushback from Engineers body over ‘arbitrary arrests, humiliation of members’

The Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE) has challenged Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi and his deputy, Justine Nameere, over the arrest and public humiliation of engineers during their accountability operations in eastern Uganda.

The professional body accused the ministers of turning the government’s fight against corruption into a public spectacle without first conducting technical investigations.

They also vowed to carry out their own investigations to vindicate the arrested engineers 

Barugahara and Nameere have been touring local governments under the “Expose the Corrupt in Local Government” campaign. 

The operation targets the suspected misuse of public funds, poor infrastructure and failures in the management of money allocated for roads.

Their approach, however, came under scrutiny after the arrest of Bulambuli District Engineer Paulo Walimbwa during an inspection on July 10, 2026.

The ministers visited the Tunyi-Kimuli-Bumasoba Road in Sisi Sub-county with Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development Simon Mulongo, local MPs and district leaders.

They accused the district technical team of using red soil on the road instead of the first-class murram reportedly provided for in the Bill of Quantities.

The ministers also questioned whether the work completed matched the money released for the project. 

Barugahara then directed police to arrest Walimbwa to assist with investigations into suspected misuse of public funds and poor workmanship. 

Barugahara said district leaders must account for public money and warned that the government would not tolerate officials who approved substandard work.

Nameere said the arrest should warn technical officers across the country against approving poor projects or misusing government funds.

The inspection team also reported defects at the Muyembe-Bukhalu Bridge project. 

The ministers said workers had used black soil instead of the required construction materials and built a structure smaller than the approved design.

They estimated that the alleged irregularities could have exposed the government to a loss of about Shs500 million. The Bulambuli Town Council engineer and town clerk reportedly left the area as the ministers pursued them for questioning.

However, UIPE said ministers should not determine the quality of road works or order arrests based on complaints raised during public meetings.

In a statement issued in Kampala on July 11, 2026, UIPE said it was alarmed by reports of arbitrary arrests and humiliation of engineers and other local government officers in Bulambuli and Mbale.

“While UIPE fully supports the President's renewed crackdown on corruption… we believe that the gains of this fight are lost when it is reduced to a charade - a mockery, a public spectacle, a theatrical grandstanding, and a show of might for the cameras by powerful, but perhaps excited and overzealous high-ranking government officials playing to the gallery,” the statement reads.

UIPE said engineers should face investigations where evidence points to misconduct. However, it argued that competent technical personnel must first examine the design, scope, materials, funding and quality specifications of each project.

“Arresting engineers arbitrarily, without understanding the planned scope of works and quality specifications, only serves to humiliate and demoralize technical staff and worsen service delivery,” UIPE said.

“Questions as to the quality of asphalt and scope of works cannot be summarily determined by politicians at a public humiliation charade of a rally, and that used as a basis for arresting engineers.”

The institution said any arrest should follow an adequate investigation, due process and an assessment by qualified technical personnel.

“Why should a minister act as an arresting officer, and on the basis of information received at a public rally?” UIPE asked.

It also called for an examination of the working conditions and political pressure facing engineers in local governments. It said these problems could affect project implementation and should form part of any credible investigation.

The institution announced that it had opened its own inquiries into the cases involving arrested engineers. It pledged to defend members whose rights may have been violated.

“UIPE shall go to the full extent to vindicate any abuse of its members' rights. Engineering professionals in the civil and public service shall no longer be soft targets and punching bags for ministers scapegoating the real, systemic issues that must be confronted to fight corruption in public infrastructure projects,” the body said.

The Bulambuli incident followed earlier action involving road funds in Kamuli District.

Barugahara had referred the suspected loss of more than Shs600 million allocated for road rehabilitation and maintenance in the 2025/2026 financial year to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.

Former Kamuli District Engineer Daniel Mufumba was later arrested in Mbale on July 2, 2026, after investigators said he had gone into hiding. He was charged and remanded over alleged fraudulent payments for road works that were either not completed or did not exist. 

Investigators alleged that Mufumba requisitioned money through a company linked to him. They also accused the district chief administrative officer and chief finance officer of approving the payments. The claims remain allegations subject to court determination.