Raphael Magezi, Minister of Local Government, has issued a stern warning to Kole district leadership, threatening a central government takeover if immediate action is not taken to address systemic corruption and service delivery failures.
This revelation was made during a high-level meeting convened by the Minister with political leaders and technocrats from the Kole district on February 28, 2025, at the Ministry of Local Government’s office in Kampala.
The meeting, which had initially been focused on road accountability, took a dramatic turn when shocking details of widespread corruption and mismanagement in the district surfaced.
One of the main issues raised was the alleged extortion of kickbacks by the Chief Administrative Officer’s (CAO) office. Lower-level government officials testified that departments and health facilities were forced to pay bribes to get their requisitions approved.
Richard Ojok, Mayor of Kole Town Council, highlighted one such instance, revealing that shs900,000 was irregularly added to a Bill of Quantities (BOQ) for road projects under the guise of “district monitoring funds.”
When questioned, the Town Clerk reportedly admitted that such kickbacks were required for requisition approval.
Minister Magezi was further dismayed to learn that nearly all key technocrats in the district were serving in acting capacities.
These included the District Engineer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Head of Procurement, and the Head of Internal Audit, some of whom served for a maximum of five years.
In addition, nine (9) of the eleven (11) Town Clerks and Sub-County Chiefs are acting.
Kole CAO Soita Wamburu attempted to justify the situation by citing a lack of wage funds. However, the Permanent Secretary for Local Government denied this claim, revealing that shs29 billion had recently been allocated for the recruitment of parish chiefs and town clerks.
The meeting also highlighted Kole District’s alarming decline in performance rankings, which fell from 11th place in 2021 to 39th in 2022, then to 137th in 2023 and 136th in 2024.
Leaders blamed the decline on rampant corruption, mismanagement, and the undermining of lower-level governments.
One particularly egregious case involved the failure to remit local service tax to lower-level local governments. For example, Kole Town Council received only shs500,000 of the shs9,000,000 collected, with the district keeping the remainder.
The above violates the Local Government Act, which requires that 65% of local revenue be returned to town councils and sub-counties.
The Minister was also shocked by the district’s mismanagement of resources, which included the impoundment of a district vehicle at a petrol station for nearly a year due to unpaid bills. He dismissed explanations that the vehicle had broken down, stating, “When a vehicle breaks down, you take it to a garage, not a petrol station.
In response to these revelations, Minister Magezi and the Permanent Secretary issued several directives:
Immediate Investigation: An investigative team will be dispatched to Kole district to look into procurement processes, human resource management, accountability, and road construction. The investigation is expected to last three weeks.
Suspension of Recruitment: The ongoing recruitment of teachers has been halted for three weeks due to allegations of job-selling.
Performance Improvement Plan: A technical team comprising officials from various ministries will be assembled to develop a performance improvement plan for the district.
Staff Audit: The CAO has been directed to submit a comprehensive list of all staff and vacant positions within one week.
Roads Committee Meeting: The District Roads Committee has been instructed to convene within three weeks to review road plans and appoint a new chairperson.
Political Harmonization: A political harmonization meeting will be held in three weeks, led by the Minister of State for Local Government, to address political tensions and foster collaboration.
Revenue Disbursement: Local revenues and service taxes must be promptly remitted to lower local governments in compliance with the law.
Minister Magezi urged leaders to combat corruption in recruitment, transfers, and contract awards, emphasizing the importance of keeping politics separate from development. He also pledged to hold a follow-up meeting with the District Council, LC3s, and opinion leaders after the investigation was completed.
The meeting was prompted by a complaint from Kole North MP, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti, about road accountability and service delivery issues in the district.
As the investigation progresses, all eyes are on Kole district to see if the central government’s intervention will restore accountability and improve service delivery to residents.
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