At one health centre in eastern Uganda, four people were drawing government salaries but could not be found at work. At a school supported to teach more than 1,000 students, only about 250 learners were present. In Bulambuli, officials had reportedly spent Shs 73 million on a toilet that could not function because it had neither a pit nor a connection to a sewerage system. These were among the findings from a series of unannounced ministerial inspections that have offered a troubling glimpse into how public money is being managed in Uganda’s districts. The visits led by the ministers of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara and Justine Nameere, uncovered suspected payroll fraud, inflated school enrolment, poor construction and questionable spending on administrative buildings. Together, the cases show how corruption and weak supervision can turn money intended for classrooms, health centres and roads into little or no service for ordinary citizens. The wider cost is substantial. According to the Inspectorate of Government, Uganda loses about Shs 10 trillion each year through corruption-related activities. Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index placed Uganda 148th out of 182 countries, with a score of 25 out of 100. A low score indicates that public-sector corruption is seen as widespread. Those figures are not abstract. They can mean an understaffed clinic, a road that fails soon after construction, a school claiming money for pupils who are not there, or a public project that absorbs funds for years without being completed. During inspections in eastern Uganda, Barugahara found large differences between official school enrolment figures and the number of learners present. At Nabumali Secondary School, where the government supports more than 1,000 students, about 250 were reportedly found at school. At Naiku Primary School, records showed 1,386 pupils, but only 705 were present. According to the draft report, school officials admitted inflating enrolment figures to obtain more government funding. Because public financing is often tied to the number of learners registered, overstating enrolment can divert money away from schools that genuinely need it. The health sector showed similar weaknesses. At Naiku Health Centre III, inspectors reportedly found four ghost workers on the payroll while only a few staff members were present. A ghost worker is someone listed as an employee and paid by the government despite not actually working at the institution. In Mbale, a district health officer was detained at a police station while the district education officer reportedly went into hiding over alleged misconduct. The inspections also raised questions about construction spending. In Bulambuli district, officials reportedly spent Shs 73 million on an unusable toilet. A bridge in the same district was said to have been built below approved standards, with contractors allegedly using black soil instead of the required materials. The resulting loss was estimated at Shs 500 million. In Namisindwa, St John’s College Magale was found charging students fees despite receiving government support under the Universal Secondary Education programme. The programme is intended to reduce the cost of secondary education for families, although schools may still charge certain approved costs. Nameere said the findings pointed to a collapse in local leadership and accountability. “People have lost hope. Leaders seem to be looking on as systems fail. Yet government continues to invest heavily in roads and services,” she said. She said reforms were being introduced to replace corrupt district engineers quickly and strengthen supervision of public projects. District leaders, she added, must ensure that approved budgets are reflected in functioning roads, water systems and other services. Minister Balaam Barugahara said at least 157 government officials in Bulambuli district have been arrested over alleged corruption and misuse of public funds since the launch of the “Expose the Corrupt” campaign. Speaking in an interview for this story, Barugahara said at least three officials had been charged before the Anti-Corruption Court with alleged abuse of office and causing financial loss to the government. They include Bulambuli District Engineer Paul Walimbwa and District Health Officer Dr Muhamed Richard Mulongo, who are currently on remand. Barugahara added that more than three officials in Bulambuli and Mbale districts had been interdicted and barred from holding public office. He said the number was expected to rise as investigations under the campaign continued. “The headteacher of Nabumali Secondary School and others are on the run, and efforts are underway to arrest them and bring them to book. We have full support from President Yoweri Museveni and the Chief of Defence Forces, and we shall continue with the campaign,” he said. The minister said President Museveni had directed that the recovery of misappropriated public funds should be handled through the courts. As a result, he said, no separate administrative measures would be taken to compel repayment while the cases were before the judicial system. Concerns extend beyond local government. During an inspection of the Northern Bypass, Works and Transport minister Fred Byamukama accused contractors of colluding with ministry employees and carrying out substandard work. “I was very dissatisfied with the way this road was done. They should collect their equipment and leave. They must stop conniving with our staff,” he said. Byamukama said corruption in road projects costs the government up to Shs 50 billion every quarter and warned that arrests would increase. “Those who have stolen money are not fit to work in government. They should leave and start their own businesses,” he said. At Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Minister of health Dr Chris Baryomunsi found that patients were allegedly being asked to pay between Shs 200,000 and Shs 250,000 for diagnostic services such as X-rays. They were also reportedly required to buy medicines, gloves, syringes and catheters from private pharmacies. Acting hospital director Dr Twesigye Deus denied that patients were routinely charged unofficial fees. His response is important because the allegations remain unproven and require investigation. Barugahara has also questioned expensive administrative projects. In Jinja, he criticised a proposed district headquarters budgeted at Shs 19 billion and directed that the cost be reduced to Shs 7 billion. “The compound looks like a university, yet it is just a district headquarters,” he said. He proposed redirecting the remaining Shs 12 billion to health centres and other essential services. He also said sub-county headquarters should cost no more than Shs 300 million to Shs 400 million and proposed standard building designs to prevent inflated budgets. “You find some headquarters taking more than 10 years under construction, yet they continue receiving funds every financial year,” he said. Minister for the Presidency Milly Babalanda directed Resident District Commissioners and other supervisors to monitor projects continuously, from planning to completion. “Monitoring must become continuous. No project should be abandoned, and no contractor should compromise quality without being held accountable,” she said. Former Leader of the Opposition Winnie Kizza said the inspections had exposed long-standing weaknesses in government supervision. “This level of institutional negligence is unacceptable. Those responsible for oversight must be held accountable,” she said. The immediate test is whether these visits lead to completed investigations, recovery of lost money, disciplinary action and prosecutions where evidence supports them. Without that follow-through, surprise inspections risk becoming public spectacles rather than a lasting cure for the failures they expose.The post Inside the waste exposed by ministers’ surprise visits appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.