Mbale District Engineer Arrested Over Alleged Misuse Of Shs300 Million Road Funds
Mbale District Engineer Arrested Over Alleged Misuse Of Shs300 Million Road Funds
MBALE, Uganda – A district engineer in Mbale has been arrested to assist with investigations into the alleged misappropriation of Shs300 million that had been allocated for the construction of the Kyasura–Bukingala road in Bungokho North Constituency.
The arrest followed an inspection of the 6-kilometre road project led by Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, alongside local leaders, security officials and technical staff.
According to Balaam Barugahara, the inspection team found that although official records indicated Shs300 million had been spent on the road project by June 2026, the road remained in a poor state.
He said the condition of the road was so bad that vehicles carrying members of the inspection team became stuck, forcing officials to continue the journey on foot for about three kilometres to reach the project site.
The findings prompted the immediate arrest of the Mbale District Engineer to aid investigations.
This inspection was attended by several government and local leaders, including Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, Hon. Justine Namere, Hon. Shafiga and Hon. Mohammad Masaba, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Resident District Police Commander (RPC) for Mbale, SP Twala, Chief Internal Security Officer (CISO), LC V Chairperson, other security personnel, local leaders and residents.
The team assessed the progress of the road project following concerns over the utilisation of public funds.
Barugahara said preliminary observations raised concerns about how money allocated for the project had been utilised.
“Despite records indicating that UGX 300 million had been spent by June 2026, the road remained in such a poor condition that all our vehicles got stuck,” he said.
He added that the district engineer had been arrested to help investigators establish how the funds were spent and whether any criminal offences were committed.
The minister said the matter has been referred to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) for a comprehensive investigation.
He warned that government would not tolerate the theft or misuse of money intended for public infrastructure.
“The era of stealing money meant for roads and other public infrastructure in local governments is over. Every shilling allocated for service delivery must be accounted for, and those responsible will face the law,” Barugahara said.
Investigators are expected to examine project records, payment documents, procurement processes and the actual work completed on the Kyasura–Bukingala road.
The arrest forms part of ongoing efforts by government anti-corruption agencies to strengthen accountability in the implementation of public infrastructure projects.
The district engineer remains under investigation, and no formal charges had been announced by the time of publication.
