KAMPALA, Uganda
A deepening corruption scandal at the heart of Uganda’s multi-billion-shilling security infrastructure has exploded into public view after President Museveni forced three senior Internal Affairs and police officials out of office pending investigations into allegations surrounding the handling of more than Shs31.37 billion meant for maintaining the country’s CCTV surveillance network.
The dramatic intervention has exposed what appears to be a troubling collision of money, power, and influence inside institutions entrusted with managing one of Uganda’s most expensive security projects.
At the center of the storm are Permanent Secretary Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu, Under Secretary for Police Aggrey Wunyi, and AIGP Felix Baryamwisaki, all ordered onto six months’ forced leave as investigators dig deeper into allegations that officials frustrated payments to a local contractor despite funds reportedly already being released.
The decision followed a report submitted to President Museveni by former Internal Affairs Minister Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, whose findings appear to have triggered one of the most consequential investigations to hit the security sector in recent years.
The controversy centers around Uganda’s national CCTV system, a project repeatedly presented as critical to fighting crime, terrorism, and urban insecurity.
According to Museveni, Chinese tech giant Huawei, which supplied the surveillance cameras, reportedly transferred maintenance responsibilities to local firm Dealan Associates Limited after sanctions complicated its operations.
But despite the Ministry of Finance reportedly releasing Shs31.37 billion, the contractor allegedly remained unpaid.
Museveni’s letter points to claims that ministry officials, working through a middleman identified as Hassan Serunjogi, demanded bribes before processing payments.
“Yet, the Ugandan contractor was not paid because the Ministry officials, through a middleman, Hassan, were demanding for bribes,” Museveni wrote.
If substantiated, the allegations raise uncomfortable questions about whether corruption infiltrated a project funded using taxpayer money and justified under national security priorities.
The forced leave orders have sent shockwaves through government circles because the officials affected occupy some of the most influential administrative positions overseeing security operations and financial processes.
Observers say the case risks becoming more than a corruption investigation potentially evolving into a wider examination of procurement systems inside Uganda’s security architecture.
The timing has also intensified speculation and scrutiny. The developments come just days after Cabinet changes at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, adding a political dimension to an already explosive investigation.
Museveni has already directed that Barbra Katisi of Dealan Associates Limited be paid, while ordering investigators to pursue criminal action against Serunjogi if evidence supports prosecution.
For now, the investigation has placed one of Uganda’s flagship security projects under an uncomfortable spotlight transforming what was meant to strengthen public safety into a growing controversy over money, influence, and accountability.
