By Aggrey Baba
On Monday, October 5, 2026, the Inspectorate of Government revealed how workers and former public servants have been forced to fight for their own money, with the anti-corruption body intervening in cases involving employment benefits worth UGX2.35 billion.
Inspector General of Government (IGG) Lady Justice Aisha Batala Naluzze said the Inspectorate recommended payment of UGX2,353,472,702 to individuals whose rightful employment benefits had been denied, delayed or wrongly handled by government institutions during the Financial Year 2025/2026.
“We successfully resolved 1,011 cases across central and local government entities,” Batala said while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre ahead of International Ombuds Day.
The revelation exposes a growing problem of administrative injustice, with citizens having to seek intervention from the Inspectorate to obtain benefits and services they should ordinarily receive through normal government procedures.
The IGG said Ombudsman-related matters accounted for 37% of all complaints investigated and concluded by the Inspectorate during the financial year, with most of the cases coming from local governments.
The complaints include non-payment or delayed payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities, as well as irregular calculations and delayed disbursement of employment benefits. The IGG said the problem is also affecting citizens trying to access basic government services, including National Identity Cards, land titles, passports and access to the government payroll.
She further pointed to workplace complaints involving “irregular and malicious interdictions” and the victimisation of whistleblowers by their superiors.
But for the IGG, administrative injustice is not just a service-delivery problem. It can also open the door to corruption.
She said the Inspectorate’s Ombudsman mandate is therefore critical in closing loopholes that allow officials to abuse their authority or ignore established procedures.
While the IG is popularly associated with fighting corruption, she explained that its Ombudsman role also covers maladministration, abuse of authority, workplace victimisation and failures to follow the principles of natural justice.
“Our Ombudsman mandate specifically empowers us to promote strict adherence to the rule of law and principles of natural justice in public administration,” she said.
She also added that the Ombudsman provides citizens with another route to justice without necessarily forcing them into lengthy and expensive court processes.
Under this year’s theme, “Ombuds: Office of Options”, the Inspectorate is encouraging citizens to seek help through mediation, early advice, informal intervention and targeted recommendations.
“The Ombudsman is not just an office of last resort, but an office of possibilities,” the IGG said.
The IGG will commemorate International Ombuds Day on October 8, with the national campaign slogan #TalkToTheOmbudsman.
Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze urged workers and other citizens facing delayed benefits, workplace injustice or administrative neglect to bring their grievances to the Inspectorate for intervention. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
