By Aggrey Baba
A State House official has demanded an investigation into the wealth of NRM National Treasurer Barbara Nekesa Oundo, questioning how properties estimated at UGX54 billion have been accumulated in her name and those of her close family members.
Yiga Kyisakyamukama, the Special Presidential Assistant for Monitoring Service Delivery at State House, known for being a no-nonsense man, addressed reporters in Kampala on Wednesday and has raised the concerns while demanding that the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) provide verified records of assets declared by senior government officials to establish whether their wealth corresponds with their known sources of income, particularly their salaries.
Yiga specifically identified properties in Muyenga, Nkenda and Bulindo within the Kampala metropolitan area, which he said are linked to Nekesa, her biological sister, mother and young son.
He questioned why some of the properties were registered in the names of relatives whose personal sources of income, he claimed, could not explain the value of the investments.
Among the properties he cited is land in Bulindo, Block 182, Plot 557, reportedly registered in the names of Nafula Susan, whom he identified as Nekesa’s biological sister.
Yiga said the property was acquired in 2022 and estimated its value at approximately UGX2.8 billion, questioning how the sister could have raised such money without an identifiable source of income.
He also identified another property registered in the names of Nekesa’s seven-year-old son, Oundo Mukaga Junior, which he valued at approximately UGX5 billion.
Yiga further cited land in Muyenga, Block 224, Plots 93, 89 and 29, reportedly registered in the names of Nekesa’s mother, Mary Adudu, and allegedly acquired in February 2026 at an estimated value of UGX4 billion.
Another property he identified is an apartment in Nkenda, Block 16, Plot 4-916, which he also attributed to Nekesa and valued at approximately UGX9 billion.
He said the properties, together with other assets including land in Busia, brought the alleged wealth under scrutiny to approximately UGX54 billion.
These allegations raise questions about the beneficial ownership of the properties, particularly where assets are registered in the names of close relatives rather than the person believed to have financed their acquisition.
Yiga insisted that demanding accountability from people holding influential positions should not be interpreted as betrayal, arguing that institutions must be allowed to scrutinize the wealth of those entrusted with responsibility.
“Accountability is not an act of betrayal. It is an obligation to the institution and the people themselves,” he said.
He added that he was prepared to face the consequences of speaking out, insisting that no government position was worth sacrificing his principles.
“I do not depend on this job for my survival, and no position is worth sacrificing my principles or remaining silent when I believe something is wrong,” Yiga said.
Nekesa has served as NRM National Treasurer since June 2021, having previously represented Busia District as Woman MP in the 9th Parliament and served as State Minister for Karamoja Affairs between 2011 and 2016.
She was subsequently deployed as Uganda’s High Commissioner to South Africa before returning to the ruling party’s leadership as its National Treasurer. She replaced Rose Namayanja, a modest but more senior cadre who was never cited in controversies relating to excessive accumulation of assets.
Nekesa’s financial affairs previously attracted public attention in January 2024 when police arrested 12 suspects, including four police officers, over the robbery of approximately UGX2.2 billion from her residence in Muyenga Bukasa, Kampala.
Police investigations indicated that the robbery had been facilitated by a police officer attached to the couple’s security detail, who allegedly knew that substantial amounts of money were kept in their house.
The incident raised questions about the ownership of the money, given Nekesa’s position as the party’s National Treasurer.
However, NRM communications manager Rogers Mulindwa subsequently clarified that the money belonged to Nekesa and her then husband, businessman Hajj Suleiman Mafabi Lumolo, and that the ruling party had not lost any funds in the robbery.
The latest allegations come at a time when the IGG is under pressure to strengthen wealth declaration and verification as part of the country’s anti-corruption efforts. [There are also reports that the rolling of heads at NRM headquarters Kyadondo, which is Nekesa’s place of work, is impending. This is why critics think that Kisakyamukama might be a hatchet man of people interested in Nekesa’s lucrative job of being national treasurer for the ruling party, which receives Shs6bn quarterly from the EC under the IPOD arrangement].
According to the Inspectorate, 302,800 public officers were registered for the April 2026 declaration exercise, but only 241,230 submitted their income, assets and liabilities by the April 30 deadline, leaving 61,570 non-compliant. The 80% compliance rate left thousands of public officers exposed to possible enforcement proceedings under the Leadership Code Act. Kisakyamukama is demanding that Nekesa’s wealth be inquired into under a special arrangement by the IGG. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
