By Ben Musanje
Former NRM Workers’ MP flag bearer Joshua Israel Akandwanaho has called for greater professionalism and respect for public servants during the government’s ongoing anti-corruption operations, warning that aggressive enforcement methods should not come at the expense of workers’ dignity.
Akandwanaho, who unsuccessfully contested for the Workers’ MP position and is president of the Legacy Labor Leadership Foundation (LLL Foundation), said he supports the fight against corruption but raised concerns over what he described as intimidation, unnecessary force and disrespectful language during some arrests and investigations.
His comments come amid an increasingly aggressive grassroots anti-corruption campaign led by Minister for Local Government Balaam Barugahara, involving surprise inspections, arrests, suspensions and interdictions of public officials accused of corruption, ghost workers and poor implementation of government projects.
More than 110 local government staff and officials in districts including Sironko, Butaleja, Kaliro and parts of the Ankole sub-region have reportedly faced arrest, suspension or interdiction as the government steps up efforts to tackle corruption and administrative failures.
The campaign has also extended to the inspection of government-funded projects and public institutions. Among the cases under scrutiny is a Shs2.9 billion project at Panyimur Health Centre III in Pakwach District, while investigations have also been launched into alleged ghost pupils and missing infrastructure in parts of eastern and western Uganda.
President Yoweri Museveni has backed the field inspections, arguing that aggressive action at the grassroots level is necessary to confront deep-seated administrative impunity.
But Akandwanaho said the fight against corruption should not lose sight of the people involved in delivering public services.
He expressed concern about video clips circulating online which, he said, appeared to show some officials conducting anti-corruption operations in ways that risked undermining the dignity of public servants.
He specifically referred to teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, chief administrative officers, production officers and other local government workers, saying accountability should not be pursued through public humiliation.
According to Akandwanaho, public servants accused of wrongdoing can be investigated and held accountable without being embarrassed before pupils, patients, colleagues or junior staff.
He called for investigations to be based on facts and evidence and for institutions with constitutional and legal mandates to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate corruption cases to play their respective roles.
He said the Criminal Investigations Directorate, Uganda Police Force, Inspectorate of Government, Anti-Corruption Unit and the courts should be allowed to undertake their responsibilities while ensuring that suspects are treated in accordance with the law.
Akandwanaho argued that authorities could investigate allegations without traumatizing suspects, make arrests without degrading them and enforce the law without compromising respect for human dignity.
Akandwanaho wants scrutiny extended to major deals
Beyond the treatment of local government workers, Akandwanaho challenged anti-corruption agencies to broaden their focus to major government deals and high-level decisions where credible evidence points to wrongdoing.
He argued that the anti-corruption campaign should be applied consistently, including in areas where major government transactions are negotiated, approved and signed.
In his view, local government workers should not become the easiest targets simply because they are more accessible to investigators, while major decisions involving large amounts of public resources receive less scrutiny.
He said the credibility of the anti-corruption campaign would depend not only on the number of arrests made but also on whether investigations were conducted fairly, professionally and on the basis of evidence.
Akandwanaho did not identify specific senior officials or government transactions that he wanted investigated, but called for a broader approach to accountability across the public sector.
Message to trade unions
The former Workers’ MP flag bearer 2026-2031 for the ruling NRM party also used the statement to challenge the labor movement to remain committed to defending workers’ interests, even when doing so may put trade union leaders at odds with people in positions of authority.
He urged trade unions to preserve their independence and maintain their traditional role of representing workers rather than becoming aligned with political interests.
Akandwanaho said union leaders should be able to negotiate and cooperate with government while retaining their responsibility to protect workers’ rights.
He also urged labor leaders to distinguish their trade union responsibilities from political mobilization, particularly where individual unionists are simultaneously active in politics.
‘Fight corruption, but respect the worker’
Akandwanaho maintained that the fight against corruption and the protection of workers’ rights should not be treated as competing objectives.
He called for an anti-corruption approach that combines firm enforcement with due process and humane treatment of suspects.
He said government should continue to demand accountability and enforce the law, but should equally ensure that workers accused of wrongdoing are treated with dignity throughout investigations and enforcement operations.
For Akandwanaho, the central message is that fighting corruption should not mean abandoning the principles of fairness and human dignity, and that accountability can be pursued without humiliating the workers at the center of Uganda’s public service. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
