Police in Masaka City have detained the Town Clerk, Mr Uthman Ssebaduka, for allegedly defying lawful directives issued by the Ministry of Local Government regarding the construction of the new Shs14 billion city headquarters.
Mr Ssebaduka, who was recently posted to Masaka City, was picked up by police officers on Tuesday afternoon following an impromptu inspection of the construction site at Kitabiro-Kizungu by the State Minister for Local Government, Ms Justine Nameere, who also double-serves as the Masaka City Woman Member of Parliament.
The arrest stemmed from accusations that the Town Clerk ignored an earlier administrative order issued by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Mr Ben Kumumanya, directing local authorities to immediately halt all ongoing works on the site.
Trouble started when Minister Nameere visited the construction site and found ongoing civil works despite the ministry’s freeze. After interrogating workers on-site without receiving satisfactory explanations, she summoned Mr Ssebaduka to clarify the matter.
However, Mr Ssebaduka reportedly told the minister that he was unaware of any executive order or official documentation halting the project, a defense that prompted the minister to direct police officers present to take him into custody.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the arrest, Ms Nameere revealed that preliminary investigations by the ministry confirmed whistleblower reports indicating that the contracted firm, Hanan Construction Company Limited, lacked the technical and financial capacity to execute the project.
‘As a ministry, we have been questioning what is happening here. We conducted investigations that corroborated whistleblower reports revealing that the contractor on site does not have the capacity to do the work, but they went ahead and awarded him the contract for reasons best known to them,’ Ms Nameere said. ‘We cannot just sit back and watch; this is taxpayers’ money and we have to follow up to the logical conclusion.’
The minister further warned public officials against administrative insubordination and disregard of policy directives issued by the line ministry.
‘The ministry will continue hunting down all civil servants who conduct public business in an improper manner. We are issuing a stern warning to all local leaders who choose not to follow guidance from the line ministry,’ she added.
Ms Nameere disclosed that the ministry is currently preparing a Cabinet paper to policy-shift future local government infrastructure developments to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Engineering Brigade.
‘We expect this initiative will help local governments eliminate the persistent procurement corruption, stalled works, and capacity challenges associated with private contractors,’ Ms Nameere noted.
By Wednesday morning, Mr Ssebaduka remained in custody at Masaka Central Police Station as detectives continued with investigations.
The controversy surrounds a flagship Shs14 billion project passed by the Masaka City Council to construct a modern administrative center, following decades of operating without a dedicated municipal council hall.
Masaka last owned a functional council hall in the late 1970s before the original structure was destroyed during the 1979 liberation war that ousted former President Idi Amin. In 2011, the former municipal council allocated the half-acre piece of land housing the ruined town hall to the now-defunct Crane Bank to build a branch, subsequently resolving to sell off the Mayor’s Gardens to fund a new facility.
Since then, municipal and city administration operations have been scattered across temporary government buildings along Edward Avenue and Elgin Street. Masaka was formally elevated to city status on July 1, 2020, alongside nine other regional urban centers including Arua, Hoima, Mbale, Gulu, Jinja, Fort Portal, Soroti, and Mbarara.