CORRUPTION WAR! Mps Grill IGG Over ‘Small Fish’ Hunt, Sh5.7bn Low Recoveries, Value For Money & Pardoned Convicts
KAMPALA, 12 October 2026 – Members of Parliament have questioned whether the Inspectorate of Government delivers value for money.
Some have argued that it spends heavily while recovering little, and that it pursues junior officials rather than the powerful.
The questions came on Monday October 26 when the Inspector General of Government, Lady Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, presented the Inspectorate’s 55th Bi-Annual Performance Report, covering January to June 2026, to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth.
The Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, asked why the Inspectorate appears to focus on “small fish,” meaning low-level officials. He also asked what the IG does about convicts who are later pardoned.
The IGG responded saying the no one was untouchable.
“No one is untouchable. I promise that, “Lady Justice Naluzze shot back.
“Our strategic plan for this financial year shows that we are going to strengthen the investigative arm of the Inspectorate of Government, “she promised.
Betty Nabmbooze (Mukono) raised the cost of corruption, citing estimates that Uganda loses up to Shs10 trillion a year. She referred to the IG’s figures for July–December 2025, a period in which it registered 1,516 complaints and sanctioned 1,151 for investigation.
She argued that concluded cases and recoveries were too low compared with the Inspectorate’s budget.
“Figures don’t lie,” she said.
She also said that, from her committee’s oversight of local governments, much of the IG’s work there involves complaints such as unpaid salaries.
She further argued that these are human resource failures that local governments and the Ministry of Public Service should resolve, not the Ombudsman.
But the Speaker, summarizing her concern as a demand for value for money, offered a counterpoint.
“Just imagine one day the Inspectorate of Government is not there,” he said.
He suggested that losses would be far greater without it, and noted that corruption cases are complicated.
The IG’s report gives the full picture for both periods. In July–December 2025, the IG concluded 884 investigations and recovered Shs2.02 billion. In January–June 2026, its performance improved on several measures:
- Investigations concluded: 1,472, including 614 on corruption
- Leadership Code investigations: 177, up from 13 a year earlier
- Cases prosecuted: 29, up from 9 in the previous half
- Convictions: 26, for a conviction rate of 89.7 percent, up from 56 percent
- Funds recovered: Shs5.72 billion, nearly triple the previous half
- Administrative actions against errant officials: 83, down from 134 a year earlier
The rise in Leadership Code cases is relevant to the “small fish” debate, because the Code applies to senior leaders and officers. The report does not, however, break down convictions by the seniority of those convicted.
The Speaker said the Inspectorate should take MPs’ concerns “in good faith.” He asked Parliament to help the IG improve by funding it adequately and closing its legal and staffing gaps.
The report will be on the Order Paper for Tuesday, 13 October 2026, where Members can pursue these questions further.
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