TOP STORY: Mbale City Clerk Grilled by PAC Over Payments to Absent Health Workers
MBALE CITY –
The Mbale City Town Clerk, Assy Abireebe Tumwegira, was on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, subjected to intense grilling by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over irregular payments to health workers who were reportedly absent from duty for an entire month.
Appearing before the committee at Lukhobo Hall in Mbale District Headquarters, Tumwegira was asked to account for over UGX 100 million paid out to absentee staff during the 2025/26 financial year, according to findings in the Auditor General’s report.
PAC Chairperson Gilbert Olanya accused Tumwegira of facilitating the loss of taxpayers’ money by authorizing payments to non-working personnel, calling it “high-level corruption”. The committee highlighted discrepancies in attendance records, where staff were marked absent in arrival books but still received full pay.
In response, Tumwegira turned to Mbale City Health Officer, Moses Mugonyi, who claimed the affected health workers were on night shifts, hence their absence during the day. However, PAC questioned the credibility of this explanation and instructed its legal team to thoroughly verify the evidence provided.
Mbale City’s leadership also faced scrutiny over low local revenue generation, particularly from Mbale Central Market, street parking, and offloading fees — all flagged as priority concerns requiring urgent attention.
Elsewhere in the region, similar accountability issues emerged. In Butaleja District, the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) failed to appear before PAC, prompting the committee to summon the entire district leadership, including the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), to make police statements over corruption allegations.
Meanwhile, in Sironko District, CAO Nelson Kiranda and his team were questioned over the refund of part of UGX 1 billion in road funds to the national treasury. After presenting their explanation, they were cleared to leave.
The PAC’s ongoing probe highlights growing concerns over financial mismanagement and accountability in local governments across Eastern Uganda.
