news 13 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Rwampara Production Officer Arrested Over Shs1.1 Billion Funds Misappropriation
Rwampara District Production Officer, Deogracious Begumisa, has been arrested following allegations of embezzling Shs1.1 billion allocated for agricultural development. Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara ordered the arrest after receiving complaints about fund mismanagement and lack of support for extension workers. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/rwampara-official-arrested-over-shs1-1b-engineers-face-interdictions-5631192
Deogracious Begumisa, the Production Officer for Rwampara District, is in custody after Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara ordered his arrest. The charges revolve around the alleged failure to account for Shs1.1 billion allocated to the district during the 2025/2026 financial year.
Minister Barugahara stated that his office received numerous complaints regarding Begumisa’s conduct. These complaints included accusations of embezzling funds designated for the facilitation of agricultural extension workers, despite a lack of tangible support or solutions being provided to these workers.
Sources indicate that the funds in question include Shs538 million in conditional wage grants, Shs217 million in unconditional grants, Shs146 million for agricultural extension wages, Shs5 million from local revenue, and Shs231 million in development revenue, among other allocations.
Before his arrest, Begumisa dismissed the allegations, asserting that extension officers were deliberately refusing to work and had fabricated the accusations. He claimed to have suggested to the Chief Administrative Officer that the entire team be dissolved due to their alleged refusal to deliver services despite receiving funding.
However, extension workers presented a different narrative to the Minister, detailing systemic underfunding and budget discrepancies that hinder their field operations. They reported receiving significantly less money than allocated by the Ministry and insufficient funds for essential maintenance, such as for their motorcycles, which are crucial for navigating the district’s hilly terrain.
An investigative audit conducted by the District Internal Auditor, Junior Tumwebaze, reportedly uncovered financial anomalies. The audit, commissioned by the Chief Administrative Officer, indicated that agricultural workers were indeed being “paralysed by a lack of resources” and had been “treated poorly” financially over the past three years.
In a related development, Minister Barugahara also directed the interdiction of two district engineers, Gilbert Muhangi and Christopher Muhwezi. They are accused of mismanaging over Shs400 million allocated for road rehabilitation projects in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 financial years.