Alex Karugaba, Rukungiri Municipal Senior Revenue Officer set to Face Minister Balaam Barugahara over Corruption

A whistle-blower from Rukungiri has petitioned the Minister of Local Government, Hon. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, to urgently include Rukungiri Municipal Council in the ongoing “Expose the Corrupt Campaign” over alleged financial mismanagement and suspected misappropriation of public revenue.

In a formal complaint dated 15th October 2026, the whistle-blower requests an independent investigation into the management of property tax, street parking fees, market fees, and stadium rental revenue, and asks for the interdiction of Mr. Karugaba Alex, the Senior Revenue Officer of Rukungiri Municipal Council.

All the allegations are yet to be independently verified by this publication.

Alleged Property Tax Diversion

The complaint alleges that several property owners across Rukungiri Municipality were approached to pay property tax on the understanding that their assessments would be reduced, with some payments allegedly not banked on the official municipal accounts and others allegedly directed to personal mobile money accounts.

The whistle-blower lists over 20 trading centres and villages as leads for verification, including Marumba, Rwentondo, Karegyesa Market Street, Farmers Trading Centre, Kisiramu Street, Kihindi Trading Centre, Bwoma and Nyamayenje, among others. The complaint cites two specific cases where property rates were allegedly hiked in a rejected valuation list and later reduced after alleged negotiations.

The complainant asks authorities to obtain statements from affected property owners and reconcile official receipts against amounts deposited in the Council’s authorized bank accounts.

Tender Irregularities Cited

The complainant further raises two tender issues:

1. Street Parking Tender – Kifunjo Traders: It is alleged that the firm continued collecting street parking fees after its contract reportedly expired in June 2026 without a valid contract, and that a URA tax clearance certificate submitted in a subsequent bidding process was allegedly forged, as attributed to an Internal Auditor’s report.

2.  Nyamayenje Market Fees Tender: The collection under a tender associated with Rukungiri Youth Combined Efforts Association is flagged for verification of the lawful tender holder and whether all revenue was accounted for.

Stadium Rental Revenue: UGX 16M Allegedly Unaccounted For

The whistle-blower alleges that while the Council for the 2021-2026 term passed a resolution setting stadium rental at UGX 1,500,000 per day, only UGX 400,000 was allegedly being banked as government revenue. The complaint alleges that more than UGX 16,000,000 may have gone unaccounted for in stadium rental collections during 2025 alone.

Alleged Unexplained Wealth and UGX 5 Billion Gap

The complainant also asks investigators to verify assets reportedly associated with Mr. Karugaba Alex against his lawful income, listing a commercial plot in Bwoma Trading Centre reportedly purchased for UGX 35,000,000, a Subaru vehicle reportedly acquired in 2026 for UGX 48,000,000, land and a house in Kibunda Village, Buyanja, reportedly valued at UGX 150,000,000. The complaint notes that his net monthly salary is approximately UGX 682,471, but stresses that asset ownership alone does not establish corruption.

Most significantly, the complainant alleges that an Internal Auditor requested property tax accountability reports covering a five-year period and reportedly identified more than UGX 5 billion as unaccounted for. The whistle-blower asks the Ministry to obtain the actual audit report to establish whether the discrepancy represents uncollected revenue, unbanked collections, accounting errors, or suspected misappropriation.

Failure to Implement Council Resolution

The whistle-blower further claims that the new Council Executive of Rukungiri Municipal Council passed a minute recommending that Mr. Karugaba be stopped from performing revenue-related duties pending investigations, but that he has continued working. The complaint requests that the Ministry examine the minute and consider appropriate interim administrative measures, including interdiction, in accordance with public service procedures, to protect records and the integrity of investigations.

Prayers to the Minister

The complainant has asked the Minister to:

– Include Rukungiri in the Expose the Corrupt Campaign

– Refer the matter to the Inspectorate of Government, Auditor General and police investigative authorities

– Order a forensic audit of property tax and other revenue streams

– Secure revenue registers, IFMS records, bank statements and Council minutes

– Provide protection for whistle-blowers and witnesses

Efforts to get a comment

By press time, this website was still making efforts to get a comment from Mr. Karugaba Alex, the Town Clerk of Rukungiri Municipal Council, and the Ministry of Local Government. Their responses will be added once received.

Whistleblower’s verbatim is here below in Photos;