KAMPALA, Uganda
President Yoweri Museveni has ordered three senior officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Uganda Police Force onto forced leave for six months as investigations intensify into allegations of corruption linked to the maintenance of Uganda’s national CCTV surveillance system worth more than Shs31 billion.
The directive, contained in a May 23, 2026 letter addressed to Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, marks one of the most significant interventions in recent years involving Uganda’s security infrastructure and raises fresh questions about accountability in government procurement and public expenditure.
The officials affected are Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu, Under Secretary for Police Aggrey Wunyi, and Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Felix Baryamwisaki.
“I now direct that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Internal Affairs Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu and the Under-Secretary Police, Mr Aggrey Wunyi, go on forced leave for six months as the Anti-Corruption Unit is investigating their matter to its conclusion,” Museveni wrote.
“By copy of this letter, AIGP Felix Baryamwitsakyi should go on forced leave as this investigation is reviewed and concluded.”
According to President Museveni, the investigation stems from a report submitted by former Internal Affairs Minister Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, detailing alleged corruption surrounding the maintenance of Uganda’s police camera system.
Uganda’s CCTV network, introduced as part of the government’s broader security modernization strategy, has been central to surveillance operations in major urban areas and has consumed billions of shillings in public investment over the years.
Museveni said that after Chinese technology company Huawei, which supplied the road surveillance cameras, reportedly faced sanctions from the United States and European Union in 2019, maintenance responsibilities were shifted to a local contractor.
That contractor Dealan Associates Limited, a company reportedly owned by Ugandan scientists was contracted to maintain the system. However, despite the Ministry of Finance reportedly releasing Shs31.37 billion for the work, payment was allegedly delayed.
According to Museveni, officials within the ministry, working through an intermediary identified as Hassan Serunjogi, allegedly demanded kickbacks before processing payments.
“Yet, the Ugandan contractor was not paid because the Ministry officials, through a middleman, Hassan, were demanding for bribes,” Museveni stated in the letter.
Beyond ordering the forced leave of the officials, Museveni also directed that Barbra Katisi of Dealan Associates Limited be paid and instructed investigators to pursue criminal proceedings against Serunjogi should evidence support prosecution.
The President’s directives suggest investigators are examining not only alleged bribery but also whether public officials may have obstructed payment processes tied to a strategically important national security project.
The CCTV system remains one of Uganda’s most expensive and politically significant security investments, introduced partly in response to rising urban crime and security threats.
The latest allegations now place renewed scrutiny on the management of security-related procurement and whether oversight mechanisms within government institutions are sufficient to protect public funds allocated to high-value projects.
Governance analysts say the probe could become an important test of anti-corruption enforcement within sectors traditionally shielded by national security concerns.
The developments come at a politically sensitive moment for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which recently underwent leadership changes following President Museveni’s Cabinet reshuffle earlier this week.
The timing has intensified public interest in whether the forced leave directives signal a broader crackdown on corruption within government institutions or are part of wider reforms inside the security sector.
The Anti-Corruption Unit is expected to investigate the allegations over the next six months while the affected officials remain away from office.
Several questions remain unanswered, including whether additional officials may become subjects of investigation, whether criminal charges will follow, and how the allegations could affect ongoing management of Uganda’s surveillance infrastructure.
For now, the forced leave orders represent one of the strongest actions taken against senior officials connected to a major state security project in recent years placing Uganda’s anti-corruption systems under renewed public scrutiny.
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