Exiled lawyer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has sharply criticised the recent anti-corruption campaign spearheaded by ministers Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi and Justine Nameere, describing it as a public spectacle that undermines institutional governance.
His remarks come amid a series of high-profile countrywide inspections and arrests linked to alleged misuse of public funds, as the two leaders intensify their “Expose the Corrupt” campaign targeting local government officials.
In a statement, Kakwenza dismissed public support for the initiative, arguing that it reflects a deeper contradiction in Uganda’s political culture.
“Anyone who cheers the performative antics of Nameere Nsubuga and Hon Barugahara Balaam Ateenyi is not merely misguided but an embarrassment to serious political discourse,” he said.
“You celebrate raw individualism while simultaneously lamenting the collapse of institutional order. You cannot have it both ways.”
The campaign has seen ministers traverse multiple districts, inspecting government projects and publicly exposing suspected corruption cases, some of which have led to arrests of engineers and local officials.
Authorities say the approach is aimed at restoring accountability and deterring misuse of taxpayer funds.
However, Kakwenza argues that such actions sidestep formal systems of governance and weaken already fragile institutions.
“You have systematically stripped power from our public institutions, ie, Parliament, the judiciary, the civil service, and redistributed it to transient personalities and ethnic factions,” he stated.
“Then you ask, with feigned toad surprise, why those institutions lie prostrate and ineffective.”
His criticism extends beyond the current anti-corruption drive to the broader political establishment, including top leadership.
In the statement, he accused sections of the public of endorsing personality-driven politics at the expense of constitutional order.
“This is not complexity but intellectual dishonesty. Equally culpable are those who applaud cannibal Muhoozi and senile Museveni as saviors,” he said.
“Such cheerleading is the refuge of the imbecile. It is the triumph of dynastic loyalty over constitutionalism.”
Kakwenza warned that the continued reliance on individual actors rather than systems would have long-term consequences for governance.
“When the inevitable decay sets in, these same voices turn around and wail: What happened to our institutions? Yes, you happened to them. You dismantled them in service of personality cults,” he added.
The ministers have yet to respond directly to Kakwenza’s remarks. Their campaign, however, continues to draw mixed reactions, with supporters praising its visibility and critics questioning its adherence to due process and institutional frameworks.
The debate highlights a growing tension in Uganda’s governance landscape—between public-facing anti-corruption actions and concerns over the erosion of formal state institutions.