KIGEZI, UGANDA: Four District Officers in Kigezi Sub-region have today evening been arrested by the State House Anti-corruption Unit in the office of the President over alleged abuse of office, embezzlement of funds and causing financial loss to the Government.
The four officials include the Rubanda District Engineer Denis Twesigomwe, the Rubanda District Water Engineer David Otika, and the Lyakarimira town council engineer in Kabale District Spencer Ngabirano and the Kanungu District senior Engineer Eric Sivaseya Mutumba.
The suspects were first picked up by the State House Anti-corruption Unit led by the Deputy Director of Anti-corruption attached to Internal Security Organization Fatuma Namukwaya from their respective areas and gathered at Kabale municipal council offices for interrogation before they were arrested and handed over to police at Kabale central police station.
The arrest followed the directive of the minister of State for Economic Monitoring in the Office of the President Beatrice Akello Akori during her monitoring mission in the Kigezi Sub-region to monitor the implementation of several government projects.
While in Rubanda District, Akello directed the investigations to ascertain the reasons behind the shoddy works at Mpungu Health Center III in Hamurwa Sub County.
Twesigomwe is accused of failing to supervise and ascertain the shoddy works at Mpungu Health Center III before he could clear the certificates of payments.
While Otika is accused of failing to guide the former District council while approving the 6.2 billion water supply project at Bushura in Hamuhambo town council of Rubanda District.
In Kanungu, Mutumba is also accused of failing to supervise the renovation works at Ntungamo Health Center III before he could clear certificates of payments and paying 55 million shillings in excess of the initial contract sum without clear authorization failing to guide the council on the renovation works of staff houses at Lyakarimira town council in Kabale District.
He is also being accused of clearing and sanctioning payments of about 100 million shillings for the construction of a multipurpose hall that was allegedly embezzled by the former town clerk Alex Ampeire.
Addressing journalists at Kabale central police station, the Kigezi Regional Police Spokesperson Elly Maate confirmed the arrest of the four suspects saying that they will later be transferred to Kabale for further investigations before they can be handed over to the Director of Public Prosecutions to have their files sanctioned.
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