By Our Reporter
ARUA
More officials from Arua City have been arrested on allegations of mismanagement of government programs and funds.
Those arrested on Tuesday 7th November 2023 include the Deputy City Clerk, Aua City, Cornelius Jobile, and the Chief Finance Officer, Sam Adriko.
The Tuesday arrests follow those of Monday, 6th November where Arua Senior City Physical Planner, Moses Findru was arrested for allegedly allocating land irregularly to a private developer to install a mast.
Others that were arrested on Monday are the Board Chairperson, Pangisa PDM SACCO Bernard Edoni and Lillian Aleni, the Principal Town Agent for Pangisa Ward, Arua City for alleged extortion of PDM beneficiaries.
The minister also ordered the arrest of the former city engineer Anthony Dradria and former town clerk Daniel Kaweesi, in absentia.
According to the Minister, the investigations on allegations against the arrested officials will now be taken over by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
Last week, this website ran a story titled, “X-Mas Arrests Looming As Economic Monitoring Minister Raids North, West Nile Regions,” and this is just the beginning. (ED)
While announcing her intention to visit the regions on 30th October 2023, the State Minister for Economic Monitoring in the Office of the President, Hon. Beatrice Akello Akori said the exercise would be conducted in Arua City and the sampled districts of Arua, Madi-Okollo, Adjumani, and Pakwach in West Nile, Alebtong, Otuke, Amolatar, Kole and Oyam in Lango Sub-region.
The Minister said that despite government injecting massive funds in Physical Infrastructure Development especially Roads and Energy; Human Resources Development in areas of Education, Skills Development, Health, Water and Sanitation; Agriculture and Industry, there is still a general outcry by Citizens and Policymakers that resources have not resulted in effective Public Service Delivery.
Consequently, she said, the Presidency has organized this oversight inspection exercise with the aim of assessing the implementation status of both Central and Local Government Projects with the aim of strengthening Accountability for Results and facilitating Learning.
“This is in line with the made of the office of the President and my mandate of carrying out Oversight Field Inspections/Monitoring to bring forward issues constraining service delivery for redress or Policy Review,” Akori said.
Previously, the ministry under Ogwang conducted similar exercises in Bunyoro, Busoga, Sebei, Bugisu Acholi, Greater Masaka, Kigezi, Ankole sub-regions, and Wakiso districts.
During those exercises, issues that required the Chief Administrative Officers and Town Clerks to handle administratively were put to their attention for redress and the rest were referred to the responsible entities for further Management including corruption cases.
For example, in Kanungu district, some projects that were abandoned were completed after committing the contractor, in Kalangala district, the Youth Livelihood funds stolen by the community development officer were recovered.
The number of contracts awarded under a lot in the UGFIT program has been reduced from 5 to a maximum of two and a half.
Akori says that out of the 117 case files opened, 4 officers have been charged in courts of law, 5 had corrective action undertaken, 72 closed and 116 cases were underway waiting for completion of investigations.
