By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE CITY
Two staff members working with the Ministry of Works and Transport have been arrested and detained at Mbale Central Police Station over allegations of forgery.
The arrest on Tuesday, 22nd October, 2024 followed the storming of the RCC offices by Mbale Taxi Drivers complaining about the impounding of their vehicles at different traffic police check points that their vehicles are not reflecting in the URA system yet they had paid money.
Last week, the government declared an operation countrywide on vehicles which have not complied with Uganda Revenue Authority about clearing PSV taxes for their vehicles.
To pay PSV taxes, the owner of the vehicle has to go to the Ministry of Works region offices and get a form, after she or he has to go to the UTB bank and wire the money to URA account number direct.
Simon Wamono and Silaji Wandulu all taxi drivers operating from Mbale Taxi Park say that they followed all protocols and were given that form at the ministry of works Mbale office which they took to the bank and paid money to URA account.
They say that on Monday, 21st October when traffic officers at Iganga stopped their vehicles, they confidently said they had cleared the money but after checking the URA system, they were not seen indicating that the money was not paid to URA account which led their vehicles to be impounded and are currently at different central police stations.
The drivers say that over 100 taxi drivers at Mbale taxi Park are victims saying they want the office of the RCC to help them and recover their money by arresting ministry of works staff since each vehicle pays between 300,000/= to 500,000/= per year.
Hamuza Banja, the deputy RCC of Industrial City Division says that they discovered that Ministry of works officials connived with UTB bank officers by giving drivers fake PSV documents with wrong account number which led the money paid to go to a different unknown private account rather than to URA account.
He adds that as security, they have arrested Goretti Naigaga and Francis Ofwono both working as liaison officers at the ministry of works and transport, Mbale region to help them in investigation.
Banja says that the two are still in custody as investigations go on such that they can also arrest others who were behind this theft to recover the money and be worked on according to the law.
Rogers Taitika the Elgon region police spokesperson has confirmed the arrest saying both suspects are at Mbale central police station as investigations go on.
