PAKWACH TOWN CLERK, ENGINEER ARRESTED OVER ROAD PROJECT FUNDS
URN
The Town Clerk of Pakwach Town Council, Adriko Simon, and Engineer Omeri Bonny were arrested on Thursday following orders by the Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara.
They were accused of alleged failure to properly execute a major road rehabilitation and upgrade project worth one billion shillings.
Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara, is in the West Nile region as part of his countrywide anti-corruption campaign. He was received with cheers from residents who raised concerns over the quality of work.
During the inspection, it was observed that the 1.1-kilometre road had recently been covered with crushed rock fragments.
The officials were unable to provide a clear explanation of how the money had been spent in relation to the quality of work done. Out of the total 1 billion shillings, 900 million shillings had already been released for the works.
The Town Clerk explained that the money had been spent on procuring materials, with only 12 million shillings remaining in the account, an explanation which prompted further inquiries in his interaction with the minister.
There was no clear explanation for the remaining balance for the road rehabilitation and upgrade project. Uganda Radio Network (URN) had not independently verified the accountability details offered at the time of filing this report.
Pakwach Town Council Engineer, Omeri Bonny, was also questioned about the quality of work completed so far, but he could not provide a clear explanation of how the money had been utilized. The engineer said that materials cost 585 million shillings out of the 900 million shillings.
Meanwhile, Barugahara ordered an investigation into the accountability concerns, saying that the matter needed to be handled by relevant government authorities.
The officials were arrested as the State House Anti-Corruption Unit took over the matter to conduct investigations and establish how the funds had been used. The remaining 100 million shillings yet to be released was recommended to be withheld pending the outcome of the investigations.
Comments
This post currently has no comments.