Bunyangabu district officials arrested over misappropriation of UGX 140 million

Bunyangabu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Five officials of Bunyangabu district Local Government have been arrested for alleged abuse of office.

Those arrested include; Lucy Ikiriza, the Principal Human Resource Officer, Yusta Asiimwe, the District Production Officer, and Gerald Tumwesigye, the District Agricultural Officer.

Others are Joseph Basaliza, the District Chief Finance Officer and Elon Rujumba, the Sub County Chief for Kabonero in Bunyangabu district.

According to the investigating officer Wycliffe Mukama, the suspects caused a financial loss to the government worth 140 million shillings.

Mukama says Ikiriza failed to verify false documents presented to her by three teachers purportedly being minutes of the district service commission and later enrolled them as government employees from 2021 to date.

Basaliza is also accused of conniving with Asiimwe and Tumwesigye to falsify the accountability of 90 million shillings meant for the Agriculture Development Cluster Program. The funds were meant for communication and sensitization of farmers to improve production and productivity for coffee and maize in the agricultural value chain.

Mukama said the police are now hunting for three teachers who forged the minute extract.

The LCV chairperson James Ategeka Mugarama, says the arrest of the district officials will act as a deterrent measure to curtail the financial indiscipline among public servants in the district.

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