Jinja city officials, guard arrested over theft of road equipment

Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Three Jinja city officials and a security guard are in trouble for alleged theft of the road construction unit. The four are in custody at Jinja central police station awaiting prosecution. They are Jinja Deputy City Clerk Peter Mawerere, City Engineer David Elemye, Mechanical Engineer Lydia Nabirye, and a security guard whose identities have been withheld.

It is alleged that on August 7 and 22, 2022, the suspects and others still at large connived to steal two skip loaders registration number LG 0018-12 and UR 1602 respectively, a bulldozer registration number UA 1269, a tractor, and a grounded privately owned SUV vehicle with unknown number plates.

The suspects are further accused of reluctance to cooperate with security organs to recover the missing equipment despite endless efforts to summon them to voluntarily provide investigating officers with crucial information.

The Kiira Region Police Spokesperson James Mubi told journalists that whistleblowers tipped off police about the matter prompting them to open up a general inquiry file on August 25, 2022, where witnesses provided evidence implicating the suspects for masterminding the theft of the road construction unit.

Mubi also notes that efforts of tracking down Dennis Bimbonha, the acting senior law enforcement officer, another key suspect in the matter and his accomplices still at large are underway.

Prior to their arrest, Nabirye had written to the Jinja city clerk Moses Lorika, notifying him how one of the security guards had informed her about the missing equipment.

In his response, Lorika instructed the law enforcement team to explain the whereabouts of the equipment prompting them to flee into hiding.

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