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Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The police in Soroti has arrested Moses Okiring Ebaku, the suspected mastermind of the missing Emyooga money in Gweri County.
Okiring was arrested on Sunday night from his hideout in Oderai cell, Soroti city.
Patrick Oumu, the Resident District Commissioner said Okiring was first sighted in Pamba ward where he was drinking in the evening but he quickly disappeared after sensing danger.
He was later tracked and found in his rented room in Oderai. Okumu says they have interrogated the suspect and their primary goal is to recover the missing funds.
Okiring is accused of stealing more than 58 million shillings meant for three groups in Gweri County under Emyooga program which was withdrawn from the bank.
The affected groups under investigations include; Gweri Women Entrepreneurs SACCO, Gweri County Boda-Boda SACCO and Gweri Taxi Operators SACCO.
Okiring is said to be a trainer in business management skills who took advantage of the trainings to access details of groups for his own benefit.
Before his arrest, the police had arrested group leaders of Gweri Women Entrepreneurs SACCO, Gweri County Boda- Boda SACCO and Gweri Taxi Operators SACCO.
Meanwhile, the State Minister for Teso Affairs Dr. Clement Kenneth Obote Ongalo has asked for expeditious investigations into the alleged mismanagement of micro projects supported by the Office of the Prime Minister- OPM in Katakwi district.
The projects supported by Teso Affairs Ministry across the districts of Teso sub region were allegedly mismanaged by the District Community Development Officer, Catherine Tino in Katakwi. The officer failed to account for UGX. 10.6 million for Aleles Parish SACCOs in Akoboi sub county.
It is alleged that Tino’s failed to account for the missing 10 million shillings for Aleles Parish in Akoboi sub county when the group received only 20 million shillings instead of the 30 million shillings earlier promised and documented by the group members and the district officials. The officer is again reported to have solicited between 80,000 to 100,000 shillings from every group while helping members to access their money from the bank in Soroti. The unsuspecting members were told that the money was meant to facilitate the officer’s travel and lunch from Katakwi to Soroti.
In his August 13th, 2021 letter to the RDC of Katakwi, Ongalo says that corruption in the government projects undermines the goal and objectives of the program.
“The purpose of this letter therefore, is to request you to work with the police to investigate these allegations and if the officer is found culpable, should be subjected to the due process of the law. In the meantime, the officer should be interdicted to pave way for the investigations,” said Ongalo in his letter.
When contacted for the comment on the matter, Seraphine Alia, the CAO Katakwi said he was busy in the meeting.
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