The Inspectorate of Government-IG has instituted investigations against several officials of Kikuube district local government for creating and establishing ghost projects under the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project-DR DIP and the Parish Development model (PDM).
Patricia Achan, the Deputy Inspector of Government told Uganda Radio Network (URN) in an interview on Friday that the implicated officials are mostly the technocrats operating in the district.
She says, the officials whom she declined to reveal between 2022 and 2024 planned, collaborated and connived to create ghost projects under DRDIP and PDM.
Achan says, preliminary investigations indicate that the ghost projects both under DRDIP and PDM are in the sub counties of Kizirafumbi,Kyangwali, Kabwoya lower and Kabwoya upper.
Dr.Achan explains that, they have deployed detectives from the inspectorate of government-IG to investigate the matter.
She further explains that, their office is also investigating top government officials in the district for alleged extortion of the PDM funds and DRDIP stating that, the action of the officials has greatly hampered effective implementation and progress of the projects.
This she says, has hindered service delivery to the local people in the district.
She has appealed to residents in the district to supervise and monitor the various government projects being implemented in the district and also report cases of misappropriation of government funds injected in the projects.
Edward Musingye, the Chief Administrative officer-CAO Kikuube admits that some of the district officials have been involved in extortion of money both from the PDM beneficiaries and those seeking employment opportunities sating that, of recent they have launched operation to have all those being implicated arrested and prosecuted in courts of law.
Amlan Tumusiime, the Kikuube Resident District Commissioner-RDC noted that two weeks back, his office launched a massive operation to have all those accused of extorting money from job seekers in the district arrested adding that some of the officials were arrested, arraigned before court and released on court bail.
He says, fighting corruption needs concerted efforts, appealing to members of the public to report all cases related to extortion to his office.
Annet Nyamarwa, a resident of Maya village in Kabwoya sub county applauded the office of the IGG for intervening in the Kikuube corruption saga noting that, the district’s image has been tainted completely.
On Friday three officials attached to Kikuube district local government were arrested and detained at the Kikuube central police station for extorting money from people seeking to benefit from the Parish Development Model (PDM).
The arrested officials are Godfrey Katungi, the Parish Chief for Igwanjura in Kabwoya sub-county, Lawrence Baguma, the Parish chief for Bubogo in Kabwoya sub-county, and Charles Kusemererwa, the community facilitator under Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project-DR DIP in Kabwoya sub-county.
They were arrested on the orders of the Deputy Inspector of government-IG Dr.Patricia Achan during a public dialogue organized by the office of the Inspector General of Government-IGG at Kabwoya sub-county headquarters.
The residents accused the officials during the public dialogue for allegedly extorting between 100,0000 and 250,000 shillings from each person seeking to benefit from the parish Development Model-PDM and DRDIP respectively. This angered Achan who immediately ordered detectives to arrest and detain the officials.
Dr.Achan and other officials from the office of the IGG are in Kikuube to monitor the implementation and progress of the various government projects being undertaken in the district including the Parish Development model-PDM and Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project-DR DIP among others.
***URN***