Kotido — Police in Kotido Municipality have arrested four senior officials of Kotido Municipal Council over alleged corruption and misappropriation of funds earmarked for road rehabilitation and maintenance.
According to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the suspects include Town Clerk Okaja Emmanuel, Senior Civil Engineer Okidi Gasper, Senior Internal Auditor Akello Deo Nyanga, and Assistant Inventory Officer Lokure John Bosco.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the officials allegedly conspired to embezzle more than UGX 200 million intended for the procurement of construction materials for various municipal roads during the 2024/2025 financial year, out of a total allocation of UGX 1 billion.
The allegedly misappropriated materials include 1,735.7 trips of gravel, 250 bags of cement, 25 trips of hardcore, and 10 trips of sand, which investigators say were paid for but not delivered or properly accounted for.
Authorities further allege that the Town Clerk and the Senior Civil Engineer neglected their supervisory responsibilities by failing to properly monitor works and ensure adherence to approved construction guidelines.
The affected road projects include Miresiae–Napawu Road, Morungor–Kotyanga Road, Nangayum–Kawlapei Road, Chairman’s Road, Business Road, and Romrom–Nakutakuwam Road.
Police say the suspects are being held to facilitate further investigations and are expected to be arraigned in court in the coming days to face corruption-related charges.
