The Anti-Corruption Court has remanded in Luzira Government Prison two embattled officials and a contractor from Obongi District over the diversion of funds.
Those arrested from Obongi were remanded to Luzira until Tuesday next week when they will be brought back to court. The two senior officials and contractor arrested for corruption have been remanded to Luzira Prison after appearing in court on Thursday.
The three, who are Obongi District Engineer Onapa Ivan Opio, District Desk Officer for Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP) Tako Geoffrey, and the Director of Mac Business World Fisher Martin, were arrested on 31st July 2024 by the Inspectorate of Government.
These actions were carried out under the directive of Dr. Patricia Achan Okiria, the Deputy Inspector General of Government.
The arrests followed numerous complaints from local community members and the Resident District Commissioner (RDC). Investigations revealed that the officials and the contractor allegedly colluded to divert project funds. They modified the approved construction plans for doctors’ houses in health centers, deviating from the standards set by the Ministry of Health. The changes included substituting solid concrete walls with brick walls, replacing steel roofing with timber roofing, and neglecting essential testing and technical assessments.
The investigation found that the total contract amount for building a doctor’s house at Itula Health Centre III was UGX 250 million. However, the contractor issued two payment certificates totaling UGX 91,230,000. The district officials inflated the payment amount to UGX 113,879,000, resulting in a financial discrepancy of UGX 22,649,000.
Further inquiry uncovered that Mr. Tako had redirected UGX 52,000,000 allocated for the Yenga HH Cooked Stove and Briquettes sub-project to an unapproved project.
One of the residents who spoke to our reporter on the phone said Onapa Opio had been playing his syndicate. Bosco of Palorinya sub-county said that at least President Museveni has suggested that there should be “no bail for thieves in government,” hence Onapa Ivan, the Obongi District Engineer, will be the best example of the scourge of corruption in government offices.
