Lira, Uganda – The Regional Traffic Officer (RTO) for North Kyoga Region, SP Okwir Mathias, has issued a threat to arrest and take legal action against the chairman of the embattled LUMBA Boda Boda association in Lira city for defamation, accusing him of spreading false allegations of bribery.
During a press briefing held on Wednesday evening at Golf Course compound, SP Okwir stated that he is prepared to pursue legal action against Okori Moses for falsely claiming that he received a bribe of 10 million shillings from an undisclosed politician contesting in the 2026 general elections in Lira City I.
Okori Moses, appearing on a radio station in Lira City on Wednesday morning, accused SP Okwir of improperly deploying two Boda Boda leaders in City East and City West Divisions. In response, SP Okwir clarified that a meeting held at Grand Pacific Hotel in Lira City, where he was delegated by Lira RCC Egole Lawrence, resulted in both Owera Juma and Odongo Sam agreeing to work together to restore peace among the Boda Boda members.
SP Okwir also accused Okori Moses of embezzling 30 million shillings allocated by the President to the Boda Boda association of Lira City, claiming that Okori is under high-level investigation for criminal activities.
Owera Juma, speaking to The Ankole Times newspaper on Thursday morning, denied the allegations against SP Okwir, calling them baseless. He confirmed that Eyit, the overall Boda Boda chairman of Lango sub-region, chaired the reconciliation meeting at Grand Pacific Hotel in good faith.
Efforts to contact Odongo Sam for comment were unsuccessful as his phone was unavailable.
Meanwhile, SP Okwir Mathias distanced himself from the accusations made by Okori Moses, stating that he is not involved in politics and attributing the allegations to a meeting he had with Boda Boda leaders to promote peace and reduce traffic-related accidents in the region.
SP Okwir threatened to take legal action against Okori Moses if evidence of the bribery allegation is not provided, criticizing Okori for tribal and discriminatory remarks.
Efforts to reach Minister of Health Dr. Aceng Ruth Jane to confirm allegations of SP Mathias joining politics to oppose her supporters in Lira City were unsuccessful as she did not respond to repeated phone calls.
