UNRA engineer who earns Shs5M per month charged for having shs6bn questionable wealth

The Anti-Corruption court in Kololo has read charges related to amassing of questionable by a Uganda Roads Authority engineer and a Community Development Officer.

Umar Katongole, a Principal Engineer with the Ministry of Works and Hawah Ssengendo, a Senior Community Development Officer with Wobulenzi Town Council in Luweero district were on Tuesday afternoon arraigned before Anti- Corruption grade one Magistrate Moses Nabende and charged with illicit enrichment contrary to section 31(1) (b) and section 31(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009.

They were also charged with money laundering contrary to section 3(a), 116 and 136(1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act as amended in 2017.

The duo were however not allowed to take plea because the magistrate’s court does not have powers to try cases involving such huge sums of money.

The state prosecutor told court that investigations into the matter are still ongoing and the magistrate adjourned the matter up to July 24.

Charges

Prosecution alleges that in 2015, being a station engineer for UNRA, Katongole was found in possession and control of property including plots of land and other untitled land in various parts of Kampala including Makindye, Mengo, Kabowa and Kyadondo whose total value was established to be at shs6.2 billion which was disproportionate to his income.

According to the state, the total amount of money earned as income by Katongole for four years was only shs300 million.

Prosecution also alleges that for purposes of disguising the illicit origin of these properties,  the ownership of the shs6.2 billion was transferred to the names of  Darkins Uganda Limited.

 

The state also avers that Katongole and Ssengendo between April 2011 and August 2015 deposited shs2.8 billion on an account number in Tropical bank as one of the ways to conceal the illicit wealth that had been amassed.

It is also alleged that the duo on June 27, 2015 withdrew shs380 million from a bank account they jointly owned and deposited it onto another account that Ssengendo owns in Tropical Bank.

Ssengendo is also accused of depositing shs466 million onto her account in a bid to conceal that it had been got through illicit ways.

The duo was arrested by the office of Inspector General of Government early this week.

According to the charge sheet, Ssengendo was estimated to be earning five million shillings per month and totaling to shs300 million in five years which raise eyebrows on how he had acquired shs6.2 billion wealth.