Covid-19: OPM Permanent Secretary Guwatudde arrested for inflating prices for relief food

The State House Anti-Corruption Unit, headed by Lt Col Edith Nakalema has arrested four top officials from the Office of the Prime Minister including the Permanent Secretary, Christine Guwatudde Kintu for inflating prices for relief food.

Following the announcement of a lockdown to combat coronavirus, government embarked on a program to donate relief food to 1.5 million people in Kampala and Wakiso districts affected by the measures.

On Thursday, Nakalema announced that Guwattude had been arrested together with Martin Owor, the commissioner in charge of Disaster Preparedness and Management, Joel Wanjala(Accounting officer) and Fred  Lutimba( Assistant Commissioner in charge of procurement) in the office of the Prime Minister had been arrested.

“They have all been arrested to help in the ongoing investigations,”Nakalema said.

“It was a directive by His Excellency the President that I head these investigations in liaison with director CID(AIGP Grace Akullo).

She said that the president ordered that investigation be made public for everyone to see adding that further updates will be given.

Nakalema said the group had been handed over to CID to continue with investigations.

This website has separately learnt that the group was supposed to be arrested on Tuesday but they were tipped off by someone and by the time the Anti-Corruption Unit arrived at their offices, they had left.