Posho, beans found at home of OPM official accused of Covid-19 relief food irregularities
Several bags of posho, beans, jerrycans and other relief items have been found at the home of Martin Owor, the commissioner in charge of Disaster Preparedness and Management in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Owor is together with Permanent Secretary, Christine Guwatudde Kintu, Joel Wanjala(Accounting officer) and Fred Lutimba( Assistant Commissioner in charge of procurement) accused of flouting the procurement process in the covid-19 relief food and were arrested on Thursday.
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On Friday, Police led by the District Police Commander, Rogers Chebene raided Owor’s home in Tororo after a tip off from a whistleblower before recovering several relief items.
The State House Anti- Corruption Unit head, Lt.Col. Edith Nakalema confirmed the items were recovered from Owor’s home.
“We found hundreds of kilos of food and other items meant to support Ugandans in need stored in Owor’s house,”Nakalema said in a tweet.
At the home, police found 22 bags of rice, 22 bags of posho, 22 bags of beans in United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees labeled bags, sewing machines, empty jerrycans, hand hoes, ox-ploughs and gumboots all suspected to be relief items for the vulnerable supplied through the Office of the Prime Minister.
According to police, the raid was preceded by a tip off from a whistleblower who late last year saw the items being ferried to the OPM Commissioner’s home .
The items are believed to have been destined to the people of Bududa and Bulambuli affected by floods last year.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit head warned that no stone would be left unturned in fighting grant.
“As directed by the president, we will make sure that anyone abusing their offices especially in these challenging days of Covid-19 is brought to book. We rely on information provided by you the public. Keep it coming because we are in this fight together,”Lt.Col.Nakalema said.
The four Office of the Prime Minister top officials who were at the helm of the procurement process for coronavirus relief food were on Thursday arrested for inflating prices for relief food.
“They have all been arrested to help in the ongoing investigations “t was a directive by His Excellency the President that I head these investigations in liaison with director CID(AIGP Grace Akullo),”Nakalema said.
The head of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit explained that the said officials refused to award tenders to supply food to government at lower prices a thing that raised suspicion in regards their motive.
Government last week started the distribution of relief food to 1.5 million vulnerable people in Kampala and Wakiso district affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
