Four senior officials of Kotido Municipal Council have been arrested over alleged mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds earmarked for road rehabilitation and maintenance within Kotido Municipality.
The arrests were carried out by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, working jointly with the Uganda Police Force, following preliminary investigations into the alleged misuse of about Shs1 billion allocated to the municipality for road works in the 2024/2025 financial year.
The suspects are Emmanuel Okaja, the Town Clerk; Gasper Okidi, the Senior Civil Engineer; Deo Okello Nyanga, the Senior Internal Auditor; and John Bosco Okure, the Assistant Inventory Officer.
According to State House spokesperson Mariam Natasha, investigations indicate that the officials allegedly conspired to embezzle more than Shs200 million that was meant for the procurement of construction materials for various municipal roads.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the suspects allegedly conspired to embezzle more than Shs200 million that was meant for the procurement of construction materials for various roads in Kotido Municipality,” Natasha said.
She explained that the materials in question included 1,735.7 trips of gravel, 250 bags of cement, 25 trips of hardcore and 10 trips of sand, which had been budgeted for improving the municipality’s road network.
Investigators also accuse the Town Clerk and the Senior Civil Engineer of neglect of duty, citing failure to adequately supervise, monitor and ensure compliance with approved guidelines during road construction and maintenance works.
“The two senior officials allegedly failed to provide proper oversight, which affected several road projects within the municipality,” Natasha said.
The funds under investigation were allocated for the rehabilitation and maintenance of several roads, including Miresiae–Napawu Road, Morungor–Kotyanga Road, Nangayum–Kawlapei Road, Chairman’s Road, Business Road and Romrom–Nakutakuwam Road.
Authorities said the suspects are currently in custody and are expected to be arraigned in court to answer charges related to abuse of office, neglect of duty and corruption.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit said it remains committed to fighting graft and ensuring accountability for public resources intended to improve service delivery across the country.