Kween district official remanded over extorting from Emyooga beneficiaries
Silvester Bomet, the Commercial Officer of Kween District has been remanded by the Kapchorwa Magistrate court over theft and extortion.
The Sipi region police spokesperson ,Fredmark Chesang said Bomet was arrested upon return to Uganda from Kenya where he had fled to after learning of his impending arrest.
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He was on Friday arraigned in court and charges of theft and extortion read against him.
He denied them and was remanded until August 7, 2024.
According to the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Kween, Hope Atuhaire, Bomet misappropriated a significant portion of the Emyooga program funds, estimated to be around shs80 million
. The Emyoga program is designed to empower individuals to overcome poverty through profitable ventures in agriculture and business.
Relatedly, three sacco have been arrested for alleged extortion of PDM beneficiaries in Kapchorwa
Three leaders of the Kween PDM SACCO group in East Division, Kapchorwa Municipality were arrested for allegedly extorting money from beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) program.
The suspects, whose names have not been disclosed, are accused of demanding payment from beneficiaries in exchange for forms, vouchers, and other services associated with the program.
Cherotwo Lillian, a PDM beneficiary, revealed that she was asked to pay shs55,000 to receive her entitled share of the funds, which should have been shs 1 million according to government guidelines.
Cherotwo also reported spending up to shs120,000 on various payments requested by the SACCO leaders.
Deputy RDC Kapchorwa, Martin Sakaja condemned the extortion practices, calling them a hindrance to government efforts.
He emphasized that SACCO leaders have been fully facilitated by the government and should not demand any payments from beneficiaries.
He warned all SACCO leaders against such practices, stressing that they should support the program's goals.
