Two senior officials from Tororo Municipal Council are held in custody at Tororo Central Police Station as investigations continue over the mismanagement of government funds meant for road works in the last financial year.
The Municipal Town Clerk, Moses Lorika, and the Municipal Engineer, Francis Okema, have been under interrogation for almost the entire day.
Police spokesperson for Bukedi South, Moses Mugwe, confirmed their detention, stating, "We have the two municipal officials, the Town Clerk, Moses Lorika, and the Municipal Engineer, Francis Okema, with us to help with investigations regarding matters we have against them."
The arrests follow a recent meeting by the District Roads Committee which uncovered significant irregularities.
According to committee members, Tororo Municipal Council failed to provide a clear account of how the one billion shillings allocated by the government for road maintenance was spent.
Shockingly, 50% of the funds remain unaccounted for, while municipal roads continue to deteriorate.
Emmanuel Otaala, Chairperson of the District Roads Committee, revealed that not only was there a lack of accountability, but the officials altered the approved work plan just three weeks before the end of the financial year.
“Besides failing to account for the funds sent to them last financial year, they also changed the work plan when it was left three weeks to the end of the financial year and we had to do it instantly,” Otaala said.
Tororo Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Sadiq Bategana Baker, emphasized the gravity of the findings.
“In our meeting a few days ago to evaluate the performance of the shs1 billion government sends. We realized that out of the funds remitted for municipal roads, they could not account for more than fifty percent, yet the financial year had closed. I therefore opted to arrest these people to assist in the investigation.”
If found guilty, Lorika and Okema will face charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and fraud. It is noteworthy that this is not the first time Municipal Engineer Francis Okema has been arrested in connection with alleged financial misconduct.
The police and district authorities have assured the public of a thorough investigation and urged accountability in the management of public resources.