Blencowe acquired the Orom-Cross Graphite Project in April 2020 from the Australian Firm, Consolidated African Mineral Resources Co Ltd which was handed a 21-year-long mining license in 2019 by the government.
The two victims among others were part of a team that were on Saturday evening pursuing a group of Karamojong warriors that had attacked Odeogwok Village in Namukora Sub County in Kitgum district and raided six cattle.
The Acholi sub-region, particularly Lamwo and Kitgum districts, has experienced a rise in gun violence. These areas share borders with Karamojong regions and are adjacent to South Sudan. Most of the attacks occur during nighttime hours.
The Kitgum District Principal Commercial Officer, Alex Opira says out of the 1.68 billion Shillings disbursed to the district, 1.024 billion Shillings was loaned out to 563 associations despite 1,379 associations that had been registered. So far only 184 million Shilling has been recovered.
According to Odera, after the attack, the suspected Karimajong warriors believed to be four in number proceeded towards Lagwok-Omer village in Karkalet parish where they made off with seven head of cattle belonging to the area LCI Chairperson.
According to Ebil, the firm reportedly made job advertisements on local FM radio stations in Kitgum last month, which attracted many applicants but only six were recruited and transported to Hoima where they were abandoned in a lodge. He says that each of the victims, whose identities have been withheld, paid over Shillings 1,000,000 in partial fulfillment to secure the job.
Richard Okema, a resident says the attackers linked Kilama to the murder since he was involved in a land row with the deceased and court had just ruled the matter in favor of the deceased.
Abiaz Rwamiri, the Spokesperson of the National Drug Authority, says that they stormed the suspect's drug shop on Monday on a tipoff from a whistle-blower indicating that the drug shop was selling government drugs.
The Kitgum Matidi Sub County LCIII Chairperson Thomas Khempis Lapyem says that the arrest of Charles Ayella follows a concern raised by the school head teacher who complained that the invigilator had reported to the school under the influence of alcohol and was causing chaos.
The Kitgum Municipal Mayor Richard Ojara Okwera says the growing number of staff following a recent recruitment that observed over 50 technical officers absorbed into service has overstretched the limited office spaces.
The UNRA Kitgum Substation Resident Engineer Felix Geria Osuwa says that all planned road works within their jurisdiction particularly those on gravel standard in the first quarter of this financial year lies in limbo due to the meagre funding that has been disbursed to the substation.
The Kitgum Municipal Speaker Isaac Ocan, says that the matter came up during the review of a status implementation report for the last financial year that indicates that the department concentrated more on road rehabilitation works in Pandwong division leaving out Pager and Central divisions.
14 staff of Kitgum District Local Government were arrested last week by the PDM national secretariat over the alleged misuse of 523.6 million Shillings meant for the implementation of the PDM program.
The Kitgum district vice Chairperson Kevin Joyce Atim Obote says Musisi was interdicted on the directive of the Permanent Secretary of the Local Government ministry to pave way for further investigations into the alleged misuse of 526.3 million Shillings.
Kitgum Resident District Commissioner William Komakech, says the arrest also follows prior investigations by the Inspectorate of Government that was in the district for a weeklong investigation and recommended that the finance department recovers the lost funds by making deductions on salaries, emoluments, and allowances or through voluntary remittances.
In 2018, the district council passed the Kitgum Alcohol Control Ordinance which seeks to regulate the production, distribution, sale, and consumption of crude alcohol in the district.
