The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Kalaki district,
Christopher Okumu has been arrested for allegedly failing to take charge of
several projects, resulting in huge financial losses in the district.
Some of the affected projects include the construction of
the perimeter chain link fence at Kakure Seed School worth UGX. 800 million and
the road works either stalled or failed to take off after the allocation of
funds.
Okumu allegedly failed to provide
a detailed account to the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity at State House
regarding the misallocation of funds for said projects.
Some of the projects include the construction of the
Opilitok-Kaberpila Road [3.5KM] in Otuboi Sub-county during the FY 2022/2023 its
money, UGX. 17M was diverted. Investigations revealed that the road development
project was halted after one of the district officials misappropriated its
funds.
The CAO is also accused of failing to provide pertinent
information regarding the misuse of UGX. 350M intended for the restoration of
the Abalanga-Imat-Amua-Surambaya Road in the 2021/2022 Financial Year. The said
funds were reportedly misused by the engineers at the district.
Reports at the district indicate that there are discrepancies
in the execution of the road works as they did not align with the specified Bill
of Quantities and did not reflect the value for money.
Some of the anomalies
recorded include the collapse of the bridge linking Kalaki to Alebtong
District, the absence of gravel surfacing on the road, and the lack of installed
road signs.
During the interaction with the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity,
Okumu failed to give a satisfactory explanation for the interdiction of Kalaki
Town Clerk, Richard Eliau, and the Treasurer, James Opali.
The duo was facing charges
of alleged financial misconduct, embezzlement, and misappropriation of public
funds, which negatively impacted service delivery.
The CAO is also facing trouble for allegedly underpaying
service providers. For example, it was noted that the contractor, Ms. SAO Engineering
Consultants Limited was paid only UGX 9,000,000 out of the allocated amount of
UGX 20,300,000.
In the FY 2020/2021, UGX 18,000,000 was set aside for a
physical plan but only UGX 4,000,000 was disbursed to the contractor, MS. SAO
Consultants Ltd, without any corresponding activities, resulting in UGX
14,000,000 being unutilized.
Furthermore, funds allocated for office furniture amounting
to UGX 2,800,000 in the FY 2020/2021 were never delivered, and the funds remain
unaccounted for, among others.
Ethics Minister Rose Lilly Akello told Journalists that the district has quite several challenges that require special attention.
// cue in “We have got…
Cue out…in the district.”//
The team also arrested Kalaki District Education Officer, Omagor
Kyalagire over alleged mismanagement of UGX 800 million meant for the construction
of a chain-link fence at Kakure Seed School.
It is reported that much as the
district received UGX. 800 million, they awarded a contract worth only UGX. 452
million to the contractor.