The Butambala Chief Magistrates Court has charged and remanded four senior district officials over theft of fuel worth UGX 431 million and conspiracy to defraud the government.
The officials who include the Acting district engineer Ms Naigembe Jessica, , Wandera Joseph the Chief Financial Officer, Muwaga Fred the District Internal Auditor and Kizito Charles Mukalazi, the district driver were charged for stealing fuel meant for road works under the ugx 1 billion maintenance grant.
Court heard that the four accused and Kayinga Geoffrey, the Ag. District Water Officer, who is still on the run, between the month of June and April 2024 in the F/Y 2023-2024 in Butambala District, misappropriated 80,000.86 litres of fuel valued worth Ugx 431,447,400 meant for road works under UGX 1 Billion Road Maintenance Grant.
The two Engineers, Naigembe Jesca and Kayinga Geoffrey, would inflate fuel required for different road projects and then later misappropriate the fuel by drawing it irregularly or issuing it to private individuals, outside the planned works.
To cover up, the Engineers would then connive with different fuel station managers to falsify accountabilities purporting to have issued the fuel to drivers under the Works Department for road works, which drivers denied having consumed the said fuel.
Wandera Joseph and Muwaga Fred, the Chief Finance Officer and District Internal Auditor, respectively, are faulted for deliberately failing to supervise the Engineers who were entrusted with the receipt and expenditure of the 1 Billion Road Maintenance grant.
Investigations also revealed that both officials, have equally been benefiting by irregularly consuming fuel meant for road works and in effect, failing to check the abuses by the Engineers.
The four were remanded until 28th this month for mention of their case and bail application.
