Thugs raid Budaka District offices

BUDAKA: Suspected thugs on Tuesday night raided Budaka District headquarters and stole 10 batteries from government vehicles worth Shs10 million.
The District Police Commander (DPC), Mr Wilson Salaam, confirmed the incident, saying unidentified criminals stole eight batteries from the newly acquired four tipper trucks for the district and two other batteries from the truck belonging to town council.

“It’s true, the thugs raided the district vehicle park yard and town council office and stole batteries from the government vehicles on Tuesday night,” he said.
Mr Salaam said they have embarked on manhunt for the thugs and investigations are ongoing.

“We are investigating the circumstances under which the vehicle batteries could be stolen from the park yard and yet there is security personnel guarding the place,” Mr Salaam, said.
Mr Salaam said police officers are on the ground to establish whether it was a planned move within the security or district staff.
“We visited the crime scene with our sniffer dog but there was no trace for the thugs. But we shall question the security personnel, deployed to man the district headquarters for their laxity and negligence while on duty,” he said.

The District LC5 chairman, Mr Sam Mulomi, said this was not the first time district property is being stolen under unclear circumstances.
“These recurring incidences must be a planned move within but I hope police will come to the bottom of the matter,” he said.
Early last year, unidentified people stole a district generator and broke into some of the offices.

He also noted that there is increasing negligence among the security personnel at the district.
Mr Kepher Nayepe, the district councillor representing Mugiti Sub County and also the district secretary for works, Production and Natural resources, said that the theft of vehicle batteries should serve us a lesson to the district.

“These security guards should be the first to be questioned for duty negligence but this should act as a lesson,” he said.
The Budaka Town council LC3 chairman, Mr Rogers Mukose told Daily Monitor that the stolen batteries were for the only truck that has been helping the council in garbage collection.