Residents demand arrest of district officials over land

Kotido/ Abim. Residents of Nakapelimoru Sub-county in Kotido District are demanding for the arrest of district officials who allegedly sold their land to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.
The demand follows a revelation that some district officials were given Shs7b to surrender nine square kilometres of land belonging to the locals.

Mr Ignatius Ngiro, the LC5 vice chairperson of Kotido District and Rev Fr Gabriel Lopuli, the priest of Morulem Cathedral in Abim District reportedly sold land without consulting clan members.
“It has come to our attention that our land was given to UPDF by some district officials who even wrote the names of their own children as beneficiaries without consulting us the land owners,” Mr Johnson Lokot, a resident said.

Mr Lokot added that security agencies in the district have also frustrated their plan to meet President Museveni over the matter.
Mr Mariko Loputhyang, a resident of Nakapelimoru Village in Nakapelimoru Sub-county, said they will not allow UPDF to carry out any development on the land.

Mr John Chila, the Nakapelimoru Sub-county chairperson, said the soldiers acted without consulting the sub-county leaders when they chose to unilaterally extend their boundaries.
“Yes I’m told money was released to people, some of whom work at the district but I don’t know how much since my LC3 office was not involved,” he said.
Capt Isaac Owera, the UPDF 3rd Division spokesperson confirmed to Daily Monitor that UPDF released some money to the people representing the affected community.

The accused speak out
Meanwhile, Mr Ngiro said the people who are complaining do not have land in the area where UPDF intends to extend their boundaries.
“What I can tell you is that the team that I represented received their money except that everybody wants to be compensated,” he said.
Fr Gabriel Lopuli, the co-accused also confirmed receiving money on behalf of the team he represented. “When the money is sent, our lawyer in Kampala calls us. The money is in the bank where I go and pick it for the beneficiaries,” he said.

Abim district case

Abuse of office
Meanwhile, two officials in Abim District are accused of illegally holding more than one office.
Mr Bradford Ocheng and Mr Jimmy Akileng each hold two different offices and are receiving salaries from each office.
Mr Joseph Owili, an anti-corruption monitor in Abim Town Council, said Mr Ocheng, the hospital administrator, who is in U4 also earns salary as the town clerk for Kiru Town Council, a position, which requires a person in U2.

He added that Mr Akileng who was recruited as hospital human resource officer doubles as a human resource officer at the district.
Mr Ocheng confirmed working in the two offices, and said he was assigned to take responsibility of two offices by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
Mr Nelson Olwit the senior assistant CAO of Abim District blamed the appointments on the former CAO, Mr Simon Peter Akileng.

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