Arrest all iron sheets thieves - Amudat leaders

The leaders in Amudat District have said all people involved in the diversion of iron sheets that were meant for vulnerable communities in Karamoja Sub-region should be arrested.

Ms Lonnah Cheptiak, the district councillor of Kongorok and Loroo sub- County, said the culprits must be arrested and must return the iron sheets for redistribution in Karamoja.

“Good enough they have arrested some Cabinet ministers to serve as an example and to deter others from such acts,” she told Daily Monitor last Friday.

Ms Cheptiak added: “Most of the people in my community (Amudat) sleep in mud and wattle houses and others sleep outside. How can you grab iron sheets of those people who are in such a situation and you are in government? Why don’t you help us?”

Mr Julius Lokori, the district councillor of Losidok Sub-county said unlike other districts in Karamoja, it is difficult to gather grass to thatch houses in Amudat. As a result, residents trek long distances to and from the other districts for grass.

“As politicians, we no longer want to leave our houses because whenever you try to move out, people ask for their iron sheets and some have called us thieves. So in the next campaign, we don’t know what to tell them because they have lost trust in us yet it’s not our fault,” Mr Lokori said.

Mr Micheal Tolim Lomogin, the youth councillor for Cheptapoyo Parish in Losidok Sub-county, said he has written to the district authorities, requesting for iron sheets but in vain.

“Let the President tell his Cabinet to pay back the iron sheets and reach the real beneficiaries. If it’s not done, let the government take all those who diverted the iron sheets to prison,”Mr Lomogin said.

Mr Lomogin said the sub-county has 28 beneficiaries from four parishes. He said each beneficiary was supposed to receive 21 iron sheets.

Mr Elijah Logworo, the LC3 councillor of Loroo Sub-county, agreed with Ms Cheptiak and Mr Lomogin, by saying those involved in the saga should be arrested and prosecuted.

Other requests

Ms Cheptiak has urged the government to supply motorcycles to the district to ease transport.

“Our district is poor and we don’t have any motorcycles. Why don’t you (the government) also give us the motor cycles to use, how should we foot 34 km every day from (my sub county) up to the district?”

She also asked President Museveni to reshuffle his cabinet and appoint locals in the docket for Karamoja affairs.

“We also have our MPs from Moroto, Nakapiripirit, Amudat, among others, but he gave us someone from another tribe who doesn’t know the behaviours of the Karamojong. We are just suffering. We are just footing and sleeping in mud houses...why is President Museveni denying us Karamojong like this?” she added.

Amudat is among the five districts in Karamoja sub-region and considered a hard-to-reach area.

Last month, the police said it was investigating 22 ministers, 31 MPs, 13 chief administrative officers (CAOs) in the iron sheets saga. The Vice President, Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament have also been named in the saga.

Three cabinet ministers have so far been charged. They are Ms Mary Gorreti Kitutu, the minister for Karamoja Affairs and her deputy, Ms Agnes Nandutu and Mr Amos Lugoloobi, the state minister for planning at the Ministry of Finance.

Ms Kitutu has been charged on three counts of corruption, conspiracy to defraud, and loss of government property and could spend 10 years in jail if found guilty.

She is accused jointly with her brother, Mr Michael Naboya Kitutu.

Iron sheets saga

•In December 2021, the Parliament passed a Shs39b supplementary budget for Karamoja empowerment.

•At least 100,000 iron sheets were to be distributed under the project.

•However, up to 14,500 of the sheets ended up in the hands of unintended parties, including 22 ministers and 31 lawmakers