Butebo County MP Mutono arrested, remanded over Shs300million debt

Butebo County Member of Parliament, Dr Patrick Mutono was on June 23 arrested, charged and remanded to Malukhu government prisons for failing to clear an outstanding debt amounting to Shs300million.

It is alleged that in 2021, Dr Mutono secured a loan of Shs100million from a money lender in Mbale city but the money [Principal] kept accumulating to Shs300 including interests.

The loan was borrowed to fund his campaigns for the Butebo County seat but he failed to clear the money within the agreed period of time.

Monitor learnt that the legislator failed to clear the loan despite repeated reminders from the money lender leading to the arrest.  The money lender, yet to be known, hopes to seek alternative avenues to recover his money.

A source who preferred not to be names told Monitor on June 23 that Dr Mutono was picked up by plain-clothed police officers and court bailiffs who drove to Mbale before he was arraigned before court, charged and remanded to Malukhu government prisons for six months.

“This incident has left his voters perplexed,” one of the sources told Monitor.
Mr James Okurut, Butebo District LC5 chairman, said Dr Mutono, had been arrested and sent to prisons for allegedly defaulting on a loan.

“The information we are getting is that the legislator obtained a loan from a money lender and failed to pay off. This is the information I have at the moment but am yet to get a clear picture from the family members to know the details surrounding the circumstances that led to his arrest,” Mr Okurut said.

Adding that, “We pray that he gets out of this challenge. It’s a personal challenge that I think he will be able to handle and address in a shortest time possible. Let’s people not mix with politics but rather take it as a personal matter.”

The North Bukedi Regional Police Spokesperson, ASP Immaculate Alaso, could not confirm his arrest nor give proper details to the matter saying the case being a civil in nature could not have been registered with the police.

“The truth is that Police have no details surrounding his arrest but only heard that the legislator [Dr Mutono] was picked and because the matter is a civil matter, it could have been before court. The Detectives at Butebo Central Police station only confirms that he was picked and taken to Mbale over defaulting a loan,” she said.

Adding that, “I am not so privy to the matter because I have been out of the region but skeleton information on ground is that Dr Mutono had been picked by either court bailiffs over debt.”

The Elgon Region Police Spokesperson, ASP Rogers Taitika, told Monitor that, “This is a civil matter which I think would have been handled by court through court bailiffs. I have cross-checked with various police departments but have no knowledge about his arrest”.