Ntungamo district leaders decry rampant office raids, computer theft

The Ntungamo District headquarters building has been placed under security alert following a series of theft of office computers and documents by suspected burglars.

The burglars break office windows before accessing offices and normally take away computers that district officials say, have important documents mostly subject of investigations against some officers facing audit queries.

“There is a great challenge… offices that have been broken into are those we have interested ourselves in investigating corruption related offences against office bearers. We can’t come to a straight conclusion that the officers did this but we can’t ignore a proverb that says ‘an old woman disappears in the village and the next day a Hyena defecates white hair,” the Ntungamo resident District commissioner Mr David Kaboyo says.

At the beginning of October suspected burglars broke into the district production office and made away with three computers. The computers reportedly had files relating to the supply of tea seedlings as well as Agriculture Cluster Development Projects (ACDP) documents. Ten days later, the burglars cut lose the burglar proofs in the office of the probation and social welfare office in the same building taking away with them two computers. The computers were used for storing information related to Emyoga programme, Women entrepreneurship fund and Youth Livelihood programme fund.

Last Tuesday, suspected burglars broke into the procurement office and took away desktops and a laptop used to store all the procurement information. Several other files were also reportedly stolen.

The district chairman, Mr Sam Mucunguzi said the executive and the chief administrative officer had earlier on written to the respective officers in the departments demanding for some key files that they say are allegedly missing now.

“Investigations are now in the hands of police but there are also many issues apart from the theft of computers that we are looking at. It seems to be an inside job. It’s surprising that when we call for the files that’s when the burglars break into the secured offices. These are not the only items that have been stolen too. Some culverts in the parking yard were also stolen and many others since July,” Mr Mucunguzi told Daily Monitor on Sunday morning.

He said the three departments where computers were stolen have been running key government programmes which the executive find many accountability loopholes recommended for audit.

Police said the suspected burglars first climbed on top of the district building that houses at least 80 percent of the district offices and cut off the internet connection cables. They also cut off the camera network at the district, including the one centrally monitored by police before accessing the district buildings. On Wednesday, the senior procurement officer, Mr Moses Makafo and his junior Ms Amelyne Ahabwe were arrested by police following the break-ins at their office. The reason for their arrest, police said was mainly on charges of tampering with the crime scene before police accessed it. The district police commander, Mr Robert Kuzaara said they are still investigating all the break-ins at the district offices. A source said there has been general discomfort among staff following the takeover of the new leadership headed by Mr Mucunguzi in May. Key offices are being investigated for graft.