The National Resistance Movement (NRM) leadership in Agago District has suspended the party chairperson for Agago Town Council over allegations of mismanaging 1.725 million Shillings meant to facilitate local council and Women Council elections.
Bosco Nyeko, the Agago Town Council NRM chairperson, is reportedly in hiding after police opened a case against him for alleged abuse of office and mismanagement of party funds. Party officials said police have made several attempts to arrest Nyeko since August, but he has evaded arrest.
Patrick Kumakech, the Agago District NRM administrative secretary, has since written to Nyeko, suspending him from acting as the town council party chairperson pending investigations.
Kumakech cited Nyeko’s alleged failure to convene party meetings since taking office and the alleged mismanagement of funds intended to facilitate LCI, LCII and Women Council elections, as well as other party executive activities. He directed Nyeko to hand over the office to his vice-chairperson, Bosco Ojok, until the investigations are concluded.
Sam Omony, the Agago District NRM secretary general, said the party performed strongly in the recent local council elections, securing 93 per cent support at LC1 level and 98 per cent at LCII level. He added that NRM candidate Aporo Paska won the district Women Council chairperson position.
However, Omony said allegations of corruption involving some sub-county party leaders could undermine the party’s support in the district. He said the party did not want such practices to continue in Agago, which had previously been known for low levels of corruption.
He added that the party was working to ensure that funds allocated for party activities were properly used. Omony warned that continued misuse of party funds could weaken the NRM’s relationship with voters, saying residents were increasingly dissatisfied with such practices. He said the party would continue taking action against leaders suspected of misusing its resources, as communities were demanding greater accountability and better service delivery.
James Oryema, the Agago Town Council urban chairperson, condemned the allegations against Nyeko, saying they had damaged the image of the NRM in the community.
However, Oryema urged residents not to take the law into their own hands as efforts to apprehend Nyeko continue. He called on the community to allow police and the courts to investigate the allegations and determine whether Nyeko is guilty.
Agnes Bunyamoi, the Agago Town Council Women Council leader, said she was dissatisfied with the handling of funds intended to facilitate the women’s elections. Bunyamoi said there was poor coordination between her office and the town council NRM chairperson despite her responsibility to oversee the women’s election activities.
She said that when the women’s elections began at village level, she was not coordinated with by Nyeko, and she later learnt of a meeting at the town council which she attended despite not having received an invitation.
According to Bunyamoi, funds were distributed to some parishes, but Ngora Parish did not receive its allocation because most of the women had gone to the market. She said officials later confirmed that 500,000 Shillings remained, with Nyeko promising to distribute the money to the women the following day.
However, when the officials returned the following day, Nyeko was not at the venue. Bunyamoi said attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful and she later learnt that he had left the district with the 500,000 Shillings.
She also questioned the amount of money distributed to women at parish level. Bunyamoi said the district Women Council chairperson, Ben Acuma, had informed her that each woman was supposed to receive 15,000 Shillings. However, she alleged that Nyeko distributed only 10,000 Shillings to each woman-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
