Four local leaders and officials from Asamuk Sub-county in Amuria District are on remand in Amuria Prison over allegations of defrauding beneficiaries of the ongoing cattle compensation and restocking programme in the Teso sub-region.
The suspects appeared before the Amuria Grade One Magistrate’s Court on Friday and include Simon Okello, the Parish Chief of Obur Parish; James Opio, the LC1 Chairperson of Alomain Village; and Daniel Esingu, the LC1 Chairperson of Obur Village. They are accused of allegedly obtaining about Shs6.5 million from beneficiaries of the cattle compensation programme.
In a separate but related case, Samuel Odeke, the Chairperson of Obur Parish PDM SACCO, was also remanded over allegations of stealing Shs1 million belonging to Asio Jane under the Parish Development Model (PDM) programme. The arrests follow ongoing investigations into alleged fraud and abuse in the implementation of the government’s livestock compensation and restocking exercise across Teso.
The programme is intended to support communities that lost livestock during years of insecurity in the region by restoring their livelihoods. District authorities have warned public officials and community leaders against exploiting government programmes for personal gain, saying those found guilty will face prosecution. The prosecution told the court that the suspects will remain on remand as investigations continue. Further details, including the specific charges and the date of the next court appearance, were not available by the time of publishing this story-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
