The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Bukwo District, George Emmanuel Owanyi, has petitioned the Regional Police Commander (RPC) for Sipi, accusing the Bukwo District Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Officer of unprofessional conduct. His concerns following a police summons requiring him to record a statement in connection with investigations into alleged shoddy government projects and the suspected mismanagement of Parish Development Model (PDM) funds.
In a complaint dated August 1, 2026, Owanyi describes the summons issued by Bukwo District CID Officer D/ASP Higenyi Samson as irregular, malicious and contrary to established government procedures.
The complaint comes a day after police issued a summons directing Owanyi to appear before the District CID Office at Bukwo Central Police Station on August 10, 2026, as a state witness in ongoing investigations into several government-funded projects and the alleged theft of one million shillings in PDM funds in Senendet Sub-county.
The cases relate to alleged substandard works at Aralam Health Centre II, Kapkoros Health Centre III, Tulel Health Centre III, Kwiwrot Health Centre III, Mutushet Health Centre II and Chepkwasta Health Centre III, the fencing of Bukwo District headquarters land, construction of a reservoir water tank and borehole in Kamet Sub-county, and the suspected theft of PDM funds.
Owanyi says he unsuccessfully tried to contact the District CID Officer after receiving the summons to seek clarification on the issues under investigation. He further argues that the police officer had disregarded resolutions reached during a Bukwo District PDM District Task Force meeting held on July 6, 2026, where concerns were reportedly raised about police handling of recovered PDM funds.
According to Owanyi, the task force directed the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), as the district accounting officer, to designate a special district collection account where all recovered PDM funds would be deposited, with bank slips shared among relevant stakeholders for accountability and litigation purposes.
He alleges that despite the resolution, police have continued to retain recovered PDM funds as exhibits without presenting any audit trail to either his office or the District Security Committee.
He also accuses the CID officer of using police powers to intimidate civil servants, saying the practice had negatively affected service delivery. “The police action, which was being engineered by the District CID Officer in contravention of the presidential directive of ‘Eyes on; Hands off’ to security officers regarding PDM funds, had the civil servants ever on the run, was impacting on social service delivery and did not go well with me,” Owanyi states in the letter.
The RDC also rejects the basis of the summons relating to alleged shoddy government projects, arguing that supervision of technical implementation and financial management rests with the district’s technical officers rather than his office. “The Office of the Resident District Commissioner is no more than a monitor, supervisor and commissioner of government programmes and has no role in the technical implementation aspects or financial management of a government project,” he wrote.
Owanyi further contends that most of the projects listed in the summons were implemented, monitored and commissioned between 2021 and 2024, before he was deployed to Bukwo in August 2025. He explains that the projects listed in the summons were launched, implemented, monitored and commissioned between 2021 and 2024, long before August 2025, the time when I was first deployed to Bukwo as Resident District Commissioner.
He also maintained that the summons amount to a “witch-hunt” and were intended to “humiliate, undermine and embarrass” him, arguing that the District CID Officer reports administratively through the District Police Commander and should have followed established reporting channels. Owanyi asked the Regional Police Commander to investigate what he describes as the CID officer’s “indiscipline and unprofessional conduct” and provide guidance on the matter.
Earlier, Owanyi told Uganda Radio Network that although he had received the police summons, he believed the procedure used was irregular. “I have received the summons from CID, but in my understanding, this is not the normal procedure because I have not been informed of any wrongdoing on my part. I am not aware of the allegations being referred to, and I deny any claims suggesting that I have committed any offence.
He added, Nevertheless, I will cooperate with the investigations, although I will not attend the summons. My role as RDC is clear: to supervise, monitor and commission government projects. The dispute unfolds amid increased nationwide scrutiny of government-funded projects and the implementation of the Parish Development Model, as law enforcement agencies intensify investigations into alleged misuse of public funds and substandard public works-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
