Amolatar town council chair’s wife arrested for PDM corruption 

Amolatar | A meeting held on Monday, May 27, 2024, at the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Amolatar and attended by district leadership recommended the immediate arrest of those responsible for mishandling the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds. 

RDC Francis Okello Odoki Rwotlonyo, said that an audit revealed that certain SACCO leaders had allocated amounts ranging from shs5m to shs15m to themselves, with some funds even going to unregistered members or fake beneficiaries.

The RDC made it clear during the Monday meeting that he intended to arrest those who had been receiving money illegally while pretending to be distributing PDM funds to beneficiaries.

Parish chiefs and SACCO chairpersons are among the suspects still at large. “I will arrest individuals who have been extorting money from beneficiaries in the name of providing them with PDM funds,” a visibly agitated RDC declared.

Paul Mpiima, Chief Administrative Officer of Amolatar, stated that despite significant government investments, SACCO leaders’ mismanagement of funds necessitated the start of audit inquiries. 

Mpiima also stated that parish chiefs and Community Development Officers (CDOs) found guilty of mismanagement would be arrested and suspended from their positions. 

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The overall accounting officer confirmed that two parish chiefs and one CDO had already returned the embezzled money.

Geoffrey Occen Kiring, the district LC5 chairperson, expressed confusion. He recalled instances of misappropriation, such as the arrest of individuals in Aputi for giving money to an unsound person, emphasising the importance of accountability. 

Kiring urged anyone involved in the mismanagement of funds to turn themselves in to the nearest police station, emphasising that the funds were supposed to help the less fortunate but had been diverted to civil servants and SACCO leaders.

He used the example of a woman in Muntu sub-county who received shs14 million, which could have benefited 14 people.

Felix Adupa Ongwech, an NRM party member in the district, criticised those who misappropriated government funds while also denouncing the party. 

Adupa emphasised public complaints about senior officials misusing public funds and compared it with lower echelons of corruption. 

He promised that everyone involved in the misappropriation of government funds would face legal consequences, and he urged them to turn themselves in right away.

The RDC identified the suspects as Adir Denis, a mobile operator in Amolatar town. Another suspect is Nancy Akello, the wife of Etum Geffory, the LC3 chair of Amolatar town council.

The chairperson’s wife also has a mobile money business in town. The RDC told tndNews that Akello would not be released but instead taken to court for prosecution.

According to the RDC, 41 SACCOs have been summoned to the police for investigation.