Kole | The Inspectorate of Government (IGG) has frozen Kole district acting engineer Emmanuel Okello‘s bank account after he failed to fully repay shs43 million in unaccounted road funds.
The IGG’s thorough investigations uncovered misappropriation of funds allocated for district road projects.
In a public notice issued in 2023, the IGG named several individuals, including Okello, who were ordered to refund money following investigations into mismanagement of public funds.
Okello was ordered to repay shs43 million into the IGG’s asset recovery account at the Bank of Uganda. However, recent verification by the IGG revealed that the engineer had not made any payments.
After several engagements, Okello agreed to repay the money. As of last week, he had only refunded shs15 million, which fell short of the total amount.
This prompted the IGG to freeze his bank account, effectively barring him from receiving any funds, including his salary.
The freeze raises the question of whether Okello will comply with the IGG’s directives or if the IGG will take additional steps to recover the outstanding shs28 million directly from his account.
Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti, Kole North Member of Parliament, announced in an interview with tndNews on Monday that he intends to write to the IGG requesting that a portion of the recovered funds be distributed to Kole North to address urgent road issues.
Dr. Acuti also expressed hope that the Minister for Local Government will take decisive action at her upcoming meeting with Kole district leaders on Friday, February 28, 2025.
The visit is in response to complaints from Kole North MP, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti, and Kole South MP, Hon. Ocen Peter, about dysfunction within the district roads committee.
Soita Wamburu, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and the Acting District Engineer, are said to have refused to attend committee meetings, crippling the committee’s operations and stalling progress on road projects.
The demand follows the CAO’s repeated failure to attend District Roads Committee meetings, including one on February 14, 2025, chaired by Dr. Opio.
The Acting District Engineer also did not show up, further stalling critical discussions about the accountability of shs1 billion allocated for road works in the fiscal year 2023/24, as well as plans for the current fiscal year.
Dr. Opio expressed frustration with the CAO’s absence, stating, “I sent an invitation to the CAO and the District Engineer, but they did not attend or send apologies or representatives.
“We have roads meant for FY 22/23 and FY 23/24 that are yet to be completed, yet we are approaching the end of the third quarter.”
This development underscores the IGG’s increased efforts to recover misappropriated public funds and hold those responsible for financial mismanagement accountable.
In Kole, the case of Emmanuel Okello serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of failing to account for public resources.
Our attempts to reach Okello for comment by press time were unsuccessful, with calls at 1:26 pm and 1:27 pm unanswered.
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