Busia LC5 chief re-arrested, charged with holding CAO hostage

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Busia LC5 chairperson Stephen Wasike Mugeni has yet again been remanded after he was arrested on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, on allegations of wrongful confinement and threatening violence against the district chief administrative officer.

A statement released by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) indicates that Mugeni had been rearrested following complaints about him.

“SHACU, working together with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, have arrested and re-arraigned the Busia LC5 before the Chief Magistrates Court, Busia on charges of wrongful confinement and threatening violence. He has been remanded until June 6, 2025,” the statement indicated.

“On May 9th 2025, the Chairperson, Wasike at Busia district headquarters, with impunity, wrongfully confined and threatened to assault the Chief Administrative Officer, David Lubuuka, while forcibly and violently demanding a government vehicle, which constituted unprofessional conduct,” the statement reads in part.

Busia LC5 chairperson Stephen Wasike Mugeni has yet again been remanded after he was arrested on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Credit: SHACU)

According to prosecution, Mugeni is currently facing charges of stealing parts of a motor vehicle, including an engine and a gearbox from motor vehicle registration number UAK 827Z, Toyota Hilux double Cabin, property of Busia District Local Government.

SHACU noted that several witnesses at the district who observed the fracas were interviewed and aided the investigation, leading to the charges against Mugeni.
On Thursday, May 2, Mugeni was charged before the Busia Chief Magistrate Court with theft of motor vehicle parts and remanded to prison till May 8, 2025.

According to SHACU Mugeni, on March 8, while at the Busia District Local Government parking yard in Busia District, he allegedly stole motor vehicle parts.

Mugeni is not the first district chairperson to be charged with theft of vehicle parts.

In June last year, Grade One Magistrates’ Court in Matugga sentenced former Amudat LC5 chairperson Francis Kiyonga Adamson to 23 months and 14 days in jail for stealing and selling a government vehicle in spare parts.

The court also imposed an additional fine of shillings 80 million, which Kiyonga was ordered to pay to Amudat district within six months of completing his custodial sentence.

In 2021, Kiyonga was arrested and charged with the theft of a double-cabin pick-up truck, registration number UG 0654, valued at shillings 130 million.

The theft took place while the vehicle was in custody at Matugga Police Station. During the sentencing, Magistrate Grace Nambozo emphasised the severity of Kiyonga's actions, highlighting the breach of public trust and the impact on development programs in the region.

"Kiyonga’s actions were not just a theft of a vehicle but a theft from the youth of Amudat District who relied on the Youth Livelihood Programme for their development," Nambozo stated.