News
Two works ministry officials arrested over Kisubi- Nateete-Nakawuka-Mpigi road fraud
Minister Byamukama said eight more officials would also be arrested, explaining that some suspects turned themselves in as project-affected persons and received money from the government.
Road works along the Kisubi–Nateete–Nakawuka–Mpigi Road. (Photo by Simon Peter Tumwine).
By: Simon Peter Tumwine, Journalist @New Vision
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The works and transport minister, Fred Byamukama, has ordered the arrest of two senior works ministry officials who were in charge of compensating project affected persons along the Kisubi-Nateete-Nakawuka-Mpigi road for allegedly inflating compensation figures.
The suspects; valuer Ivan Akampa and surveyor Elijah Ssekito, were arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit on site yesterday (August 26) during Byamukama’s site visit along the 72km road.
Ivan Akampa, a valuer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, and surveyor Elijah Ssekito are escorted by an Anti-Corruption Unit officer after their arrest. (Photo by Simon Peter Tumwine).
Minister Byamukama said eight more officials would also be arrested, explaining that some suspects turned themselves in as project-affected persons and received money from the government.
"Some of these people constructed shells of houses on land where the road was scheduled to pass and compensated themselves huge sums of money as project-affected persons, yet some of the properties were not registered in their names. We are going to arrest all of them," he said during the visit in Lufuka village in Nakawuka today (August 26).
One of the houses constructed within the road reserve. (Photo by Simon Peter Tumwine).
The road was allocated sh430b for compensating project-affected persons whose property was in the right of way, exceeding sh340.5b that had been allocated for the entire road project.
Byamukama established that an acre of land costs sh35m, but during the valuing of the land where the road was to pass, the ministry valuers inflated the cost to sh2b.
"Who is fooling who? Is it the locals or our valuers? They did not only stop at inflating the price of the land from sh35m to sh2b but also connived with mafias who constructed houses within the right of way," he observed.
Details will be in New Vision tomorrow.