Pader LC5 councillors arrested over corruption

By Denis Ojwee

The Police in Pader are holding three LC 5 councillors who were arrested over alleged corruption cases worth sh6m.

The councillors detained by the police include Geoffrey Largo Oringa, 38 of Pajule sub-county, Francis Toolit, 44 (Acholibur sub-county) and Kennedy Jimmy Akena, 25 of Ogom sub-county.

Akena is the chairman of finance, planning and administration, works and technical services. All the three sub-counties are in Aruu County in Pader district.

The Aswa regional police spokesman, Patrick Jimmy Okema, confirmed that the trio was arrested on Friday morning from different places through phone tracking. He said the Police also collected printouts from MTN telecom that showed transaction and verbal communications between them and the CAO over that period.

He revealed that the trio is facing corruption charges as preferred against them by the Resident State Attorney under case file number CRB 136/2013. He said the trio has allegedly fallen victims to Anti-corruption Act, section 2 (a) and 26.

Okema disclosed that the trio is being accused of allegedly soliciting for sh6m from the Pader Chief Administrative Officer, Grandfield Oryono Omonda. He said this took place between the months of July and October 2012.

The Police disclosed that the Pajule LC5 Councillor, Oringa had in the 61st Pader district council meeting (June 14-15, 2012) moved a motion that the Pader CAO be removed from office because he was incompetent and failed to implement council resolutions.

Oringa, who led the group told the press that there were over 20 cases before the IGG that needed close follow-up.

“Our arrest is just a trick by government to intimidate all the ‘whistle blowers’ in Pader so that any corruption cases don’t come out at all”, said a jovial handcuffed Oringa.

Oringa said there were 31 council resolutions that the district through its CAO failed to implement over the years.

His co-accused, Akena, said there were five government vehicles that belonged to Pader district local government that were to date locked up in Lira municipality because they have not yet been cleared from garages.

He said the office of the CAO was also involved in deleting names of some civil servants from the government payroll without the concerned persons knowing it.

Oryono could not readily be contacted for comments since the matter is before court.