Masaka officials arrested over graft

Dec 17, 2009

MASAKA municipality town clerk Nick Begyira Rukiika and his three officials were yesterday arrested, charged and remanded to prison over alleged abuse of office and obtaining money by false pretences.

By Ali Mambule

MASAKA municipality town clerk Nick Begyira Rukiika and his three officials were yesterday arrested, charged and remanded to prison.

They were charged before grade one magistrate Doreen Ajuna for abuse of office, obtaining money by false pretence and embezzling sh43m.

Rukiika was jointly charged with Vincent Mpagi, the municipal treasurer, Goretti Namugga, the procurement officer, and Emmanuel Mugisha, the assistant town clerk in charge of Kimanya-Kyabakuza division.

The four officers were arrested by a Police squad led by Masaka district Police commander Moses Mwanga, acting district CID chief Stephen Etyang and officers from the anti-corruption unit in Kampala.

Magistrate Ajuna was told that two other suspects had disappeared but the Police had started a hunt to have them arrested too.

Ajuna remanded Rukiika and his colleagues until December 30 when they will reappear in court for further mention of their case.

They denied the charges read before them. She told them that they could only apply for bail in the High Court.

Southern regional CID chief, Willy Panuha, told The New Vision that the suspects are accused of conniving to embezzle sh43m which they allegedly withdrew from the municipal council account in August.

“You are charged with abuse of office, conspiracy to commit felony, embezzlement and obtaining money by false pretence whereby on August 23 this year, you conspired with Leonard Tumwiine and obtained the money meant to construct Nyendo-Kitovu road,” a Masaka court clerk read the charges before the suspects in the dock.

After they were charged, Rukiika and his colleagues were whisked away to Masaka central prison.

In an attempt to stop the widespread theft of public funds, a number of local government officials in several parts of the country have been arrested over the past few months and charged in connection with corruption.

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