Officer on the run, sh500m goes missing

Nov 22, 2018

It is alleged that Edobo absconded from duty, switching off his phones and disappearing without handing over the office keys.

The NUSAF office that remained locked for weeks (Picture by Robert Ariaka)

CRIME

ARUA - The Police in Arua on Wednesday raided the office of the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) after learning that Paul Edobo had allegedly closed office and gone missing.

It is alleged that sh500m is also missing.

Arua district chief Administration Officer (CAO) Ismail Ochengel said the district had ordered 96 supplies under the guidance of NUSAF Desk Officer (NDO).

Out of the 96, supplied by the equator seed company, 48 were paid, and the remaining 48 in Oluko and Vurra sub-counties were not.

The CAO described the act as being contrary to what Edobo was mandated to do in office.

 


Arua CAO, Ismael Ochengel (Picture by Robert Ariaka)

It is alleged that Edobo absconded from duty, switching off his phones and disappearing without handing over the office keys.

Ochengel demanded that the door be opened, because the officer disappeared without reason.

The environment officer, Joaquim Andian, was then appointed as the new officer in charge of NUSAF projects.

Erick Okot, equator seeds regional marketing officer, says they supplied Arua district through the NUSAF desk officer with cassava cuttings, soya beans and beans, amounting to a total of sh408m that they have followed for weeks, but the NDO has never been in office.

He says that after failing to get the NDO in office, they attempted to make investigations into the money whereabouts, but were surprised to find out that Edobo had allegedly picked the money from the community.

Erick says since the NDO works for the district, the district should pay the company because they are operating on loans from banks. Another supplier Patrick Anguzu of beehives claimed that he was to supply 100 beehives to the beneficiary, but he has not received any payment for the hives.

"I borrowed money from a financial institution, now it is hard for me to offset the loan," Anguzu said. He demanded that the district pays the money because he entered an agreement with the district.

Recently Arua district was rated as one of the worst districts in Uganda, putting it the last in service delivery for the financial year 2016/17. ACCORD report also rated the LC5 chairman Wadri Sam Nyakua among the worst and poorest performing leaders for the 2015/16 financial years.

The CAO was also rated among the worst performing CAOs consistently twice by Ministry of Finance planning and economic development.

The district was allocated sh5b under REHOPE projects after the council's approval, which money reflected less by 500m. This attracted UNHCR and OPM officials to detect the plot and busted the plan.

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