Ntungamo district commercial officer, CDO arrested for creating ghost Sacco’s

Ntungamo District Commercial Officer Seth Niwagaba and the Kibatsi Sub-County Community Development Officer Isaac Arinaitwe have been arrested on allegations of creating ghost Saccos to benefit from the Parish Development Model Funds.

The suspects were arrested on the orders of the Deputy National Co-ordinator of the Parish Development Model Joveline Kalisa after complaints from whistle-blowers that they had added eight sacco’s to the list of beneficiaries in Rukarango parish, Kibatsi Sub County.

She says that Ntungamo district has now been put on the red list following increasing cases of fraud, forgeries and theft.

Adriene Tushabe, the District Lady Councilor of the Kibatsi sub-county and Rwamabondo town council alleges that the officers created their own names on the list of beneficiaries to the annoyance of the genuine members of the funds.

Tushabe says that they have information that other community development officers and parish chiefs in the district are collecting 100,000 Shillings from various people for training and later adding them to lists benefiting from PDM funds.

Brigadier General John Tumwebaze, the Ntungamo District coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation says during the training of the members of Rukarango PDM, he was told that most names on the list were not known to the area residents.

He says the members also photocopied the list of names imported for outside Rukarango parish that included Moses Gumisiriza, Andrew Mugabe, Fausta Kyomugasho, Alex Nsiimenta, Nicholas Tugarema, Amon Atukwatiriire, Ruth Tumwebaze, and Modern Ayebazibwe.

Ntungamo District Chairperson Samuel Mucunguzi says that some civil servants have been summoned by the rewards and sanctions committee to respond to the complaints against them.

Hannington Bushaija Kanimi, the Ntungamo district police Commander confirmed the arrest of the District commercial officer Seth Niwagaba and the Kibatsi Community Development Officer Isaac Arinaitwe saying that investigations are ongoing.

Ntungamo District received 13.8 billion Shillings in the financial year 2021/22 and has disbursed 6 billion Shillings to 129 Parish SACCOs.

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