UGANDA, Lira | Real Muloodi News | Police have arrested the Acting Secretary of the Lira District Land Board, over allegations of smuggling hundreds of land related documents and files in the middle of the night from the Lira Zonal Land Office.
Francis Okello Olwa, the Lira District Land Board Acting Secretary, was arrested on Thursday night at around 11pm from the district chambers where he had packed his personal car to the brim with land files and documents, ready to smuggle to an unknown destination.
Olwa also serves as the Community Development Officer, Clerk to Council and District Spokesperson and a Senior Pastor at Truth Fountain Church Lira.
He is being detained at Lira Central Police Station, while his car is being guarded at the district chambers, not far from the station.
A few hours after his arrest, a furious Lands Minister, Judith Nabakooba, directed for the immediate suspension of all activities relating to the Lira District Land Board.
In a letter dated February 4th, 2022 addressed to the Lira Chief Administrative Officer and LCV Chairman, Nabakooba says she received a complaint of corruption and influence peddling against the members of the Lira District Land board.
She said the nature of the allegations raises questions of moral turpitude against officials serving on the board, where she is the approving officer of such appointments.
“The purpose of this letter is to suspend the officials of the board to pave way for investigations into the allegations and new members to be nominated for appointment and my approval,” the letter reads, in part.
“I have asked the Minister of State for lands to guide the district and the city on the effective process of nominating new members on the District Land Board within a month,” she wrote.
Nabakooba’s Suspension Letter. Image Source: Spy UgandaThis comes only a month after the Chief Magistrate at Lira High Court swearing in new Land Board members on 3rd January, 2022.
In recent years, there have been growing concerns over the sale of public land to private individuals. Some district officials and politicians have been accused of conniving with officials from Lira’s Regional Land offices to sell off public lands to businessmen, and it is claimed Okello’s actions were a suspected attempt at concealing the details of these dubious acts.
Some of the grabbed plots in question include the mayor’s gardens, land in Ireda Housing Estate, UMA ground which is currently hosting a tipper lorries stage and land housing the city abattoir, among others.
Mr Anthony Ojuka, a concerned citizen, wrote to the Permanent Secretary of Lands Ministry on January 19th, 2022 to bring to the Permanent Secretary’s attention the misconduct of the head of the Lira Ministry Zonal Office, Mr Francis Ateng.
In the letter, Mr Ojuka reported that Ateng had become a land broker and was conniving with officials in Local government to illegally process titles of the government land and disposing them off.
“Worse of all, when those deals are being executed, all other land transactions of local persons are always suspended under his instructions,” Ojuka’s letter reads in part.
As a result of the complaint letter, Mr Ojuka claims to be receiving death threats from Mr Ateng, coercing him to withdraw from pursuing the matter or else count himself dead.
Mr Ojuka reported the threats to the police, and penned yet another letter dated January 31, 2022, addressed to the Inspector General of Government (IGG) on the alleged fraudulent dealings on government land within Lira City/District by the Lira Ministry Zonal Office.
“I reported this matter to Lira City East Division Police Station SD REF: 33/31/01/2022 threatening violence. On top of the death threats, Mr Francis Ateng told me openly that I am wasting my time on him, not knowing that he is highly connected to all the senior officials of the Ministry of lands and nothing can happen to him,” the letter reads in part.
Ojuka pledged to avail the IGG with the necessary evidence in form of documents to facilitate investigations into this matter. He claims to also have a team of people who are willing to testify and avail the IGG with more evidence.
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