UGANDA, Fort Portal | Real Muloodi News | The City Clerk of Fort Portal, Moses Otimong, was arrested Thursday, 6 September 2022 for alleged misuse of office.
Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, the Deputy Inspector General of Government ordered the arrest following a public hearing in Fort Portal, hosted by the IGG’s office
Several complaints about Otimong came out during the public hearing, including accusations of corruption, mismanagement of public funds, and misuse of office says Ali Munira, spokeswoman for the Inspectorate of Government.
According to Munira, Otimong was invited to attend the hearing but did not show up, claiming to have travelled to Kampala to meet with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government.
However, it was eventually revealed that the Permanent Secretary was not expecting him.
“There were quite a number of allegations against the City Clerk, unfortunately the City Clerk was not even present as much as he knew we were coming, he did not even delegate anybody. The reason we were here was because we are trying to interact with the public, and there are so many questions, we really needed him to explain what the issues were,” said Munira.
Otimong was briefly detained and interrogated in the office of the IGG in Bukwali, before being handed over to Fort Portal Police Station.
Munira adds that the investigations would verify each of the allegations for justice.
Otimong’s arrest comes just one week after the arrest of seven public officials from Fort Portal City and Kabalole District Local Government for alleged corruption, selling off public land, and financial mismanagement.
The officials were charged with allegedly selling council-owned public land in Fort Portal City fraudulently while knowing that it had been set aside as a green belt. The area lies within the protected limits of the river and should not be occupied, but the land officials allegedly granted applications to prominent businessmen without scrutiny.
The suspects were David Baguma Mwesige, the former Area Land Committee Chairperson of West Division, Samuel Musana, a Senior Physical Planner, Simon Peter Kugonza, the District Staff Surveyor, Sumini Nansubuga, the Senior Staff Surveyor Kabarole Ministry Zonal Office (Mand ZO) and Jessy Smart Bwango-the Kabarole Secretary District Land Board.
The investigation into more fraudulent land purchases in the city is still ongoing, according to Wycliffe Mukama, a detective at Fort Portal police station.
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