The State House Anti-Corruption Unit raided the Gulu City Offices on Thursday 25th August 2022 along with the ISO Anti-Corruption Task Force (ACTF) and the CID.
According to the officials, the agencies were given a tip-off by the aggrieved Gulu City traders as well as a few government officials who felt that the technocrats had completely deprived the city the chance to improve their service delivery since all the revenue collection contracts were actually being shared by the Finance department workers from source while remitting only 20% of the revenue collected.
The State House anti-graft agencies had camped in Gulu following the successful arrests in Kitgum where District officials had shared the Parish Development Model money worth more than 720 Million shillings that the CAO Mr. Joel Musisi admitted to have diverted.
In Gulu City, however, investigations by the State House team discovered that tens of contracts within the two divisions of Laroo-Pece and Bardege – Layibi were awarded to companies that would in turn pay money in cash to the Finance Department officials at the City and Division Offices.
The anti-graft agencies arrested the Chief Finance Officer – Mr. Okot Denis Rurwenger, the Revenue Officer – Mr. Kidega George Nicholas, the Treasurer, Laroo – Pece Division, Mr. Otema Bosco, the Assistant Treasurers – Okwera Dennis and Ochen Mark Francis, and the Senior Accounts Assistant/Cashier – Mr. Odonkonyero George Aton.
One of the fake IRAS receipts
According to the traders this website talked too, the city revenue officials would call the contractors such as Wa Traders for street parking or Gulu City Livestock SACCO Ltd for abattoir fees in and tell them to send money to their phones or hand over the money to the cashiers and Assistant Treasurers.
In other instances, the anti-graft agencies discovered that the city officials received the money from the traders and gave them fake receipts without banking the money.
According to one tenderer at the bus park who preferred to remain anonymous because of the fear to be reprimanded by the city official, the city had passed adverts stopping them from paying cash to the office, but instead, the officials threatened them while promising to deposit the money to the bank.
Over UGX 200 Million shillings was lost through this scam which prompted some of the contractors to tip off the agencies to investigate with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
Investigations further found that the revenue officers caused a serious financial loss by producing fake Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS) receipts worth over 300 Million Shillings. These receipts were being produced within the Division offices yet the money could not be reflected on the system at the Ministry of Finance.
Some of the arrested officials on handcuffs
Kenneth Oryema, operating a hotel within the city said that he was harassed by city officials yet he had paid over UGX 1.5 Million as the Local hotel tax. This prompted him to inquire from the division, but the treasurer told him that they will sort out the system, while meaning that he would talk to his bosses and they let go.
The city revenue officials have been taken to Gulu CPS and ready for remand as the joint agencies – State House Anti-Corruption Unit, ISO Anti-Corruption Task Force and CID presented overwhelming evidence against them.
Our team on the ground was informed that this is just the beginning of the investigation as more corruption cases have been found and the team will be in the region for a longer time.
HE Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has earmarked this term as one when he will make corruption no more in the Central and Local Governments.
He has thus empowered the anti-corruption agencies under his office to take on all civil servants and ensure that service delivery is received by the wanaichi.
