The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has has on Wednesday February, 12, 2019 arrested the former Town Clerk of Kamwenge Town Council, Mathew Tumushabe Atwiine, for misappropriation of UGX 4,450,000 (Four million four hundred thousand only).
Atwiine has been charged with one count of Embezzlement contrary to Section 19 of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2009 and an Alternative Count of Causing Financial Loss contrary to Section 20(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2009.
The funds had been earmarked for the purchase of office furniture for the office of the Town Clerk for Kamwenge Town Council.
A report by the Rwenzori Anti-Corruption Coalition (RAC) in December 2019 revealed that Kamwenge and Bundibugyo districts top Rwenzori Sub-region in corruption cases involving alleged misappropriation of public funds meant for service delivery.
Of the 1,380 cases of corruption reported and investigated by RAC between January and September, Kamwenge District topped with 335 cases followed by Bundibugyo District with 323.
Rwenzori Sub-region comprises nine districts. The RAC report released last week indicates that Shs4.4 billion was found misappropriated in all the cases reported in the region.
For the 335 cases reported in Kamwenge, funds worth Shs1.2 billion were not accounted for.
Kamwenge and Bundibugyo were followed by Kyenjojo, Kasese, Kabarole, Ntoroko, Bunyangabu and Kyegegwa districts.
The sectors investigated included health, education, production, natural resources, works and administration, to which money disbursed to extend service delivery to the grassroots was misappropriated.
The report further indicates that out of 632 cases reported between July and September, only 149 cases were handled and Shs157.4 million recovered.
In Kamwenge, of the 255 corruption cases reported between July and September, Shs500m was allegedly misappropriated while only Shs45m has been recovered out of six cases.