Mitooma Officials Charged Over Shs45m Road Funds Scandal
MITOOMA: Three Mitooma District Local Government officials have been charged before the Anti-Corruption Court over the alleged misuse of Shs45.06 million meant for road works.
The accused are Acting District Engineer John Baptist Tumwebaze, District Road Inspector Franklin Mandela and Sector Accountant Lydia Aheereza.
They appeared in court yesterday and were charged with abuse of office, conspiracy to commit an offence, diversion of public resources, causing financial loss, embezzlement and making false claims.
The three were remanded until October 16, 2026.
According to the prosecution, the charges arise from funds released to Mitooma District Local Government for the mechanised removal of bottlenecks on four roads: Katwe–Karangara–Karimbiro, Kirambi–Kirera–Ruziizi, Omuribiri–Nyakizinga–Mutaka and Kyanzaire–Bukuba.
It is alleged that between June 17 and June 30, 2026, the accused diverted part of the funds to pay Shs31,162,400 for fuel that was never supplied. They are also accused of facilitating payments for allowances for road works that were allegedly never undertaken.
The alleged transactions resulted in a financial loss of Shs45,066,400 to the Government, according to the prosecution.
The case was investigated by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The officials’ arrest and arraignment followed complaints and investigations arising from the *Expose the Corrupt* national campaign, spearheaded by Minister of State for Local Government Balaam Barugahara.
The campaign seeks to strengthen accountability and address corruption in local governments, particularly in the management of public funds allocated to infrastructure and service delivery.
