An acting district engineer, road inspector and sector accountant face charges over the alleged diversion of Shs31.16 million meant for road works, with the prosecution putting the total government loss at Shs45.07 million.
Three officials of Mitooma District Local Government have been arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court over the alleged diversion and misuse of public funds meant for road works.
The accused are Acting District Engineer John Baptist Tumwebaze, District Road Inspector Franklin Mandela and Sector Accountant Lydia Aheereza. They have been remanded until October 16, 2026.
The trio faces charges including abuse of office, conspiracy to commit an offence, diversion of public resources, causing financial loss, embezzlement and making false claims.
Prosecution alleges that between June 17 and 30, 2026, at the district offices, the officials diverted funds allocated for the mechanised removal of bottlenecks on four roads: Katwe–Karangara–Karimbiro, Kirambi–Kirera–Ruziizi, Omuribiri–Nyakizinga–Mutaka and Kyanzaire–Bukuba.
According to the charges, Shs31,162,400 was diverted for fuel that was allegedly never supplied and allowances for work that was not carried out.
The alleged actions resulted in a financial loss of Shs45,066,400 to the government, prosecution claims.
The arrests followed complaints and investigations conducted under the Expose the Corrupt National Campaign, spearheaded by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara, which seeks to strengthen accountability and combat corruption in local governments.
The case is continuing, and the accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.