Africa-Press – Uganda. Members of the same family in Okwar Village, Kaberamaido District have clashed over Shs9.9m awarded to them by the government as cattle compensation.
According to the family of the late Albert Esingu, who died in 2015 at 83, the money was compensation for the 35 head of cattle lost to Karimojong rustlers between 1986 and 1987.
The widow, Ms Kevin Alamo, 82, and other members of the family accuse one of the daughters of the deceased, Ms Celina Asomo, 46, of hiding the money.
Ms Alamo said Ms Asomo recently reached out to them claiming that she received a text message from the government saying Shs9.9m was sent to her.
She added that Ms Asomo suddenly stopped answering their calls when they tried to get more information on the matter which made them suspicious.
“What my daughter did is bad, we had agreed as a family that once the money comes it is divided equally among the children,” she said.
Ms Asomo, who at the time of writing this story was detained at Kaberamaido Central Police Station over the same, confirmed that she received the money but added that she was only able to deposit Shs1m to her phone as the rest was stolen.
She accused the family of not helping her to follow up on the compensation after her father passed away.
“I struggled to process the letters of administration, running between Ochero County and Soroti Town for almost 10 years even when daddy was still alive. They laughed that I was chasing after hot air,” Ms Asomo said in an interview with Monitor last Friday.
She, however, admitted that the letter of administration is in her name.
Ms Asomo said the total amount of money to be received by the family is Shs35m and the rest is to be sent in the next two financial years.
However, Ms Susan Imede, Ms Asomo’s sister, said: “It is not true that we delegated the entire paperwork to Asomo alone. We often also contributed money.”
“We are free and willing to forgive our sister if she shows a sense of remorse,” she added.
Mr Julius Oyoma, a brother of Ms Asomo and a police officer, said when the exercise started he was bed ridden and could not offer any help.
Mr Samuel Olaki, the OC CID Kaberamaido Central Police Station, said Ms Asomo used some of the money to buy a plot of land and animals which she has not told the family about.
Mr Olaki added that the rest could have been taken by an official working on the compensation claim.
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