Africa-Press – Uganda. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) finance and administration director, Ms Hajjat Medina Naham, has ordered for the immediate arrest of two top NRM officials in Dokolo District after they failed to account for more than Shs20m meant to facilitate the campaigns of LC5 contestants.
The officials are party chairperson Beatrice Abang and Mr John Bosco Otoke, the party administrative secretary. The money, which was sent on January 20 by the NRM secretariat, was meant to facilitate last-minute campaigns of their candidates.
At least 23 candidates were endosed for LC5 councillor position on the NRM ticket. According to Mr Joel Okuma Opota, the LC5 councillor representing Dokolo Town Council, they had earlier received Shs1 million each while those aspiring for woman councillor seats had received Shs1.5 million each because they were campaigning in wider areas and many of them were representing two sub-counties to the district council. Mr Okuma said he learnt from colleagues in Kaberamaido District that the NRM Secretariat had sent in additional funding for their facilitation. “They alerted us that they had got theirs (Shs1 million each). When we inquired from other districts, we found that more money was sent,” Mr Okuma said on Saturday. He said when they approached their NRM chairperson, she feigned ignorance of the money and referred them to the administrative secretary, who sent them back to Ms Abang.“We called our national vice chairman for northern Uganda, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, who confirmed that the NRM Secretariat had disbursed additional funding to facilitate councillors’ campaigns,” Mr Okuma said. He added: “When we put our chairperson to task, she said some money had been deposited into the party bank accounts but without guidelines, therefore, she was traveling to Kampala to get the guidelines.” At this point, Ms Abang promised to meet the aggrieved persons on February 3 but when they went to the meeting venue, it was locked.The outgoing Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Lawrence Egole, who was invited, then rang the NRM director of finance and administration, who also confirmed they had deposited Shs23 million into the party account. Ms Abang, the administrative secretary, and treasurer are the signatories to that account.
Ms Naham apologised to the leaders for what had happened and directed the RDC to ensure that the NRM chairperson and administrative secretary are arrested with immediate effect because they have already withdrawn the money from the bank account, according to Mr Okuma. He further told this newspaper that Dokolo NRM treasurer Joy Tila also confirmed that on January 20, they withdrew the money from the bank, but the chairperson did not tell her what it was for.
We were unable to reach Ms Abang and Mr Otoke because their known phone numbers have been switched off.Dokolo District police commander Alfred Baluku has confirmed that a general enquiry file no. 04/2021 has been opened at Dokolo Central Police Station. “We have summoned the NRM district chairperson and the administrative secretary to appear on Monday to record statements,” Mr Baluku said.
