By Varstine Nasuuna
Kampala: Two senior officials from the ministry of local government have been charged with fraud in connection to theft of million shillings of tax payers’ money.
The two officials were on Monday arraigned before the Anti-corruption court at Kololo, presided over by Justice Pamela Ocaya. Issa Gumonye, the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Urban Administration and Prossy Nampijja, the Urban Principal, were charged with embezzlement of public funds, causing financial loss and abuse of office, although they denied the charges. Justice Ocaya granted them cash bail of Shs10 million each and ordered them to deposit their passports in court. “I find the sureties substantial and I will allow the bail application,” ruled Ocaya. She ordered each of the six sureties to execute a bond of Shs100million. Gumonye and Nampijja are jointly accused with Ronald Mbala, an urban officer in the same ministry, and Martin Hashaka Ahishakiye, a manager at Mbale based Hayat guesthouse.
The court has also issued criminal summons against Mbala and Ahishakiye after they snubbed the session. Prosecution alleges that during the financial year 2014/15 in Kampala, while employed as assistant commissioner, Gumonye misappropriated Shs222,951,200, the property of the government of Uganda to which he had access to by virtue of his office. In an alternative charge, the state alleges that while performing his duties, Gumonye received shs394,922,200 from the government to travel to various districts in Uganda to undertake routine field inspection and monitoring of government functions which duty he never performed in some districts, well knowing or having reason to believe that his omission would cause financial loss of Shs222,951,200. It is alleged that during the financial year 2014/15, in abuse of their offices, Gumonye, Nampijja and Mbala did not travel to various districts in Uganda to undertake field inspection and monitoring, an act that was prejudicial to the interests of their employer. The state alleges that Nampijja and Mbala conspired with Gumonye to defraud government when they claimed to have facilitated a training at Hayat Guesthouse in Mbale district whereas not.
