KAMPALA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: Investigations into fraudulent sale of Uganda Railways corruption activities by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SH-ACU) are yielding with already four officials arraigned in court.
The development follows President Yoweri Museveni’s directive early this year to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate corruption related allegations at Uganda Railways Corporation.
And the Brig. Henry Isoke led unit took action yielding to Thursday’s arraignment into court of Ateng Francis, the former Principal Assistant Secretary Lira, Ministry of Lands Zonal Office on charges of fraudulent Procurement of certificate of title, Forgery and uttering a false document on Uganda Railways Corporation land in Lira. He is charged with three others who are still at large.
Ateng was remanded.
Report concluded
A Spokesperson for the State House Anti-Corruption Unit said that a report has already been submitted to the President and one of its fruits is the sacking of the entire URC board.
Stinking corruption
President Yoweri Museveni fired the Managing Director of Uganda Railways corporation Stanley Ssendegeya and the entire board of directors and directed that they should be investigated.
The Uganda railways corporation officials are accused of buying substandard locomotives at inflated prices. Joel Ssenyonyi, the chairperson of the Committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprise (Cosase) has welcomed the president’s directive and called for similar actions to be taken against other government institutions.
Uganda Railways Corporation is rocked with a string of corruption allegation in which officials are said to have swindled over Shs. 448bn and selling off land.
And the Uganda Railways Workers’ Union last year asked Parliament to inquire into the allegations of mismanagement by its leadership, whom they accuse of causing financial losses.
While appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), the workers said URC procured four locomotives worth Shs 48bn that have been rendered useless because they are not suited to Uganda’s railway line.
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