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BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA: FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025
The Arua City Road Committee meeting investigating alleged financial impropriety and mismanagement of funds meant for the works and engineering depart has led to the arrest and detention of the Arua City Engineer, Charles Omwona.
The questionable accountability that led the engineer into trouble covers both 2021/2022 Financial Year, 2023/2024 financial year and the 2024/2025 financial year.
Jackson Atima said one of the issues relates to thesh81m that was budgeted for culverts during the 2021/2022 Financial Year but there was no evidence that the works were executed yet paper accountability was provided for it.
The two City Divisions – Ayivu and Arua Central have some of the worst roads in the region, something that has been blamed on lack of road equipment unit to grade the roads.
But the committee comprising the four Members of Parliament, the City Mayor, the Division Mayors, Town Cleks plus his deputies at the Divisions, the Resident City Commissioner was unconvinced by the accountability filed by its technical arm.
“That money which was earmarked for culverts was not in the original council plan. As committee, we recommended that the money be repurposed for fuel and then we borrow road equipment from our neighbours to grade some of the roads. This was never done,” Atima explained.
He said as financial years passed by, the engineer and the town clerk reportedly claimed that the money still spent on the culverts “but we found no evidence.”
Another issue was found with the sh1b that the government gave for road rehabilitation in the last Financial Year of which over sh300m was allocated for the Mvara-Ociba-Dadamu-Ombaci road.
The road was expected to be graded to first class murrum with stone pitched sides. The works done did not meet those committee specifications, leaving the members, especially the MPs foulmouthed.
Also under the radar of the committee was the sh252,203,000 road fund and the sh454,950,000 local revenue that were spent while no road committee meetings took place.
The unsatisfactory accountability prompted the MPs and the RCC to order the arrest of the Engineer Omwona.
They also called in the State House anti-corruption unit to take over the investigations as other officers in the engineering department and the officer of the town clerk went into hiding to dodge arrest.
“We are searching for proper accountability and we are going to escalate our efforts to bring in the ministry and the office of the Inspector General of Government. We will not rest until the truth comes out,” Atima warned.
