The town clerk of Atiak Town Council in Amuru District Ben Oluba has been arrested for allegedly selling three government planting machines as metal scrap. Oluba was picked up from Atiak town council on Tuesday after the planting machines were discovered at a metal scrap yard.
The planters, which are towed by tractors during planting were reportedly delivered to the Town Council under the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) Project. They had reportedly been lying idle at the Town Council compound.
The Atiak Town Council Chairperson Kenneth Okot, says that the suspect sold the machines at Shillings 380,000 much lower than the current market price of the planters.
Okot condemned the actions of the town clerk, adding that he has since been handed to the police for further interrogations.
He notes that the planters were in good working condition but needed to be greased since they hadn't been used in a long time.
David Ongom Mudong the Aswa River Region Police Spokesperson says that the planting machines were discovered on Friday last week while being loaded onto a truck by a scrap dealer identified as Brian Mafabi.
He says that preliminary investigations conducted by the police revealed that Oluba had already received a down payment of Shillings 200,000 pending a balance of Shillings 70,000 for the planters.
Mudong says the planters have all been recovered as exhibits adding that the suspect’s file has been forwarded to the Resident State Attorney for sanctioning before he is arraigned in court.
He condemned the actions of the suspect, saying that he should have been a watchdog of government properties instead of abusing them. The Police have registered a case of theft of government property at Atiak Police station in Amuru District.
