Security personnel in Pader accused of illegal charcoal auctions

25 July 2024, 12:44

By Lakareber Gladys Kasline

The Pader district security team, led by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), is facing accusations of illegally auctioning over 470 bags of impounded charcoal in May 2024. The auction was reportedly conducted without the necessary court order, raising serious concerns about the transparency and legality of the process.

Mr. Obwoya Fearless Oyat, the district chairperson, publicly voiced these allegations. “The bags of charcoal were confiscated from moving trucks, motorcycle riders, and burning sites, yet the district has not seen any proceeds from this auction,” Mr. Obwoya stated on Monday, 15 July 2024. He emphasised that the funds from such an auction should have been accounted for and handed over to the district.”

Attempts to obtain comments from the district security chairperson and RDC, Mr. Milton Odongo, were unsuccessful. Mr. Odongo was reported to be attending to his health at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala, making him unavailable for immediate comment. However, he had earlier vowed to fight those defying directives.

Contradicting the allegations, the Pader district police commander, SP Jackson Bogere, asserted that all impounded charcoal bags were auctioned legally. “The auction was conducted following a legal court order, and all proceeds were deposited into the consolidated account at the Bank of Uganda,” said SP Bogere. He added that the procedures adhered strictly to legal requirements.

Meanwhile, cultural leaders in Pader district have applauded the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) for their efforts in implementing Presidential Executive Order No. 3, issued by President Museveni on 19 May 2023.

The order bans the burning, transportation, and sale of charcoal in Northern and Eastern Uganda to curb environmental degradation.

Chief John Peko Lugai II, the chief of the Pa Luo clan in Pajule and chairperson of all the chiefs in Pader district, expressed his approval of the UPDF’s deployments. He stated, “I am very happy for the UPDF’s deployments, and cultural leaders will help the government in implementing the order.”

This praise followed the UPDF’s confiscation of a lorry full of charcoal in Angagura sub-county, Pader district, on Monday, May 6 2024.