Kamdini Sub-County SAS and CDO Handed to Oyam Central Police Station Over Misuse of UWA Funds

13 June 2025, 4:09 pm

By Eman Yonah Oruk and Daniel Oyat Obong

The Resident District Commissioner of Oyam, Shilaku James, yesterday handed over Kamdini Sub-County SAS Tobias Ogwal and CDO Tommy Okello to Oyam Central Police Station to record statements regarding their alleged failure to account for 51 million shillings in UWA funds.

The funds were part of the 81 million shillings allocated under the revenue-sharing program to support communities near the park affected by wildlife threats. The officials are accused of misappropriating the funds, creating ghost projects within the community, and persuading residents to present items they did not purchase with UWA money instead of what was genuinely acquired under the program.

Terence Omwony, the LC3 Chairperson of Kamdini Sub-County, blamed district technical leaders for denying local leaders access to the sub-county treasury. He stated that this lack of access makes it difficult to ascertain how funds are utilized by sub-county government officials, as accountability reports are only presented to the council.

Patrick Aget, who represented the community of Juma Parish during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the LC5 Chairperson’s office in Oyam Town Council, welcomed the decision and commended the district leaders for taking swift action.

Attempts to obtain a comment from Wilson Kagoro, the Wildlife Conservation Officer for Murchison Falls National Park, were unsuccessful at press time.

During a follow-up meeting on Wednesday, community members living near the park expressed frustration to district officials, stating that Kamdini Sub-County has become a hub for corruption among technical staff, who neglect the needs of the community.

When residents questioned the officials about the mismanagement of funds, the SAS and CDO reportedly responded dismissively, using an analogy comparing the anatomy of a goat to that of a cow.