RDC Shilako grills Iceme officials over PDM and restocking corruption claims

18 September 2026, 12:58 am

By Eman Yonah Oruk

Residents of Iceme Sub-County and parts of Iceme Town Council have raised serious grievances over alleged corruption involving Sub-County Chief Owiny Denish and several parish chiefs in government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and restocking.

The concerns were raised during a public baraza convened on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Iceme Town Council and chaired by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Oyam, Sgt James Shilako.

Community members highlighted multiple irregularities they said were undermining service delivery. These included the mishandled handover of the Aungo Parish PDM office without essential equipment such as an iPad and phone; alteration of beneficiary names, including the replacement of a person with a disability with Ajwang Joseph, the wife of an LC II official; and the case of Aremo Jovic, Chairperson of Eastern Ward, who allegedly received a national ID from Ogwang Ambrose but was only given Shs100,000.

Other complaints included alleged ghost beneficiaries such as Auma Brenda Ruth, double allocations of restocking funds to individuals from the same household, and payments to married women residing outside the parish, contrary to programme guidelines.

Tonny Otyang, LC I Chairperson of Bar Pama Village, condemned what he described as widespread corruption, citing examples of alleged ghost beneficiaries and misuse of funds.

Akena Julios, a disability representative from Odio Village in Orupo Parish, also decried the alleged manipulation of his name, claiming that his father’s death was exploited to justify fraudulent allocations.

In his response, Owiny Denish, the Iceme Sub-County Chief, said the complaint against him was the first time he had heard of it.

RDC Sgt Shilako James criticised the Sub-County Chief for allegedly failing to supervise parish chiefs, warning that continued negligence could lead to arrests. He initially handed the matter over to the police but later directed the officials to report to his office on September 18, 2026, accompanied by all parish chiefs.

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Joel Ojedra further directed the Iceme Town Clerk to present two absent town agents to his office. He also ordered the Parish Administrative Secretary to summon eight of the nine parish chiefs who failed to attend the baraza, stressing that absenteeism among civil servants contributes to the loss of government resources.

Oyam District LC5 Chairperson Nelson Adea Akar pledged to intensify the fight against corruption across the district. He said his commitment extends to sensitive areas such as job recruitment, where transparency and accountability must be upheld to restore public trust and ensure fairness in service delivery.