In Dokolo, Uganda, two senior local government officials have been arrested this week on serious charges of stealing and hiding government-provided farming hoes. These essential tools were meant to help residents improve their agriculture and livelihoods.
Those arrested are JB Ogwal, the Town Clerk of Agwata Town Council, and Obel Tonny, the area’s LCIII Chairperson. The arrests were confirmed by Babra Akech, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), who stated that investigations are ongoing and the suspects will give their statements to the police.
The government recently distributed a large number of hoes across Dokolo District as part of a program to support households with important farming equipment. However, authorities soon discovered that ten cartons, containing 240 hoes, had mysteriously disappeared from Agwata Town Council.
A swift operation by the RDC’s office and the police successfully tracked down and recovered all the missing hoes. They were found hidden in a hardware shop belonging to Patrick Ocuku, who was arrested last week in connection with the theft. All recovered hoes are now safely with the Dokolo Central Police as evidence.
The RDC highlighted that the Town Clerk, JB Ogwal, had officially received and was responsible for a significant quantity of these hoes. The farming tools were supplied through the Office of the Prime Minister, demonstrating the government’s commitment to providing agricultural support to communities.
Commissioner Akech strongly emphasized the government’s resolve to combat corruption and ensure that public resources, like these hoes, genuinely reach the people they are intended for. This incident underscores the ongoing effort to protect government programs from misuse and betrayal of public trust.