The committee Chairperson-Mapenduzi(seated) while listening to the presentations on cattle restocking Program from Agago Technocrats – Photo by David Magere
By David Magere
Gulu: At least Shillings Sixty Million shillings (60m) have been fraudulently paid to ghost beneficiaries in the ongoing implementation of the cattle restocking program in the Acholi Program.
This discoverywas made by the Parliamentary Committee on Presidential Affairs when they found gross mismanagement of the ongoing restocking program in the Acholi sub-region during their oversight duty in northern Uganda during the second week of their oversight activity of following up the implementation of the program, led by Bardege-Layibi Division Member of Parliament Martin Ojara Mapenduzi.
Mapenduzi said that during their visit in Acholi, they discovered a serious fraud in the districts of Gulu City, Omoro and Gulu respectively characterized by fake/non-beneficiaries who do not meet the qualification criterion, registration of relatives and close associates and soliciting payment from candidates to be considered for the program, ferrying people from another area and also leaders registering themselves first and their close associates to benefit first.
Mapenduzi also said that the mismanagement of the exercise in the three districts have led to financial loss of at least Sh60m that went to ghost beneficiaries that left them astonished noting that when leaders abuse the required criterion for the selection of beneficiaries, it deprives the very least amongst the over 400,000 households in the Acholi Sub-region who should benefit from the president’s initiative of returning cattle into the hands of the locals.
Gulu District: Sh 20 m Lost in Fraudulent Conduct
The committee established that, while the district performed fairly well by disbursing money to over 300 beneficiaries, some technocrats mismanaged the scheme, especially in Owor and Awach Sub-counties.
Mapenduzi said that in Gulu district, they have established that the Gombolo Internal Security Officers(GISOs) of Owor and Awach Sub-counties, the Local Council two(LC2) of Pugwinyi Parish in Awach Sub-county, and the Community Development Officers(CDOs) in both sub-counties and the Parish Chiefs of Pugwinyi Parish in Awach Sub-county and Pabwo Parish in Owor Sub-county
Mapenduzi further revealed that Dickson Onen Opwonya, the CDO of Owor Sub-county smuggled in the list his own brother Anthony Opobo, a resident of Pugwinyi Parish in Awach Sub-county who got payment at Pabwo Parish in Owor Sub-county yet he was not supposed to have benefited from the scheme because of being a non-resident of the former.
“We further discovered that Emmanuel Ocira, the CDO of Awach Sub-county included Alex Ojera, a resident of Awor-nyim Parish in Awach Sub-county who is the brother of the LC3 Chairperson of the same Sub-county and benefited from Kulu-keno Parish in Owor parish and yet he was not paraded in the selection process as required. The team also smuggled in Jolly Joe Ocan who received money from Pugwinyi Parish and yet he is said to be a resident of either Kitgum or Pader district”, remarked Mapenduzi.
The committee also discovered that the LC2 of Pugwinyi Parish registered his wife as a widow and benefited from the program
Mapenduzi however commended the Gulu district team for doing a commendable job, but said that the fraud has caused the district a loss of shillings twenty million(Sh20m) that went to ghost beneficiaries plus many other unearthed frauds that have to be recovered.
Justine Simpleman Obol, the Gulu District said that they were expected to do better in the first phase, they are dismayed that there were some irregularities manifested in the process and they were already handling the matter the parliamentary committee came in.
Obol said that the district has so far hit up to 97.3% in the implementation of the restocking program with a total of 320 out of 329 beneficiaries receiving their Sh5m each and if all paid, they expect a total of 1, 644 animals in the hands of the locals and they are following close monitoring to see that the beneficiaries buy the cattle up to 90% as the first beneficiaries amongst the 28,000 households in Gulu District.
Justine Obol alias Simpleman, the Gulu district Chairman LCV while addressing the audience after the probe of Gulu district- By David Magere
Dr. Alfred Opiyo, the district veterinary officer who is also a member of the implementation team in Gulu District said that they are currently facing a few challenges in implementation process including lack of coordination, a mindset issue with some of the beneficiaries who wants to procure poultry instead of livestock and network issues during online registration of the members.
Dr. Opiyo also added that beneficiaries who go out to buy cattle face challenges like constant requests for permits from security organs and high prices from sellers who know they received government money.
Omoro District: Four Technocrats Pinned over Loss of Sh 30 million.
Four lower local government civil servants of Omoro district have on Tuesday been referred to the Criminal Investigative Department(CID) of the Parliamentary Committee on Presidential Affairs over abuse of office in the implementation of the restocking program in the district.
The reference follows the recommendation from the Committee Chairperson, Mapenduzi, upon interrogating the quadruple who were mainly ward/town agents and one Gombolola Internal Security Officer(GISO) over false registration of beneficiaries especially in Palenga Town Council.
The four culprits who have fallen victims of manipulation of the names of the beneficiaries by registering and replacing some names with some of their relatives, friends and close associates are; James Komakech Ocen-the GISO of Palenga Town Council, who is accused of mismanaging the process by failing to monitor the town agents who were busy switching names.
The other three are: Caroline Nyakorach, the town agent of Budo ward, Zakeo Labeja, the town agent of Ibar ward and Ketty Acibu, the town agent of Ira ward- all in Palenga town council.
The committee established that the four technocrats have caused a financial loss of Shillings thirty million(Sh30m) that were disbursed to six false/fake beneficiaries in the restocking program.
Enock Ali Muhammed Okello, the Palenga Town Council LC3 Chairperson, revealed that by Friday August 21, 2026 last at least three of the accused persons, including new figures/faces, have been arrested by the police in conjunction with the office of the RDC over the initially accused mismanagement of the restocking program in the town council.
Okello mentioned three apprehended persons as Caroline Nyakorach – the town Agent of Budo Ward, Richard Tabu-the Town Agent of Odyek ward and Jakeo Labeja-the Town Agent of Ibar ward.
Similarly, Okello said the Palenga GISO- James Komakech Ocen, has been interdicted and his office handed over to a caretaker-the GISU of Bobi Sub-county- to allow for the investigation of his misconduct in the implementation process.
Robinah Ayamo, the Councilor V of Palenga Town Council also testified against the four saying that they team did not involve the locals as it was required in the selection process, hence grossly abusing their office.
Ayamo stated that such conduct deprives the very locals who should be the primary beneficiaries and yet the money is meant for economic transformation.
Similarly, Andrew Okot alias Obibi, the Omoro district Chairperson LCV said that he is very disappointed in the conduct of the technocrats and he would recommend that they should be arrested and apprehended with immediate effect, but he did not have the power, which was purely vested in the committee’s docket.
Okot further stated that they will do an additional follow-up on the fraud in Palenga Town Council and weed out the malpractices involved in implementing the restocking program.
Gulu City:Five Probed in for causing Loss of Sh 10 million
Similarly in Gulu City, the team found that five technocrats had caused fraudulent acquisition of the money when fake beneficiaries were registered.
The five who fostered the fake selection of the beneficiaries are John Charles Luwa-the Restocking Focal Point Person, Baker Ochola-the City Information Technology Officer, Lilly Atoo Opiyo-the Town Agent of Kasubi Ward, Cosmas Opiyo-the town agent for Kirombe Ward, and Patrick Opiyo-the town agent of Vanguard Ward.
The committee established that the quintuple, under the stewardship of Luwa, enabled non-qualified beneficiaries to benefit from the scheme, including local leaders, where two LC1s benefited, causing financial loss of at least Sh10m to ghost beneficiaries.
The team referred the five to the CID of parliament committee to be investigated and the chair, Mapenduzi, said when one is referred to questioning is more of an arrest because they can be picked any time and taken for further interrogation at national level.
Over 450 out of approved 640 beneficiaries have received sh5m each in the restocking program and over 10,600 have so far benefited in the entire Acholi sub-region.
In Gulu City, Sh3.32 b was allocated out of the Sh80 b allocated for Acholi, Lango and Teso Sh80 b meant for cattle restocking in a move to bring back livestock to the locals who mainly lost their animals during the several insurgencies in the region especially the Lord’s Resistance Army(LRA) strive in order to bring economic transformation.
The team applauded Amuru, Agago and Nwoya districts respectively for doing commendable jobs as no any malpractice was discovered in their implementation processes, however, Lamwo, Kitgum and Pader districts did not participate in the process and the chair said that they will be summoned to appear in parliament at their own cost.
