NATIONAL
The Mpigi acting District Engineer has been remanded to prison on allegations of stealing fuel meant for the construction of roads under the Shs1bn Road Maintenance Grant.
Kyambadde Sam was arraigned before the Mpigi Chief Magistrate’s Court today, Thursday, 31st July, 2025 on charges of theft of fuel and remanded until 05/08/2025.
Kyambadde has joined his co-accused, Sitakange Charles on the case. The duo, in the Financial Year 2023-2024 in Mpigi Town Council in Mpigi District stole 21,739 liters of fuel valued worth Shs242,022,500 meant for road works under the UGX 1 Billion Road Maintenance Grant.
The engineers stole the fuel by first inflating fuel required for different road projects and then later conniving with different fuel station managers to breach control measures in place to draw the excess fuel from the stations.
To cover up their theft, the engineers would account for the irregularly drawn fuel using registration numbers of vehicles that were grounded and not in operation, for instance, Tipper Reg No. LG 0002-082 that was grounded and not in use since 2022 was used to draw fuel to the tune of 18.5m.
The engineers would also use the numbers of vehicles in other departments and those that don’t belong to the district which were not involved in any road works to fictitiously account for the stolen fuel and up to Shs90,000,000 was lost in this scam.
Investigations also revealed that one of the roads planned to be implemented that financial year Kyansoozi – Kampiringisa – Muyiira Road estimated to cost Shs97,000,000 was not worked on at all and the money for it stolen despite district officials reporting that works on the road were concluded.
This case follows an earlier investigation in Busia district where a month ago, officials of Busia Municipal Council were charged in court for similar abuses of fuel under 1Bn Grant disbursed to the Municipality. Similar investigations are ongoing in other local governments and are part of a new focus by State House Anti-Corruption Unit on the 1Bn Grant after receipt of several complaints alleging mismanagement of the same in various local governments.
