OTUKE, UGANDA — The Minister of State for Economic Monitoring in the Office of the President, Hon. Santa Alum Ogwang, has ordered the immediate arrest of Christopher Atiko, the councillor representing Alango Sub County in Otuke District Council, over allegations of stealing government funds meant for his 112-year-old grandmother.
The dramatic turn of events unfolded on Wednesday when Minister Alum visited Otuke District to monitor government programs, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the cattle restocking initiative.
The most startling moment came when Joyce Awino, a 112-year-old resident of Agweng Village in Alango Sub County, made an arduous journey to Adyerakonya Village in Adwari Sub County to personally meet the minister and lodge her complaint.
Lameck Okello, who accompanied Awino to the meeting, revealed that Atiko—who is Awino's grandson—registered her for the cattle restocking program but allegedly embezzled the funds once they were deposited into her account.
"This is not the first time Atiko has done this," Okello told the minister. "During the Lango war claimants' compensation, he diverted the benefits Awino was supposed to receive to someone else and collected 30 million shillings, which he used to construct a house."
Okello further stated that the matter had been reported to the Resident District Commissioner's office and police in Otuke, but the community decided to escalate it directly to the minister upon learning of her visit.
Isaac Opio Opeo, the Assistant RDC of Otuke, confirmed to the minister that police had registered the case and were actively searching for Atiko.
Minister Alum did not mince words as she directed the security team to pursue Atiko without delay.
"I am ordering the immediate arrest of Atiko. Nobody should think that after stealing government money or money meant for locals, they can run away and hide," she declared.
In a related development, the minister also ordered the arrest of John Bosco Ojede, former chairperson of Adyerakonya Sacco, who stands accused of demanding more than 80,000 shillings from beneficiaries to access PDM funds.
When contacted on phone, Atiko's line was switched off.
The minister's monitoring visit also saw her engage with local leaders and residents, who raised numerous complaints regarding the implementation of the PDM and cattle restocking programs in the district.
