Some of the Civil servants, who masqueraded as vulnerable people to benefit from the government Covid-19 relief cash in Arua, have confessed before the Local Government Accounts Committee of Parliament of having forged data to befit from the scheme. These have however promised to return the money but the Committee handed them over them to the Parliamentary police for more interrogation.
Officials from Arua City led by the Acting Town Clerk Bataza Paul and the City Mayor Sam Wadri spent the day before the Local Government Accounts Committee, answering queries related to the alleged irregularities in the compilation of data and distribution of the Covid- relief aid to the vulnerable persons in Arua City.
The officials however did not waste the Committee’s time as the majority of the junior officers confessed having masqueraded as waitresses, artists, Boda-boda riders to receive the money.
During the interface, the Committee also discovered that one of the data entrants used the credentials of a prominent Reverend Farther in Arua City and masqueraded him as a cobbler to also receive the money.
The Committee chaired by MP Martin Ojara Mapenduzi also tasked the officials to explain why the majority of the Boda Boda riders were women in addition to having government teachers masquerading as private teachers.
The committee also discovered that majority of the councillors in Arua city registered as waitresses, artists and received the 100,000 shillings meant for the vulnerable persons.
In spite of confessing to having manipulated the system, the officials were handed over to the Parliamentary police for more interrogation.
