Several Bukwo District local government leaders might soon land in trouble if Uganda Police Force (UPF) officers heed the advice of MPs to expand the investigation into the murder of former acting Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Charles Robert Ogwang to the conflicts in the district.
During July 12 plenary chaired by deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa, MPs insisted that the probe into the murder of Ogwang, who was shot 26 times along Bombo Road as assailants even recorded the shooting, should be extended to the district leaders.
Kole District Woman MP Judith Alyek told the House that investigators should not ignore the disagreements and hatred that seemed to rage on between Ogwang and other Kole District Local Government leaders in the months leading to the CAO’s death.
“We do know that for the time Ogwang worked at Bukwo District, there were documents and reports of conflicts between him and district leaders. A number of allegations were made against him,” added Alyek, who is also the chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary Group.
To prove her claims, Alyek presented a document that was written by one of the Bukwo District leaders showing how CAO Ogwang was reportedly conducting business in a manner that seemed to displease some of the leaders.
Other MPs such as Kole South representative Peter Ocen were about the safety of CAOs in the different districts of Uganda. MP Ocen submitted that accounting officers, particularly CAOs, were living in fear that they could suffer the same fate as Ogwang’s.
Ocen noted that there was a number of CAOs who were not on good terms with district chairpersons, further expressing worry that the rifts might escalate to unimaginable levels. He also argued that the recent row between the ministry of finance and that of local government over the sacking of accounting officers in local goverment would largely hamper the implementation of government programs.
But as Alyek pushed for the investigation into the rifts at Bukwo District Local Government, presiding speaker Tayebwa guided that MPs should exercise restraints and refrain from jumping to conclusions since the matter was still under investigations and any such talk would jeopardize the ongoing probe.
The Pearl Times recently reported that a month before the shooting, the Bukwo District LCV Chairman had threatened to go on strike if CAO Ogwang (RIP) was not fired. (Read Stories Here and There).
Meanwhile, the assassinated CAO’s driver has been arrested. (Read Story Here).
