Lamwo on spot for paying Shs365 million for nonexistent motorized borehole
He expressed shock that the district had paid for the borehole at Palabek SS, which was not drilled.
Lamwo: An independent investigation by this publication has revealed that the Lamwo District Local Government paid a total of 365 million shillings to Delice Favourite Company Limited for a DR-DIP motorized borehole at Palabek Senior Secondary School in Palabek Gem Subcounty, Lamwo District.
According to the investigation, during the 2023–24 fiscal year, the district council approved the drilling of a motorized borehole under the DR-DIP Project, costing 365 million shillings.
This amount was fully paid to the contractor with the approval of all relevant technical personnel, who signed off and certified the payment in March 2024. However, a site visit by our investigative team found that the motorized borehole does not exist.
The investigation also revealed that in late July 2024, Lamwo District RDC, Oceng Geoffrey Osborn, ordered the arrest of the Lamwo District Assistant Engineering Officer, identified as Atube Labayi. The arrest was carried out, but he was later released on police bond as investigations continued.
Lamwo District Speaker, Hon. Ochola James, confirmed to our reporter that his office is aware of the issue, noting that the council had previously approved two motorized boreholes.
He expressed shock that the district had paid for the borehole at Palabek SS, which was not drilled.
Hon. Ochola also mentioned that the council expects this matter to be addressed in the District Executive Committee report before it is presented to the District Committee on Works and Technical Services ahead of the council meeting scheduled for October 4th, 2024.
He further stated that local community members and their representatives could report the issue to the office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for action against the district officials involved in the payment for non-operational projects.
Ochola confirmed his awareness of the water engineer’s arrest last month, pointing out that there is clear documentation of the payment despite the absence of the motorized borehole on site.
Further investigation has implicated several technical officers and political leaders in Lamwo District in the scandal that led to the payment of 365 million shillings for this nonexistent motorized borehole.
Similar cases include a payment of 56 million shillings for a DR-DIP SACCO in Nyimur Subcounty, which he termed a scam, and the disappearance of 40 million shillings from a project account in Agoro, both in Lamwo District.
This investigation is not yet complete, as the team is continuing to dig deeper into the involvement of all line personnel in the matter. We couldn’t get a comment from Delice Favourite Company Limited officials by press time.
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