Four senior officials from Mitooma District have been arrested over allegations of selling government jobs and extorting money from applicants during recent and ongoing local government recruitment exercises.
The arrests were carried out on Thursday afternoon by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Uganda Police Force in Mitooma District.
Those arrested include Joanita Nakityo, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO); Dr. Sadic Mugisha, the District Health Officer; Sam Karakuza Tugume, the Chairperson of the District Service Commission; and Richard Nabimanya, the Senior Education Officer.
Authorities say more suspects are still on the run.
According to investigators, the officials are suspected of orchestrating a scheme to extort money from job seekers by promising them employment within the district local government.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Sam Karakuza Tugume, the Chairperson of the District Service Commission, allegedly demanded payments ranging from Shs7 million to Shs25 million from at least 23 job applicants, promising to secure them positions during the recruitment process.
Investigators further allege that Chief Administrative Officer Joanita Nakityo interfered with the work of the District Service Commission by taking over some of its responsibilities, including scheduling interviews and selecting technical advisors for the commission. She is also accused of influencing the scoring of candidates during the recruitment process.
Meanwhile, District Health Officer Dr. Sadic Mugisha is alleged to have engaged in influence peddling to ensure certain candidates were shortlisted and awarded unusually high scores during interviews. Investigators claim that two candidates were awarded 48 out of 50 marks, raising suspicion over the fairness of the recruitment process.
Authorities also allege that Dr. Mugisha leaked interview questions and answers to selected candidates to give them an unfair advantage.
Senior Education Officer Richard Nabimanya is also implicated in the scandal. He is accused of contacting the Chairperson of the District Service Commission to influence the assessment and scoring of some education officers during interviews.
Investigators say other suspects are still being pursued, including Mrs. Esther Owarimpa, a Parish Chief and LC3 Councillor of Kashenshero Sub-county, who allegedly extorted money from job applicants while falsely assuring them of employment.
The suspects are currently in custody as investigations continue, and authorities say corruption-related charges are expected to be preferred against them in the coming days.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit has urged members of the public to report any cases of extortion or bribery during recruitment processes to the relevant authorities.
