NGO boss arrested over Pader farmers’ Shs700mln

PADER – Police in Pader district have arrested Dr. Solomon Okello, the Executive Director of Countryside Harvester Organisation for allegedly extorting over Shs 700 million from farmers in the district.

The farmer-focussed organisation has been collecting Shs 776,000 from each local farmer across the Acholi Sub-region for the last two years as he promised each farmer two oxen and an ox plough to boost production.

The organization has reportedly collected more than Shs 700mln from Pader but failed to deliver the items to the would-be beneficiary farmers which raised concerns from the authorities in the area.

The Pader Resident District Commissioner [RDC] Milton Odongo revealed on Friday in an interview with theCooperator that the Chief Executive Director of the organization has been arrested.

Dr. Okello was picked on Tuesday by the police under the instruction of the RDC and is being held at Pader Central Police Station.

Odongo revealed that the suspect is being investigated for theft and conning money from the vulnerable farmers, adding more than 800 farmers are victims, 873 in Pajule Subcounty with more than 30 in Ajan.

“We don’t have a memorandum of understanding with the organisation and we can’t watch to see the vulnerable communities being stolen and we had to take action.”

The organisation has equally collected an unspecified amount of money from farmers in Gulu, Pader and Nwoya to support them with dairy cows, piglets and farm implements.

Whereas some of the farmers have benefited from support, about 500 farmers in West Acholi Districts have waited in vain amidst payment of Shs 776,000 for each of the farmers as a commitment fee.

Richard Odong, one of the affected farmers from Parwech Parish in Omoro District revealed that he paid a total of Shs 666,000 and was promised to get two dairy cows in vain.

Odong explained that he had already planted a hectare of elephant grass and has constructed a house to keep the animals but the Organisation has failed to deliver.

Meanwhile, the suppliers have also accused the organisation of failing to pay for the supplies which have accumulated to about Shs 600 million and they have threatened to seek legal redress.

Susan Adong, one of the suppliers, told the Cooperator that the organisation has not paid her accumulated arrears of Shs 150mln for supply of dairy cows for close to a year now.

Adong explained that despite several attempts and engagements with the organisation over her claims, nothing has been fruitful adding that many of them are now seeking for legal redress.

When contacted on Thursday evening, the organisation’s Program Manager Felix Omara could not pick up our repeated phone calls, nor could he reply to the multiple messages on the arrest of his boss.

In his earlier interview, Omara admitted that the organisation has withheld payment of the suppliers for supplying low-quality items that include piglets, dairy cows, and goats among others.

Omara revealed that the organisation has received Shs 5bln for animal production targeting 25,000 farmers in Acholi, Lango and West Nile Sub-region for a five years implementation project.

The support was reportedly acquired from the British Government in 2020 through the British Council for Agricultural Production for the 17 districts in the region with each expected to receive Shs 300mln.

However, preliminary investigations by the Pader District security team revealed that the organisation has no linkage with the British Government and has no legal document to support their operation.

The Aswa Regional Public Relations Officer David Ongom Mudong when contacted says that he was not aware of the arrest and that he was yet to consult from the security team in Pader district.

https://thecooperator.news/pader-district-farmers-get-ox-ploughs-to-boost-production/

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