LIRA CITY, November 12, 2026 – Police and Directorate of Public Prosecutions [DPP] officials in Lira City and other districts in the Lango Sub-region have been urged to fast-track investigations and prosecutions of cases involving the alleged embezzlement and misuse of funds under the Parish Development Model [PDM] and the government cattle restocking programme.
Officials have also been warned that suspects accused of stealing public funds should face prosecution even if they refund the money.
The Regional Criminal Investigations Directorate [CID] officer, George Mpungu, said he had been directed by the Director of Criminal Investigations to prioritise cases involving the two government programmes and ensure they are handled expeditiously.
He said the Minister for Economic Monitoring had also emphasised the need for close monitoring of the cases, while the Parliamentary Committee on Presidential Affairs, which is following up on alleged fraud in the livestock restocking programme, had similarly tasked him with ensuring that investigations are expedited.
Mpungu made the remarks during the regional dissemination of the Prosecutor’s Handbook held recently at Magaritha Palace in Lira City.
The engagement was organised by the DPP with support from Redeem International, a Christian organisation working to protect vulnerable widows and orphans from abuse, exploitation and land grabbing in Africa.
It brought together District Police Commanders, Resident State Attorneys and officers from the Police Criminal Investigations Department.
Mpungu expressed concern that some detectives were becoming frustrated by what they perceived as delays and a lack of commitment from prosecutors in handling cases involving the government programmes.
He said investigators were concerned that some suspects who admitted receiving the money and subsequently refunded it were not being prosecuted.
“I also rolled it down to my detectives, but I need to be sincere with you. They are telling me that the response of the DPP is not good on these cases in a way that you are frustrating them. You find somebody has refunded money, they record a charge and caution statement in which the person accepts having received the money, but then you put very funny minutes in the file,” Mpungu said.
He emphasised that refunding stolen public funds does not absolve suspects of criminal responsibility.
“Kindly, this is a government duty. The President [Museveni] once asked: If you steal and refund, does it mean that you did not steal? You would have stolen,” he said.
Mpungu cited a recent decision by the Lira Resident State Attorney to prosecute two town agents over a similar case, despite their denial of involvement, saying investigators had gathered evidence linking them to the alleged offence.
He described the cases as a collective concern for law enforcement and prosecution agencies, citing Kole district, where 19 people allegedly received government funds and subsequently agreed to refund the money.
“These cases are bad for all of us because, like in Kole district, 19 people took government money and accepted to refund it, and they are refunding. Now, those whom you have refused to charge, who would ever charge them in this world? Let us be sincere. Brothers and sisters, let us take keen interest. We have been guided on these cases,” he said.
He also disclosed that an account had been established for depositing recovered government funds. He said the Chief Administrative Officer is required to sign the relevant documentation, after which a copy of the payment receipt should be attached to the case file for record purposes.
Mpungu said he had several cases related to the livestock restocking programme from Kole, Apac and Oyam districts that required urgent attention.
Last month, Apac district interdicted 19 public servants over alleged fraud in the cattle restocking programme, with Shs 43 million reportedly recovered.
Under the programme, government allocated Shs 80 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year to support approximately 16,000 households across 33 local governments. Each beneficiary household was expected to receive Shs 5mln.
Implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister, the programme targets vulnerable households, including female-headed and child-headed families, persons with disabilities, older persons, former abductees and unemployed youth.
https://thecooperator.news/police-arrest-552-over-alleged-theft-of-pdm-funds/
Buy your copy of thecooperator magazine from one of our country-wide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news
