Kole – Akalo Town Council in Kole District has been rocked by allegations of bribery and extortion involving local officials and the distribution of funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM).
In a heated meeting held today, 21-06-2024, at Akalo Town Council, frustrated residents voiced their concerns about the alleged misconduct of the Community Development Officer (CDO) and LC II chairperson.
Mzee Nicholas Alyanga, a visually impaired resident, claimed that Acio Dorcus, the secretary, and LC II chairperson Morish Odongo Odur convinced him to hand over his national identity card to register for PDM funds. Upon receiving the funds, he was allegedly only given UGX 100,000.
Felix Ongol, a resident of Ocan Oyere village, accused CDO Lydia Ruth Awor and LC II chairperson Morish Odongo Odur of organizing a meeting and intimidating attendees, leading many to suspect that the duo had misappropriated PDM funds.
Isaac Olet, a disabled resident of Abedi Woro village, called for intervention from Kole District authorities, warning that the community would take action against the CDO and LC II chairperson if the situation remained unaddressed.
LC II chairperson Morish Odongo Odur denied the allegations, stating that they were baseless accusations, and he had not taken anyone’s national identity card to access PDM funds.
Attempts to reach CDO Lydia Ruth Awor for comment were unsuccessful, as she could not be reached by phone.
Josephine Omara Olili, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Kole, said she had not yet received reports about the alleged extortion but vowed to investigate the matter.
She warned that any officials found guilty of misconduct could lose their jobs.
RDC Olili also advised residents to refrain from giving their national identity cards to anyone without proper justification.
In a telling turn of events, CDO Lydia Ruth Awor, LC II chairperson Morish Odongo Odur, and NRM chairman of Akalo Town Council expelled journalists from the meeting, raising further questions about the transparency of the proceedings.