Dokolo, Uganda | Security authorities in Dokolo District have on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, arrested Agwata Town Council Town Clerk JB Ogwal and LCIII Chairperson Obel Tonny over allegations of diverting and concealing government hoes meant for residents under a government distribution programme.
The arrests were confirmed by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Babra Akech, who said the suspects are expected to record statements at Dokolo Central Police Station on Wednesday as investigations continue.
According to Akech, the government recently distributed 49,000 hoes across Dokolo District to support households in both Dokolo North and Dokolo South constituencies.
She said the exercise progressed smoothly in most sub-counties before authorities discovered that 10 cartons of hoes had gone missing in Agwata Town Council.
Akech explained that a joint operation involving her office and the police led to the recovery of all the missing cartons containing 240 hoes.
She said the hoes were recovered from a hardware shop belonging to Patrick Ocuku in Agwata Town Council, who was arrested last week, and that all the recovered hoes are being kept at Dokolo Central Police Station pending investigations.
The RDC noted that the Town Clerk had officially received 3,648 hoes from the district and signed for them as the custodian of the items.
The hoes were reportedly supplied through the Office of the Prime Minister as part of government efforts to support communities with agricultural inputs.
Akech further said her office is implementing President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s directive on fighting corruption and safeguarding government programmes, adding that the government is committed to ensuring that public resources reach the intended beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, Dokolo North County Member of Parliament Joseph Jones Ogwal recently revealed that the first batch of hoes had already been distributed in the district with at least 70 residents per village benefiting from the programme.
Ogwal, however, said he had received reports regarding theft of some hoes in Agwata Town Council, where he pledged to follow up the matter with the RDC to ensure those responsible are held accountable.
In a separate incident, another suspect identified as Obel Tonny, the Secretary of Amuda Central PDM SACCO, was today arrested over allegations of extorting money from SACCO members and irregularly allowing non-beneficiaries to access Parish Development Model funds.
President Museveni recently directed RDCs/RCCs across the country to intensify the supervision of government programmes, warning that officials involved in corruption or diversion of public resources would face strict action.
