The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) in coordination with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has arraigned Charles Sitakange , the Assistant District Engineer in charge of Civil Works in Mpigi District, on charges of theft of fuel intended for government road projects.
He appeared before the Mpigi Chief Magistrate’s Court and was remanded until July 22, 2025.
Sitakange is accused of colluding with Kyambadde Sam, the Acting District Engineer—currently on the run—to steal 21,739 liters of fuel valued at UGX 242,022,500 during the 2023/2024 financial year.
The fuel was part of a UGX 1 billion road maintenance grant disbursed to Mpigi Town Council for the rehabilitation and maintenance of local roads.
According to investigators, the two engineers orchestrated the fraud by first inflating fuel requirements for various road projects.
They then colluded with fuel station managers to override existing control mechanisms and siphon off the excess fuel.
The fraud was concealed using fake accountability records, including the registration numbers of grounded vehicles, such as Tipper Reg No. LG 0002-082, which had not been in use since 2022 but was allegedly used to draw fuel worth UGX 18.5 million.
Additional deception included logging fuel under the names of vehicles from unrelated departments or even non-existent vehicles, with up to shs. 90 million lost through such forged documentation.
The investigators further discovered that the Kyansoozi – Kampiringisa – Muyiira Road, which had a designated budget of shs 97 million, was not worked on at all, despite reports from district officials indicating that the project had been completed.
The funds allocated for this road were instead fraudulently diverted.
This arrest follows similar action taken just last month in Busia District, where several municipal officials were charged over abuse of the same shs 1 billion road maintenance grant, particularly involving fuel theft and ghost works.
SHACU has since launched a nationwide probe into the misuse of the 1Bn Grant, citing a growing number of complaints regarding systemic fraud in local governments.
The crackdown signals a renewed focus by anti-corruption agencies on the transparency and accountability of road maintenance funds, especially as public concerns rise over deteriorating infrastructure and poor service delivery despite heavy government investment.
Authorities have warned that more arrests are imminent as investigations continue across other districts.
