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The officials, charged by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit
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By Our Reporter
Ntungamo
Six top education officials in Ntungamo District have been arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court on charges of causing financial loss and abuse of office related to fraudulent capitation grant claims. The officials, charged by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPPUGANDA), include:
Fraudulent enrollment and financial loss
Investigations uncovered that the accused inflated pupil enrollment numbers in their schools to secure larger capitation grants from the government. Instead of ensuring accurate reporting, the education officers failed to verify the figures before submitting them to the Ministry of Education and Sports, leading to significant financial losses. According to records from the Ministry of Finance, the government disbursed capitation grants for 124,817 pupils across 249 Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools in Ntungamo District for the 2023/2024 financial year. However, an audit revealed that the actual number of pupils was around 80,000, exposing a discrepancy of over 40,000 "ghost" students. This fraudulent practice cost the government approximately UGX 1 billion.
Crackdown on education sector fraud
The arrests come amid an ongoing crackdown on corruption in Uganda’s education sector. Authorities have vowed to take stern action against officials involved in financial mismanagement and ensure that government funds reach genuine beneficiaries. As investigations continue, more arrests could follow, with officials warning that those found culpable will face prosecution and possible recovery of stolen funds.
Torch Media Africa
