The Assistant District Engineer for Civil Works in Mpigi District, Charles Sitakange, has been charged and remanded over the theft of fuel intended for road maintenance works under the UGX 1 billion Road Maintenance Grant.
Sitakange appeared before the Mpigi Chief Magistrate’s Court on Monday and was formally charged with theft.
He was remanded until July 22, 2025, as investigations into the case continue.
The prosecution alleges that during the 2023/2024 financial year, Sitakange, in connivance with Kyambadde Sam, the Acting District Engineer who is currently on the run, fraudulently siphoned 21,739 litres of fuel valued at UGX 242,022,500 meant for road works in Mpigi Town Council.
The charges stem from a joint investigation by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
According to investigators, the accused engineers inflated fuel requirements for various road projects and later colluded with fuel station managers to draw excess fuel beyond what was needed.
They reportedly used fraudulent accounting tactics to cover up the theft, including listing grounded vehicles and those not involved in road works as having consumed the fuel.
One of the key vehicles cited in the scam is a tipper truck, registration number LG 0002-082, which has been grounded since 2022.
Despite its inoperability, it was falsely documented as having consumed fuel worth UGX 18.5 million.
In total, at least UGX 90 million was lost through such fraudulent accounting involving vehicles from other departments and even those not owned by the district.
Investigations further revealed that some roads, such as the Kyansoozi–Kampiringisa–Muyiira Road—budgeted at UGX 97 million—were not worked on at all, even though district officials reported the works as completed.
This case is part of a broader probe into misuse of the UGX 1 billion Road Maintenance Grant, following a similar scandal in Busia District last month where municipal council officials were charged for related abuses.
Authorities say several other local governments are under scrutiny as the State House Anti-Corruption Unit intensifies investigations into persistent complaints of mismanagement of the road maintenance grant across the country.
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