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Shocking details emerging from Arua city reveal that sections of area local authorities allegedly swindled a hooping 250m Ug.shs. in the financial year 2018/2017.
The Second Opinion authoritatively brings you part 1 of the Arua Abattoir fraud.
The money was for the purchase of an alternative land for the construction of a modern abattoir.
Dr. Willy Nguma is the district Veterinary officer for Arua and a regional coordinator for activities of Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries MAAIF in West Nile.
According to Dr. Nguma, there was a directive from the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries ordering the council to halt the use of the facility from carrying out butchery activities and recommended for the construction of a new one during the 2016/2017 Financial Year.
This was due to the poor state of the current facility constructed around 1935 which was meant for a population of about eight Thousand (8,000) people in the then municipality.
“You can’t ensure proper hygiene when the meat that people are consuming is of poor quality and from a dilapidated filthy facility with a lot of potholes, no ventilation system and incinerators, no electricity power and water, the toilets are full in such a place that serves the entire West Nile it was recommended for closure long ago,” said Dr. Nguma.
The narrative by the Veterinary officer propelled Arua Municipal council then now city council to start looking for an alternative land for the construction of a new facility but amidst the already approved money by council for over five years this facility has never been constructed.
Genesis
The Second Opinion launched an investigation in to this matter to understand why the budgeted modern abattoir up now has not been constructed despite council’s release of 250 million Shilling for purchasing land for its development.
Several questions were asked among them , where was the land purchased for the construction of this facility? Who owns the land? How much was the land bought? Was it a transparent business? Why the relocation processes delayed?
The above questions aimed at exposing the Arua city a dubious payments of land for the construction of a new abattoir.
However The Second Opinion was able to locate the landlord Mzee Muhammad Rizigala who is the actual land lord and his sons in Tanganyika ward, they took us across the land which was so bushy, in a water logged area and located 500 meters to Arua Airport.
Rizigala explained that they had agreed on 150.000.000/=as the total cost of the land which would be paid through his accounts but he did not receive any direct pay from the Authorities however his son transferred some money amounting to One hundred thirty millions (130,000,000/=) shillings revealing that it was from Arua Municipal council (City council) in the years of 2016 and 2017.
But when asked about why this money never came through his accounts the old man reacted that he was asked by the then town clerk of Arua municipality only identified as Kipwata Andrew Otim to submit his bank details which he did but wondered how money was wired on an account of the son creating confusion in the transaction.
“I gave them my Account Number to deposit the money but they did never and instead I got shocked to see my son with some of the monies yet we had not taken some measurements about the land, my other worry was that they did not give us copies of the agreement” Mzee Rizigala told The Second Opinion.
“I will never give out my land to Arua city council unless am cleared and because they failed to pay for my land, my children have decided we sale the land to anyone who is ready to pay, they hoodwinked me to sign a fake agreement of which no copy was given to me, also the agreement was in English a language I do not understand”. Mzee Rizigala intimated to The Second Opinion.
How the fraudulent land deal was executed
According to Mudasir Muhammad Rizigala, the second elder son to Mzee Muhammad Rizigala revealed that the land transactions were done in dark corridors without knowledge of the family members.
He said that those involved in the deal were Rizigala’s first son and his mother.
“According to Mudasir the blame goes to the then deputy town clerk one Monde, the town clerk Kipwata Andrew Otim and Kalsum Fadimula who were leaders behind the fraud of Government business.
Mahmud All-hajji Aziz is the third son of Mzee Rizigala and on his part he revealed that the family didn’t have any intention of selling land to anyone but their father was approached by the then Leader of Arua Municipality Government business Kalsum Fadimula who equally a councilor representing the people of Tanganyika ward in Arua municipal council.
However sources privy to the matter from Arua city council disclosed to us that the old man was duped after a group of council authority staked 250 Million to Mzee Rizigala but on arrangement that they pay only 150Million and the rest be their share.
Although the amount staked was verbally mentioned Mzee Rizigala never had access to the signed copies of the agreement to ascertain the truth while some of his preferred children, neighbors and LCs were not involved in the transaction.
Bank details of the fraudulent land deal
Bank details from DFCU bank dated 1st of January 2017 to 11th of August 2018 indicate that on 15th of March 2017 the landlord received a deposit of 100,000,000/= and on 18th of September 2018 his account was deposited 30,000,000/= all from his first son identified as Rizigala Muhammad.
However one would wonder how the First son came into the game and under what motives without the consent of Mzee Rizigala.
