Ryakarimira town council assistant town clerk Alex Ampeire, who is accused of embezzling over Shs 414.28 million, has fled to China.

According to a source working with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which has taken over the investigations, the accused has been under investigation after he embezzled over Shs 414.28 million meant to fund different projects in the district.

Some of the money embezzled was meant to pay the contractor, FAMDEC Technical Services Limited, after the completion of works at the multipurpose hall, but it was not paid.

However, Ampeire said that he used the money to work on other urgent projects of the town council, although he could not name the projects in progress or on the ground.

Kabale Resident District Commissioner Godfrey Nyakahuma had ordered Ryakarimira town clerk Alex Ampeire to refund the money or face arrest.

Ampeire later admitted to diverting the money for personal use and promised to refund the money, but failed. A forensic audit revealed that Ampeire secretly withdrew Shs 249.28 million that was meant for various projects, including road works, remittances of 25 and 5 percent for local council I and IIs, development of the town council physical plan, and construction of staff quarters, among others.

Nyakahuma further noted that Ampeire could not explain the whereabouts of the money, prompting him to give the town clerk two weeks to refund the money.

Ampeire was later asked to refund the money, and he committed in writing that he would refund the agreed amounts.

Fatimah Namukwaya, the deputy director of anti-corruption operations under the Internal Security Organization (ISO), says that all the files the police in Kabale were handling, in addition to what State House anti-corruption unit officials physically observed, will be analyzed. She adds that soon another team from the same unit will visit the town council to conduct more investigations.