A senior engineer with Mpigi District has been remanded to prison on charges related to the theft of over UGX 242 million worth of fuel earmarked for road maintenance projects under a government grant.

Kyambadde Sam, the Assistant District Engineer for Works, appeared before the Mpigi Chief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday and was formally charged with theft of public resources. He was remanded to prison until August 5, 2025, pending further investigations.

Kyambadde is jointly charged with Sitakange Charles, another district official implicated in the alleged fuel scam that reportedly took place during the 2023/2024 Financial Year.

“The accused stole 21,739 liters of fuel worth UGX 242,022,500 that had been allocated for road works under the UGX 1 Billion Road Maintenance Grant,” reads part of the investigation report.

Preliminary findings by investigators indicate that the suspects inflated fuel requirements for various road projects and collaborated with fuel station operators to divert the excess quantities.

In one instance, the suspects allegedly used the registration number of a non-functional tipper truck (LG 0002-082) grounded since 2022 to falsely account for fuel worth UGX 18.5 million.

Additionally, registration numbers from vehicles not belonging to Mpigi District or from unrelated departments were used in fraudulent accountability documents.

“An estimated UGX 90 million was lost through fictitious fuel claims linked to vehicles that were either grounded or did not exist within the district fleet,” a source close to the investigation revealed.

The alleged mismanagement extended to ghost road projects, with the Kyansoozi–Kampiringisa–Muyiira Road cited as a case in point. Although official reports indicated the road had been completed, investigators found no work had been done, despite UGX 97 million being allocated to the project.

This development comes amid increasing scrutiny of local governments following similar cases, including the recent prosecution of Busia Municipality officials over misappropriation of funds from the same UGX 1Bn Road Maintenance Grant.

“We are intensifying efforts to ensure accountability and curb corruption in the use of public funds across local governments,” said the spokesperson for the Anti-Corruption Unit said. The suspects are expected to return to court next week as investigations continue.