Six Rubanda district officials arrested over embezzling Shs 107m

2026-03-03 - 07:59

Six officials from Rubanda district have been arrested by the Inspectorate of Government (IG) over the alleged embezzlement of Shs 107,688,900 in public funds. The suspects are Benon Kahangi, 48, the district production and marketing officer; Stephen Buregyeya, 46, senior treasurer; Sixtus Ahabwe, 29, assistant veterinary officer; Owen Atuheire, 42, assistant inventory management officer; Wilson Kwizera, 38, assistant agricultural officer; and Pamela Musimenta, 29, also an assistant agricultural officer. Also arrested is Nicholas Karuhanga, 41, director of Hummer Consults Company Limited, a contracting firm accused of colluding with Kahangi to siphon district funds. Karuhanga was apprehended in Rukungiri district, where he had reportedly gone into hiding. Two other officials, Peter Rurinayo, 40, the district finance officer, and Gerald Sibomana, 43, the district fisheries officer, remain at large. According to a prosecution charge sheet dated February 12, 2026, signed by Brenda Kimbugwe, the IG’s manager for prosecutions, and Inspector General of Government (IGG) justice Aisha Batala Naluzze, the alleged offences were committed between January and June 2023. Prosecutors allege that between February and March 2023, Kahangi and Buregyeya stole more than Shs 68 million from the district’s Centenary bank account (No. 3100073137), to which they had access by virtue of their offices. In January 2023, Ahabwe and Atuheire allegedly diverted more than Shs 9 million earmarked for agricultural extension activities in Habuhutu-Mugyera town council. During the same month, Kwizera and Kahangi are accused of stealing another Shs 9 million intended for similar activities in Ruhija Sub-county. Musimenta and Rurinayo are accused of misappropriating Shs 9 million allocated for extension services in Bubare sub-county. Meanwhile, Sibomana and Turyahikayo allegedly diverted Shs 9,780,900 meant for extension activities in Nshanjare town council. In a separate count, Kahangi and Karuhanga are accused of stealing Shs 67,383,000 between January and June 2023. It is alleged that Kahangi transferred the funds from the district account to Hummer Consults Company Limited’s account. The suspects were initially held at the office of the Rubanda district chief administrative officer, where they were questioned for about an hour before being transported in a government vehicle to Kampala. Noeline Nsungwa, supervisor of ombudsman affairs at the IG’s Kabale regional office, confirmed that the suspects were taken to Kampala to appear before the Anti-Corruption court on charges of embezzlement and abuse of office. She added that efforts to apprehend the two suspects still at large are ongoing. Rubanda resident district commissioner Eric Ssewandigi said he supports the arrests, noting that earlier investigations had established that the funds were misappropriated. He added that the suspects had been asked to refund the money but allegedly declined. The arrested officials declined to comment on the allegations. This is not the first time Kahangi has faced accusations of misappropriating public funds. In December 2023, he was arrested for allegedly stealing Shs 21 million out of Shs 125 million released under the 2021/2022 financial year budget to support agricultural extension services within the production department. Investigations in that case found that Kahangi allegedly forged signatures of the internal auditor, inventory officer and sub-county extension workers, creating false records of payments and supply deliveries to account for the missing funds.