Authorities in Kween have arrested Makwila Patrick, Chairperson of Terempoy SACCO, and Cheptoek Robin, Secretary, for allegedly extorting money from SACCO members under the guise of the Parish Development Program (PDM). The duo is accused of promising members loans of up to one million shillings from the government program, and then extorting money from them.
According to member testimonies, the leaders extorted amounts ranging from 60,000 to 199,000 shillings. The Chairman and Secretary were apprehended by Police for extorting approximately 3,043,000 shillings.
Emily, Karim, and Kanet, also SACCO leaders, are on the run after learning of the arrests. The region has seen several arrests of SACCO leaders for similar extortion cases.
Investigations reveal that many Ugandans mistakenly view government programs like PDM, Emyoga, and YLP as “handouts” or “free money” without consequences. However, authorities are cracking down on extortion and misuse of these programs, leading to multiple arrests.
The arrested leaders are currently detained at Kween Central Police Station, and investigations continue.
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