City Physical Planner , Businessman remanded over Fraudulent Procurement , abuse of office

The State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) working together with Uganda Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate and Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODDP) have arraigned Omara Geoffrey, the Former Lira City Physical Planner and Okello Lawrence, a reknowned businessman in Lira before Anti Corruption Court on charges of abuse of Office, Fraudulent Procurement of Certificate of Title, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Altering boundary marks, clearing and occupying a forest reserve for commercial purposes.

They have been remanded until 6th May 2025.

It is alleged that Omara Geoffrey while serving as the Lira City physical planner extracted a forwarding letter dated 12th June 2018 to the Secretary Lira District Land Board, indicating that the physical planning committee had approved the application for grant of a lease hold title on Lira Forest Reserve where as not.

He went ahead to fraudulently process and procure a title on the Lira Central Forest Reserve which was transferred to Okello Lawrence.

Omara has been convicted twice on several charges related to the sale of govt land in Lira City/District.

Okello went ahead to cut down part of the forest reserve and poured Murram to drain it inorder to put a Petrol station.

The Ministry of Water and Environment notified Okello of the fact that he was in the Forest reserve and even tried to stop him from constructing the Petrol station thereon, but he went ahead with the construction due to the backing of some politicians in Lira.