Two officials from the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) have been charged by the Anti-Corruption Court on allegations of soliciting and receiving a bribe from the Manager of Mukama Nayamba in Sheema District.
The suspects include Vitalias Shaka and Norman Mwamule, heads of inspection and surveillance respectively attached to Mbarara regional office.
Mukama Nayamba manufactures different local products that the company says are health drinks.
It is alleged that on July 29, 2020, the suspects who were driving an official car registration number UAJ 486X Nissan pickup, went to Mukama Nayamba processing factory, introduced themselves and indicated that they had come to do official business of inspection.
Reports say after the inspection the officials said the factory had failed to measure to the standards, thus, threatening to close it.
Scared of their actions, the factory manager offered them Shs1m which they declined insisting that they wanted Shs10m.
According to police, with the continued engagement, the two parties settled at Shs6m and was handed over to Shaka.
The suspect later came a week after and demanded more money to the dismay of the workers at Mukama Nayamba.
But on consultation with their Managing Director, a position was reached for the UNBS officials to be tracked and arrested.
A Shs3m-trap was set to which the suspects succumbed on August 6, 2020.
The suspects were then arrested, searched and purportedly found in possession of the money before being detained at Sheema Police Station.
Police opened a case file CRB 496/2020, investigations expedited and charges of corruption C/S 2(a) & 26 of the Anti-Corruption 2009 as Amended were sanctioned and dully consented to.
The suspects were re-arrested and taken to Kampala where they appeared today Thursday, October 15, 2020 before His Worship Moses Nabende and remanded till October 23, 2020 for hearing of their bail application.
