| KABALE
KABALE Grade One Magistrate Mathias Tumwijukye has ordered the arrest of Finance Minister Dr Ezra Suruma for failing to pay nearly Shs10 million shillings in salary arrears to a former employee.
Mr Apollo Oryasingura, a former employee of Muko Saw Mills Limited, owned by Suruma, sued his former employer in March 2000 over his salary arrears. Yesterday afternoon, court bailiffs had started looking for Dr Suruma but by the time we went to press they had not yet located him.
Court on September 13, 2000 ruled in Oryasinguras favour, but Suruma had not paid the Shs 9.975 million due.
The magistrate yesterday signed a warrant of arrest for Suruma. The warrant, addressed to High Court Bailiff Mr Elikanah Turyazooka says among others ...This is to command you to arrest the executive director of Muko Saw Mills Ltd Dr. Ezra Suruma and unless he pays to you the said sum of money and your fees for executing this process, bring him before this court with all convenient speed.
The arrest warrant reads further, ...Whereas Muko Saw Mills Limited (defendant) was ordered by the decree of this court passed on the Sept.13th 2000, to pay Oryasingura Apollo the sum of Shs 8.64 million being payment of additional salaries in arrears plus Shs1.09 million being his terminal benefits to date and Shs240,000 being additional costs incurred making a total of Shs9.975 million and where as the sum has not been paid to the decree holder in satisfaction of the said decree...this is to command you to arrest the executive director....
The magistrates court in June this year directed the same High Court bailiff to attach and sell by public auction a sawmill belonging to Muko Saw Mills Ltd in Bukunja forest in Kapchorwa district to recover the same money but the bailiff encountered difficulties.
Oryasingura was employed by Muko Sawmills on December 30, 1995 as a production and site manager and later elevated to a post of operations manager in 1998 after which he was sacked.
He lodged the complaint in the Kabale Chief Magistrates court on March 3, 2000 and in September 2000 the then Kabale Grade One Magistrate Ms Mary Ikit ruled in his favour.
She ordered Muko Sawmills Ltd. to pay his salary arrears and also to terminate his services formally which the company did not do.
The court bailiff, Mr Turyazooka told Daily Monitor yesterday that he had received the order to arrest the minister as soon as he located him.
Its true court has ordered me to arrest Minister Suruma immediately I locate where he is. I am on my way to locate him, he said. Efforts to talk to minister Suruma were futile as his mobile phone was switched off. | 
