Johannesburg - Four officials in the office of Uganda’s Prime Minister have been arrested over claims of irregular purchase of relief food the government is providing to vulnerable citizens during the coronavirus lockdown period.

The head of state house anti-corruption unit, lieutenant-colonel Edith Nakalema in a statement on Thursday said four accounting officers had been arrested following a presidential directive to investigate procurement irregularities in the premier’s office.

“Preliminary findings established that the accounting officers were inflating prices and rejecting lower prices from suppliers of maize flour, maize and beans,” Nakalema said in a statement.

Some of the bidders, who were reportedly rejected included the operation wealth creation, a government programme set up to increase household incomes through agriculture.

These, Nakalema said, were credible entities to supply food to government.