KAMPALA, UGANDA: Three senior administrators of a government-owned Iganga Technical Institute have been remanded to prison over allegations of embezzling nearly Shs1 billion in a procurement fraud scheme that has shaken the institution.
The suspects identified as Eliachu David (Principal), Wabwire Benedict (Deputy Principal), and Ajuna Damali (Senior Accounts Assistant), were on Thursday, March 26, arraigned before Grade One Magistrate Paul Mujuni at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala.
They face charges of abuse of office, embezzlement, and forgery, following investigations conducted by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The court heard that between 2024 and 2025, the accused allegedly orchestrated a fraudulent scheme that resulted in the loss of UGX 983,480,000 from the government institution.
Prosecution alleges that the officials abused their positions by bypassing established procurement procedures and authorising payments to Basaam General Merchandise and Supplies Limited under false claims that the company had delivered food items to the institute.
Investigations, however, revealed that no such supplies were ever delivered. The company in question reportedly denied involvement in any transaction related to the institute.
Further inquiries indicate that the suspects allegedly forged procurement documents and used them to access funds, including through financial institutions, without proper accountability.
Authorities say the withdrawn funds were not utilised for the intended institutional purposes, raising deeper concerns about financial mismanagement within the institute.
The accused were remanded until March 31, 2026, as investigations continue.
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