Kampala, Uganda: The Anti-Corruption Court has sentenced former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs Agnes Nandutu to four years in prison and barred her from holding public office for 10 years, in a landmark ruling tied to the Karamoja iron sheets scandal.
The sentence, delivered on Friday, follows her conviction on April 8 by the High Court Anti-Corruption Division, where Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga ruled that the prosecution had proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution proved all the elements of the offence,” Justice Kajuga ruled, convicting Nandutu for dealing with suspect property under the Anti-Corruption Act.
In its sentencing, the court affirmed that Nandutu unlawfully received and held 2,000 iron sheets that had been procured under a government programme meant for disarmament and community empowerment in Karamoja.
Court records show the iron sheets were part of a consignment funded through a Shs39.94 billion supplementary budget under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), intended for vulnerable groups including women, the elderly, and reformed youth warriors.
Prosecution evidence accepted by court revealed that only 1,000 of the 10,000 iron sheets earmarked for the programme launch in Moroto reached the intended beneficiaries, while the remaining 9,000 were diverted to other recipients, including Nandutu.
Justice Kajuga found that the sheets allocated to Nandutu were part of that diverted consignment, amounting to loss of public property.
“It is shocking how casually the accused received the 2,000 iron sheets,” the judge stated, pointing to the absence of any requisition, allocation records, or official authorization to justify the transfer.
Evidence and Recovery
Court heard that Nandutu’s political assistant collected the iron sheets from OPM stores in Namanve on June 23, 2022, before transporting them to her private farm in Mukono District.
During investigations, police recovered 1,617 iron sheets from the property in March 2023, further strengthening the prosecution’s case.
The court also dismissed Nandutu’s defence that the materials were intended for landslide victims in Bududa District, noting that there was no documentary evidence or communication with local authorities to support the claim.
Judges ruled that, given her ministerial role, Nandutu either knew or ought to have known that the iron sheets had been irregularly diverted from their intended beneficiaries.
Nandutu had asked court for leniency, citing her status as a first-time offender, a single mother, and her ill health. However, the court declined to reduce the sentence, emphasising the gravity of the offence and the need for accountability in the management of public resources.
Landmark Outcome in Scandal
Friday’s sentencing marks the most consequential legal outcome so far in the Karamoja iron sheets scandal, which triggered nationwide outrage over the diversion of relief items meant for vulnerable communities.
The case has remained a litmus test for Uganda’s anti-corruption efforts, particularly in holding high-ranking public officials accountable.
Under the ruling, Nandutu will serve four years in prison and is disqualified from holding any public office for a decade.
She has 14 days to appeal both the conviction and sentence.
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