Prime
How iron sheet saga landed ministers into trouble
Combo (L-R): Ministers Agnes Nandutu, Amos Lugoloobi and Mary Goretti Kitutu. PHOTOS/ ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- What started as a small issue in Manafwa District when the State House Anti-Corruption Unit arrested some of the relatives of Minister Kitutu after being found selling the iron sheets, spread like wildfire, implicating about 20 ministers, over 30 legislators, resident district commissioners, and religious institutions, among others.
One active minister and his two former counterparts cannot enter the United States of America due to their lead role in the alleged diversion of iron sheets that were meant for vulnerable communities in Karamoja Sub-region.
Mr Amos Lugoloobi, the State Minister for Planning, former Karamoja Affairs minister, Dr Mary Goretti Kitutu, and her deputy Agness Nandutu, were among the five government officials who were sanctioned yesterday over their involvement in corruption and human rights violations. The others are Speaker Anita Among and former deputy chief of defence forces Peter Elwelu.
The spokesperson of the US Department of State, Mr Matthew Miller, said in a statement yesterday that the trio are being designated due to their involvement in significant corruption related to conduct that misused public resources and diverted materials from Uganda’s neediest communities.
This comes a few days after the United Kingdom slapped similar sanctions on some of them on April 30.
Implicated
What started as a small issue in Manafwa District when the State House Anti-Corruption Unit arrested some of the relatives of Minister Kitutu after being found selling the iron sheets, spread like wildfire, implicating about 20 ministers, over 30 legislators, resident district commissioners, and religious institutions, among others.
Notable among them was the House Speaker Among, Vice president Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Roninah Nabbanja, Dr Kitutu, Mr Lugoloobi, Ms Nandutu, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, and first deputy premier Rebecca Kadaga.
Some officials including Ms Among, Mr Kasaija, Mr Lugoloobi and Ms Kadaga, acknowledged receiving the iron sheets and returned them.
In his March 13, 2023 letter, President Museveni ordered for the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (CID) to look into the matter and carry out thorough investigations.
In the same letter, the President noted that he was on standby to take “political action” once the police concluded the inquiries.
However, Mr Museveni ordered all ministers and other government officials who were involved in the scandal to return iron sheets or pay back an equivalent fee.
Returning iron sheets
The officials responded by returning the iron sheets to the Office of the Prime Minister stores while others sorted to paying cash.
The investigation by Police, State House Anti-Corruption Unit and Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) led to the arrest of the three ministers; Ms Kitutu, Ms Nandutu and Mr Lugoloobi and are now facing different charges in the Anti-Corruption court.
More than 40 police files reviewed by the office of the DPP, 17 that include that of Ms Among, Nabbanja, among others, were closed and the remaining three; Nandutu, Kitutu and Lugoloobi were committed to courts.
Ms Nandutu and Mr Lugoloobi are facing the charge of dealing with suspect property in connection with the alleged mismanagement in the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court.
However, Ms Nandutu ran to the Constitutional Court seeking orders to stop her trial, which she lost.
Dr Kitutu and Ms Nandutu were dropped in the recent Cabinet reshuffle which saw former Energy State Minister Simon Peter Lokeris and Sironko District Woman representative Florence Nambozo replacing them, respectively.
