Prime
State drops fake animal vaccine case against MTK
RELIEVED: This photo montage shows Dr Francis Kitaka Jr, 41 and Ms Fiona Kitaka Migadde, 49. PHOTO/COMBO/NMG.
What you need to know:
- Sources say President Museveni had been made to believe that the vaccines that had been supplied by MTK were fake and led to the worsening of Foot and mouth disease in some areas of the cattle corridor.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has dropped charges against top officials of MTK Uganda Ltd accused of supplying fake animal vaccines.
The company officials had been accused of supplying 190,000 doses of Fortivax (inactivated foot and mouth disease vaccine) worth Shs1b, purporting the same to have been manufactured by Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (KEVEVAP) whereas not.
Months after being remanded to Luzira prison and released on bail, KEVEVAP confirmed that the vaccines in question had indeed been procured from it and samples of the vaccine were sent to a laboratory in the United Kingdom which confirmed that they were genuine.
This discovery was followed by almost a year of back-and-forth before the DPP decided to withdraw the charges against the MTK officials.
Sources say President Museveni had been made to believe that the vaccines that had been supplied by MTK were fake and led to the worsening of Foot and mouth disease in some areas of the cattle corridor.
The President reacted by ordering an investigation into the matter by Lt Col Edith Nakalema, the head of the Anti-Corruption Unit at State House.
Col Nakalema ordered the arrest of Ms Fiona Kitaka Migadde, 49, the chief executive officer of MTK; Dr Francis Kitaka Jr, 41, the chief operating officer and Ms Alex Natukunda, 47, the chief commercial officer of the same company.
The trio was charged with one count of causing financial loss, one count of obtaining money by false pretence, two counts of forgery, two counts of uttering a false document and one count of conspiracy to defraud.
“This is to inform court that the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided to discontinue proceedings against Migadde, Dr Kitaka, and Natukunda ,” Mr Stephen Ariong, a representative of the DPP, told the Anti-Corruption Court as he presented a copy of the charges withdraw form on Thursday.
“The charges against all the accused persons are hereby discontinued. All the documents like land titles, passports that the accused persons deposited in court, shall be returned to them. Any bail deposits made to this court shall equally be returned to them,” Grade One Magistrate Moses Nabende subsequently ordered.
Shortly after their discharge, Ms Migadde evoked tearful memories of her late father and founder of MTK, Francis Xavier Kitaka, who in September last year succumbed to Covid-19, leaving behind two children and employee battling with charges related to the running of his company. “He may not physically be here to see this day come to pass but I know his soul is here with us. ,” Ms Migadde said.
