Kampala, Uganda.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has presented crucial evidence implicating two government ministers in the large-scale scandal involving stolen iron sheets. The iron sheets which were originally intended for vulnerable communities as part of the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme were allegedly diverted by ministers, Mary Goretti Kitutu and Amos Lugoloobi, for personal gain. The two have now been committed for trial in the High Court at the Anti-Corruption Court.
Mary Goretti Kitutu, the Minister of Karamoja Affairs, and Amos Lugoloobi, the State Minister for Planning, were recently charged with diverting iron sheets that were meant to benefit reformed warriors and vulnerable individuals in the Karamoja region. The DPP has now lined up evidence, including the recovery of thousands of stolen iron sheets.
Last week, the ODPP revealed that it had closed 17 files due to lack of sufficient evidence to support the charges. In media interviews, the DPP Jane Frances Abodo said that some of the people who were being lined up as suspects had made legitimate requests for relief assistance to the Office of the Prime Minister and were not aware that what they were given were part of the Karamoja iron sheets. Some of the ministers began returning the iron sheets or providing cash reimbursements after President Museveni issued a directive on the matter.
The evidence revealed indicates that the Ministry of Karamoja, under Minister Kitutu’s leadership, received a supplementary budget of over Shs 39 billion in 2021. These funds were allocated for disarmament, pacification, and peace-building programs, including the purchase and distribution of iron sheets to those in need. Two companies, namely MAM Integrated Steel Mills Uganda Ltd and M/S Roofings Group, were contracted by the government to supply the iron sheets.
However, investigations have revealed that only a small portion of the iron sheets reached their intended recipients, while the majority were allegedly distributed to various unintended beneficiaries, including ministers and members of Parliament. Minister Kitutu and her accomplices are accused of diverting 9,000 iron sheets, while Minister Lugoloobi faces allegations of misusing 400 iron sheets.
During the proceedings at the Anti-Corruption Court, Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya presented a comprehensive 10-page summary of the evidence. This summary outlined how the Ministry of Karamoja, under Kitutu’s leadership, received a substantial budget allocation for disarmament and peace-building programs in the region. The funds were intended to purchase goats and distribute iron sheets to vulnerable individuals known as karachunas, as part of the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme.
The evidence clearly indicates that only a fraction of the iron sheets were used for their intended purpose, with the majority being distributed among unintended beneficiaries, including the accused ministers themselves.
Minister Kitutu is facing two charges of causing loss of public property and one charge of conspiracy to defraud. The prosecution alleges that between June 2022 and January, Minister Kitutu diverted the iron sheets from their intended purpose and used them for personal gain.
Meanwhile, Minister Lugoloobi is facing a single charge of dealing with suspect property, as it is believed that he received and used 400 iron sheets for purposes other than the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme. The evidence suggests that Minister Lugoloobi received a phone call instructing him to collect the allocated iron sheets from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). Subsequently, the iron sheets were delivered to a school owned by an unrelated individual, raising suspicions of improper distribution.
