The court ruled that her actions amounted to dealing with government property, leading to her conviction and sentencing.
The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has sentenced former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, to four years in prison over the diversion of government iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in the Karamoja sub-region.
Nandutu, who also serves as the Woman Member of Parliament for Bududa District, was convicted and sentenced for dealing with government property. In addition to the prison sentence, she has been barred from holding public office for the next 10 years.
The conviction, delivered on April 10, 2026, followed investigations launched in 2023 by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The case was prosecuted by the Office of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and presided over by Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga.
Court proceedings revealed that between June and July 2022, Nandutu unlawfully received and retained 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets branded “Office of the Prime Minister,” despite having reason to believe they had been irregularly obtained. The materials were part of government relief supplies intended for vulnerable communities in Karamoja.
At the time, Nandutu was serving under the Office of the Prime Minister, which was implementing a government programme funded with approximately sh39.94bn under the 2021/2022 financial year. The initiative aimed to support disarmament and community empowerment in Karamoja through the distribution of relief items, including iron sheets.
Investigations established that the Office of the Prime Minister had procured 95,044 iron sheets, stored at its Namanve facility for official distribution. However, following a requisition of 10,000 iron sheets for a presidential launch in Moroto District, only 1,000 were officially issued, leaving a surplus in storage.
Prosecution proved that Nandutu was subsequently informed that 2,000 iron sheets had been allocated to her, allegedly for landslide victims. She accepted the allocation and facilitated their collection. On June 23, 2022, she reportedly provided transport funds and directed her assistant to pick up the consignment from Namanve.
The iron sheets were first delivered to a private residence in Wakiso District, where she verified them, before being transferred to her home in Seeta, Mukono District for storage.
During police investigations in March 2023, Nandutu recorded a statement confirming the sequence of events and later led investigators to her farm, where 1,617 iron sheets were recovered. She failed to account for the remaining 383 pieces.
The court ruled that her actions amounted to dealing with government property, leading to her conviction and sentencing.
The case forms part of wider investigations into the mismanagement of relief iron sheets intended for vulnerable communities in Karamoja, a scandal that has implicated several public officials.
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