Ugandan Cabinet minister Mary Goretti Kitutu was charged over the roofing sheet scandal. She was charged after being prosecuted over the scandal involving the theft of thousands of metal roofing sheets.
Kitutu alleged involvement in the roof-sheet scandal in which the roof sheets were meant for the vulnerable communities in the northeastern Karamoja region vulnerable communities.
The minister for the northeastern Karamoja region entered a not-guilty plea in court but wasn’t granted bail. Some of the stolen corrugated iron is allegedly possessed by at least ten additional senior government officials.
Kitutu’s brother Naboya was charged on Thursday with allegations of causing loss of public poetry, corruption, and conspiracy to cheat the government.
The bail application of Ms. Kitutu and her brother, who was charged before her on Thursday, were scrutinized, and the presiding Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro stated she required enough time.
Last-minute requests for the minister to be granted interim bail by her defense team, led by Michael Wamasebu, were ignored by the court. They were scheduled to appear before the court once more on April 12, when the magistrate intends to rule on the bail request.
Ms. Kitutu denied allegations of conspiring to defraud and causing loss of public property in court.
The third suspect, Mr. Joshua Abaho, the senior assistant secretary in the Ministry of Karamoja Affairs, who is rumored to be on the run, was also served with a criminal summons by the court. On April 12, he would likely appear in court to enter a plea to the allegations.
According to the inspector General of government, these include vice president Jessica Alupo, prime minister Robbinah Nabbanja, the speaker of the House Anita Among, and other ministers.
A parliamentary committee looking into the 14,500 missing iron sheets corruption scandal was convinced by some of the alleged people that they had not requested the iron sheets.
Prime Minister Robbinah Nabbanja has expressed regret and requested the additional officials to return the sheets. Speaker Anita Among informed the authorities that she had returned the sheets she had received.
According to a recent local media report, one minister was compelled to remove some from the top of his goat shed.
Many people in the semi-arid north-eastern region of Karamoja are dependent on charity due to long-lasting droughts and flooding when it rains.
Minister Kitutu will remain behind bars until the following Wednesday. It is reported that she gave the roofing supplies to her family and the government representatives rather than delivering them to the vulnerable communities of Karamoja.
Ms. Kitutu completely denied the charge and said firmly in court that the charge that she was accused of is not true.
She is accused of receiving 100 corrugated iron sheets along with her brother, Michael Naboya Kitutu, who entered a not-guilty plea.
The court appearance of the minister was eagerly anticipated. She arrived with a piece of cloth over her head and face to protect herself from the media and cameras.
Her attorney had requested bail on her behalf, stating that she was a prominent senior with medical issues and would not disrupt the testimony of the prosecution.
But the prosecution argued in favor of keeping her behind bars, claiming that Ms. Kitutu had stopped her mother, from whose some sheets were found, from stating the police.
Three people who are allegedly connected to the scandal, Ms. Kitutu’s sister-in-law, niece, and daughter-in-law, are on the run.
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As a prominent environmental scientist, Ms. Kitutu worked to study the landslide-prone areas near the house on Mt. Elgon. She was a cabinet member for the energy and mining ministries before she was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016.
High-profile government officials are frequently involved in corruption scandals, yet they rarely resign or are fired as a result. According to Communication Minister Chris Baryomunsi, any decision regarding Mr. Kitutu’s future would be made following the conclusion of the police assessment.
He said that no matter who the accused would be, he/she must answer to the law. The resident of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has demanded that everyone implicated be brought to justice.
The controversy has not yet resulted in charges against any other authorities. According to the critics, only low-ranking individuals are prosecuted as a result of corruption investigations.
Ms. Kitutu was handed over to the CID regarding the iron sheet saga on Tuesday as a result of defrauding relief items meant for the vulnerable in the Karamoja region.
According to reports, over 172 organizations and people, including ministers, lawmakers, religious leaders, and key administrative officers, got an average of 50-800 pieces of the iron sheets.
A shipment of 3,000 iron sheets that were removed from OPM stores in February was reportedly unloaded at the home of minister Kitutu’s son in Bulindo, Kira Municipality, in Wakiso district.
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