The Anti-Corruption court has sentenced Agnes Nandutu, former state minister for Karamoja Affairs and outgoing Bududa Woman MP, to four years in prison.
The sentence, delivered by justice Jane Okuo Kajuga, marks a significant development in government efforts to crack down on the diversion of relief materials meant for vulnerable communities in the Karamoja sub-region.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court barred Nandutu from holding public office for 10 years, effectively halting her political career. In her ruling, Justice Kajuga emphasised that Nandutu held positions of “impeccable trust” in both the executive and the legislature, and that her actions amounted to a betrayal of that trust.
The case centred on 2,000 iron sheets, part of a larger consignment intended to support reformed Karachuna and elderly persons in Karamoja. The court noted that out of 10,000 iron sheets under the programme, only 1,000 reached the intended beneficiaries.
“These are offices held in trust for the good of the people and the country,” Kajuga said.
“The project was aimed at supporting disarmament and restoring peace.”
The court applied the Constitution (Sentencing Guidelines) Practice Directions of 2013, weighing aggravating and mitigating factors. Among the aggravating factors, the court found that Nandutu used her position for personal gain and that the offence involved essential goods meant for a vulnerable community.
It also held that, as a minister, she had a duty of the highest order to ensure proper implementation of public policy. Kajuga ruled that these factors outweighed the mitigation presented by the defence, which had urged leniency on grounds that Nandutu is a first-time offender, a single mother of seven and the sole breadwinner for her ailing 80-year-old mother.
The court also considered her public apology to the President, the people of Karamoja and the country, as well as her return of the iron sheets and payment for those that were missing.
However, while acknowledging her health condition and family responsibilities, the judge noted that the defence had not provided updated medical evidence to prove she was unfit for imprisonment.
Kajuga also declined to impose a fine in lieu of a custodial sentence. Under Section 21(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, the maximum fine is 160 currency points, equivalent to Shs 3.2 million.
She described the amount as “paltry” and “inadequate” for an offence of such magnitude. “The sentence must be proportionate to the crime committed. A fine of Shs 3.2 million is too low and does not reflect the seriousness of the offence,” Kajuga said, adding that the legislature may need to review the prescribed penalties.
