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A few months ago, hello broke loose and the public learnt of how several Museveni ministers had diverted iron sheets meant for the people of Karamoja to their own use and constituencies.
This was after a whistle blower petitioned the State House Anti-Corruption Unit which swung in action to investigate and ended up arresting Karamoja Minister Kitutu’s brother, Cousin and her mother after they were found with and selling iron sheets branded with Office of the Prime minister.
Locals who had got a share of the iron sheets deroofed them from their houses and disappeared as the State House Anti-Corruption Unit went on an arresting splea.
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It would later be revealed that several ministers including Mary Gorreti Kitutu, Agnes Nanduutu both ministers of Karamoja had diverted the iron sheets to their own use and the beneficiaries didn’t get a single iron sheet.
The other ministers who received and said were misled by Minister Kitutu and some officials at the office of the prime minister are Deputy Premier Rukia Isanga Nakadama, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, Judith Nabakooba, Amos Lugoloobi, Henry Musasizi, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Esther Anyakun, Jacob Oboth Oboth, Vice president Jesca Alupo, Speaker Anita Among and others.
All the above ministers confessed to have received the iron sheets but they didn’t use them for their personal benefits but gave to schools and churches in the respective constituencies apart from Amos Lugoloobi who instead used them to roof his goat and cows house at his farm in Kayunga.
At the height of the scandal, Minister Kitutu and her brother Micheal Naboya were arrested and sent to Luzira prisons but would later get bail. Minister Amos Lugoloobi was also arrested and sent to Luzira prisons but would also be given bail.
Junior Minister for Karamoja affairs and former journalist Agnes Nanduutu was also presented before the anti-corruption court in Kololo and sent to Luzira prisons where she spent almost two weeks and was also later bailed out. The last person to be sent to Luzira was Joshua Abaho Personal assistant to the minister for Karamoja affairs Dr Mary Goretti Kitutu.
Several ministers who acknoledged receiving the ironsheets returned them to the Office of the Primer Minister stores in Namanve and the public was waiting to see other arrests regarding the same issue since president Museveni had directed Police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to punish all those culpable in this mega corruption scandal.
It’s now two months and the scandal has been covered by events and happenings in the country and the public seems to have moved on to other big stories in the country like the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, an attack on an ATMIS UPDF manned base in Somalia that left 54 soldiers dead, Museveni getting sick of Covid-19 and the attack on Lhubiriha secondary school that left 43 people dead last week.
Parliament instituted a committed headed by Adjumani women MP Jesca Ababiku which invited several suspects in the karamoja iron sheets to give their side of the story. Every one else was question by this committee including Vice president Jesca Alupo and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja but speaker Anita Among was no show.
There had been reports that several case files of several Museveni ministers were missing at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions though the office denied such allegations.
Speaking to the media today, DPP Jane Francis Abodo who hails from Karamoja too has revealed that 17 files of iron sheets suspects have since been closed due to lack of evidence to pin the ministers in the Karamoja iron sheets scandal which maybe the biggest scandal of the year at the Office of the Prime Minister.
After Perusal, we found that 17 case files there was no criminal evidence really to charge anyone and we decided that we take an administrative action and let them refund the iron sheets either in cash or by the same quality and quantity and that’s what they’ve done and a number of factors were taken in consideration as we were reading and closing these 17 files, circumstances under the iron sheets were received by these individuals, the manner of use of the iron sheets upon receiving….”-says Abodo as she revealed this to journalists at her office.
Abodo further reveals that they still have three files still under investigation which they will determine whether to institute criminal cases against the suspects or not. The DPP also revealed that they were only looking at the evidence presented before them not the capacity of the suspects like Speaker Anita Among, Prime minister Robinah Nabbanja and other big name ministers in Museveni’s cabinet.
This scandal put president Museveni on a big test on whether he’s really committed to fighting corruption which seems to be one of his big challenges. No minister has resigned despite being tried in courts and he hasn’t dropped any. It seems he opted to stop the arrests to maintain his political relationship with the communities, regions where the implicated ministers come from and themselves.
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