Minister Kitutu appears before Court, denies any wrongdoing

The minister appeared before High Court Justice Jane Kajuga Okuo alongside her co-accused, that is to say, her brother Michael Naboya and senior secretary Joshua Abaho, who also denied any wrongdoing.

The prosecution alleges that both Kitutu and her co-accused were involved in mismanaging relief supplies to the Karamoja sub-region.

The three have been accused of misappropriation of public funds, corruption, receiving stolen goods, and conspiracy to deceive.

According to the prosecution, the group caused a loss of public property in the form of 14,500 iron sheets between June 2022 and January 2023 at the Office of the Prime Minister's stores in Namanve by diverting them from the intended purpose of benefiting the Karamoja community empowerment programme to their own benefit, knowing that such acts would result in the loss of public property.

The prosecution said that Naboya Kitutu acquired 100 iron sheets stamped "OPM Uganda" during similar months in Situmi village, Namisindwa district, knowing that the same had been obtained illegally.

Kitutu and her brother were in jail for one week after being arrested and charged by the Anti-Corruption Court.

She was charged with two counts of causing loss of public property and conspiracy to defraud for her role in the iron sheets scandal.

The minister’s family, including her mother, nephew, and brother, were found in February 2022 in possession of iron sheets meant for the Karamoja sub-region.

Kitutu, while appearing before the parliamentary presidential affairs committee for the second time, apologised for the mishandling of the iron sheets. The minister said she was not given proper guidance on how to handle the distribution of the iron sheets.

"This statement is being made in my capacity as Minister for Karamoja Affairs on the matter of iron sheets procured under my Ministry. Without proper guidance, some iron sheets meant for the Karamoja region were given outside the region in response to requests. This could have been an oversight, but now that guidance has been given, this will not recur," part of her apology statement read.

Kitutu’s appearance before the committee was part of an ongoing investigation into the matter.