The state minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Amos Lugoloobi, has lamented the harm to his 40-year reputation following allegations of misappropriating 600 iron sheets intended for vulnerable communities in Karamoja.
Appearing before lady justice Jane Okuo Kajuga for the third consecutive day, Lugoloobi continued his defense after the court ruled that he had a case to answer for allegedly dealing with suspect property.
He stated that he returned the iron sheets in compliance with President Yoweri Museveni’s directive, which instructed all recipients to either return the sheets in their original form or reimburse their value in cash.
Lugoloobi explained that he had not used some of the iron sheets and was able to return them as directed. He expressed his devastation upon learning that the sheets distributed to him and others — including chief administrative officers, members of parliament, and ministers — were not intended for them.
The intense media scrutiny, he added, had affected him mentally. The minister emphasized that he has built his reputation since 1986 when the current government came to power. He expressed distress over what he described as the tarnishing of his name over just 600 iron sheets, despite his effort to comply with the President’s directive.
Lugoloobi’s extensive career spans various influential positions, including serving as the director for investments at the Uganda Investment Authority and deputy executive director of the National Planning Authority.
Since 2011, he has been the Ntejeru North MP in Kayunga district and chaired the parliamentary budget committee for eight years before his appointment as state minister in 2021. In December 2024, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy in Business Management from the University of Cuneo, Italy.
To support his defense, Lugoloobi intends to call 14 witnesses to testify. He maintained that the iron sheets he received were not branded as belonging to Karamoja and that he acquired them through proper channels.
The prosecution, led by assistant director of public prosecutions Josephine Namatovu, has so far presented 11 witnesses against him. In his defense, Lugoloobi presented several letters from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), including those signed by undersecretary Geoffrey Sseremba, which referenced requests for iron sheets.
The court admitted these letters as evidence. According to Lugoloobi, Sseremba acknowledged the receipt of the iron sheets and indicated they were being distributed under affirmative action and disaster relief programs. Lugoloobi argued that the correspondence did not specify the sheets were designated for Karamoja.
He also clarified that his role as Finance minister was limited to allocating funds and not directly overseeing the procurement or distribution of relief items. The prosecution’s claim that iron sheets were only released after cabinet meetings was dismissed by Lugoloobi as baseless hearsay.
The minister maintained that he never received the sheets directly from former Karamoja minister Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono and had no communication with her regarding their distribution. The case was adjourned to May 27, 2025, for cross-examination by the prosecution.
Lugoloobi’s witnesses are expected to testify on his behalf. The scandal revolves around 700 pre-painted iron sheets marked “Office of the Prime Minister” which prosecutors allege Lugoloobi obtained in two batches: 400 sheets between July 2022 and February 2023, and an additional 300 sheets between February and March 2023.
Investigations revealed that some sheets were used to roof an animal shed but were later removed when inquiries began. The court had earlier ruled that the evidence presented by 11 prosecution witnesses, including a church reverend, was sufficient to establish a prima facie case against Lugoloobi.
On January 10, 2025, the same court found former state minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, with a case to answer over similar allegations of receiving iron sheets meant for Karamoja’s vulnerable communities. Her defense is set to begin soon.
The iron sheets scandal implicates three ministers: Lugoloobi, Nandutu, and former cabinet minister Mary Goretti Kitutu, whose trial has been delayed due to allegations of torture while in custody. The Inspector General accuses Kitutu of causing financial losses of Shs 1.5 billion by failing to conduct peace-building activities in Karamoja between February and June 2022.
In June 2023, DPP Jane Frances Abodo revealed that the police, working with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, had forwarded 40 case files related to the scandal. However, only three cases proceeded to court due to insufficient evidence in the others.
The DPP noted that some politicians were misled by their assistants and were unaware of the origin of the iron sheets. Although high-ranking officials, including Vice President Jessica Alupo and speaker of parliament Anita Annet Among, were implicated in the scandal, many were not charged.
In other words, Hon Lugoloobi is now paying the indelible and enigmas price of unrestrained material greed. Or the 84-year-old “Problem of Africa” set him and others up for public humiliation. Which is why he told all his victims to return the loot and/or the cash value of the Iron Sh*t!
I hope those who were not charyed because they are high ranking officials will be charged at one point In time, perhaps when they are low ranking
So what?