The former minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, continued her defence in the iron sheets scandal before the Anti-Corruption court on Thursday.
Nandutu is accused of dealing with suspect property, specifically iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in Karamoja. Appearing before lady justice Jane Okuo Kajuga, Nandutu gave an unsworn testimony in which she said her actions were meant to support disaster-stricken residents in her home district of Bududa.
She told the court that after landslides devastated parts of Bududa, displacing families and damaging schools and that the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), led by Robinah Nabbanja, pledged to support relocation efforts.
Nandutu said this followed a 2021 field visit involving herself, Nabbanja, and then-minister for Disaster Preparedness Mary Goretti Kitutu. According to Nandutu, Kitutu later informed her that 2,000 iron sheets were allocated for Bududa.
However, transporting and distributing the materials required coordination with the chief administrative officer to identify the most affected individuals across 10 sub-counties. She insisted the distribution was to be carried out transparently, with beneficiary lists submitted back to OPM.
But due to health complications, she said, the process was delayed for several months. Nandutu said she was shocked by media reports alleging that some iron sheets were being sold in Manafwa district.
At an emergency meeting chaired by the PM, Kitutu reportedly blamed her brother, citing intoxication as a factor in the mishandling. Nabbanja, according to Nandutu, stated that police had taken over the matter and all involved must take responsibility.
“I never sold any of the iron sheets under my control,” Nandutu told court, adding that over 300 iron sheets were recovered from her farm in Seeta-Mukono while she was away and not present during the police operation.
She further noted that she later paid Shs 26 million, the equivalent value of the unaccounted-for sheets as compensation. Her appearance follows criminal summons issued three weeks ago.
She was found with a case to answer in January this year and is defending herself against charges stemming from a scandal that initially implicated several high-ranking government officials, including the vice president, prime minister, and speaker of parliament.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) did not proceed with their cases for lack of evidence. Nandutu becomes the second minister formally required to defend herself in court, following state minister for Economic Planning Amos Lugoloobi, who has concluded his defense and is preparing to call additional witnesses.
Meanwhile, the trial of Kitutu is currently on hold pending an appeal related to alleged torture while in state custody.
“According to Nandutu, Kitutu later informed her that 2,000 iron sheets were allocated for Bududa”. Indeed such an amount of iron sheets were indeed very small due to the disaster striken Bugisu Province where people were living in horrible camps for months. These Karamojong or Karacunas received 108,720 iron sheets altogether. One doubts very much if such wealthy creation hardware items have been used properly up to now since the beginning of year 2023 or 2022. Surely it is up to the Uganda media to investigate and to report how such an expensive project to the tax payer has succeeded. The success of this project should be the one to assess if it was worthy picking up billions of tax payers money by this long serving government to develop the region of Karamoja that presently has over 25 NRM members of Parliament that lobby for such a region’s modern development! Minister Nandutu deserves all the attention of this government to assist more the suffering Gisu tribes people of the Elgon mountainous province, other than spending millions of the tax payers money to take 22 Ministers and 30 Members of Parliament to the courts of law over corruption charges that are endemic in this Uganda Central government!
Nanduttu thought she was one of them and became so arrogant. Stealing taxpayer money is only safe for a few within the Hima/Tutsi circles.