The trial of the former state minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, in connection with the high-profile Karamoja iron sheets scandal, has been postponed to June 12, 2025.
The adjournment was granted by the Anti-Corruption court on Monday following a request by Nandutu’s legal team, citing personal bereavement and pending medical evaluations.
Presiding over the case, Acting Principal Judge Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga approved the extension after Nandutu’s lawyer, Evans Ochieng, informed the court of the recent deaths of Nandutu’s father, Nathan Kusolo, and her sister—both of whom passed away within the same week.
Ochieng asked the court to allow additional time for his client to mourn and recover. The prosecution, represented by State Attorney David Bisamunyu, did not object to the request. Nandutu, who was not present in court, was represented by one of her sureties, Bududa district LC5 chairperson Kamoti Milton Wasunguyi.
In addition to the mourning period, the court also acknowledged administrative delays in conducting a previously ordered medical examination intended to determine whether Nandutu is fit to stand trial.
Bisamunyu requested a further extension to allow proper service of the court order to Mulago national referral hospital. Justice Kajuga granted both requests, confirming that the court requires the medical examination to be completed before resuming substantive proceedings.
The case stems from allegations that Nandutu unlawfully dealt in government property—specifically, 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets intended for vulnerable communities in Karamoja.
The prosecution contends that between June and July 2022, Nandutu took possession of the iron sheets, which had been acquired due to the loss of public property. The charges fall under Section 10(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 2009, which criminalizes dealing in suspect property.
In previous testimony, Detective Superintendent of Police Winfred Nakatudde, the lead investigator in the case, told the court that 1,617 of the iron sheets were recovered on Nandutu’s farm in Mukono.
However, 383 sheets were unaccounted for.
“When we asked the farm manager, he said he did not know where the balance was because he did not count them,” Nakatudde testified.
Nandutu is one of three ministers implicated in the broader Karamoja iron sheets scandal. Others include the state minister for Economic Planning, Amos Lugoloobi, whose case is set to return to court in this month, and former Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Gorretti Kitutu.
Kitutu’s trial was paused pending an appeal in which she challenges the admissibility of evidence allegedly obtained through torture while in state custody.
According to the inspector general of government (IGG), Kitutu failed to implement planned peace-building activities in Karamoja between February and June 2022, resulting in a financial loss of Shs 1.5 billion to the state.
With the court finding that Nandutu has a case to answer, she becomes the second minister formally charged and prosecuted in the ongoing investigation into the alleged mismanagement and misappropriation of relief items meant for vulnerable populations in Uganda’s northeastern region.
The iron sheets scandal has triggered significant public outrage and remains one of the most high-profile anti-corruption cases currently before Ugandan courts. All eyes now turn to June 12, when the court is expected to determine the next steps based on the outcome of Nandutu’s medical examination and the broader status of investigations.
