Geraldine Ssali
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court in Kampala has scheduled a series of hearing dates in September 2026 for the long-running Shs 3.8 billion fraud and corruption case involving former Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssali and several co-accused persons.
Presiding judge Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga fixed September 9, 10, 15, 17 and 24, 2026, for what is expected to be a marathon hearing of the case. The dates were set after the court directed the prosecution to complete the disclosure of evidence to the defence by June 26, paving the way for substantive proceedings later in the year.
The case centres on allegations of corruption, abuse of office, financial loss and conspiracy to defraud the government in relation to funds earmarked for compensating Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society Ltd in Bulambuli District.
Ssali is jointly charged alongside Principal Cooperative Officer Robert Kavundira and five other accused persons, including Busiki County MP Paul Akamba, Igara East MP Michael Mawanda, Elgon County MP Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi and lawyer Julius Kirya of Kirya & Co Advocates.
The hearing dates were confirmed during a court appearance before Justice Kajuga, where the accused persons appeared for mention of the case. The court’s decision to set September dates signals a significant step forward in a matter that has attracted widespread public interest due to the high-profile individuals involved and the substantial amount of public money at the centre of the allegations.
Effects of Akamba petition
However, proceedings remain partially affected by a constitutional petition filed by Akamba, who is challenging the legality of his prosecution. The legislator argues that he was subjected to torture by security operatives during his arrest and is seeking to have the charges against him dismissed on those grounds.
Justice Kajuga indicated that aspects of the case would await the Constitutional Court’s determination of Akamba’s petition. Nevertheless, preparations for the substantive hearing are continuing, with the prosecution expected to complete disclosure of all evidence before the end of June.
According to the prosecution, Ssali and Kavundira played central roles in the alleged irregular processing and payment of compensation funds intended for Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society.
State prosecutors contend that during the 2021/22 financial year, Ssali abused her office by including the cooperative among entities earmarked for government war-loss compensation despite it not appearing on a supplementary budget request submitted on August 4, 2021. The prosecution argues that the decision was arbitrary and detrimental to the interests of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
Causing financial loss
Ssali and Kavundira are also charged with causing financial loss to the government. Prosecutors allege that during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years, Ssali authorised payments amounting to Shs 3.8 billion to Kirya & Co Advocates on behalf of Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society in contravention of the Treasury Instructions of 2017.
The State maintains that Ssali knew, or ought to have known, that the payments would result in financial loss to the government.
The prosecution further alleges that between 2019 and 2023, Ssali and her co-accused conspired to defraud the Government of Uganda of Shs 3.4 billion intended as compensation for war-related losses suffered by the cooperative society.
Kavundira faces separate allegations linked to his role in the compensation process. Prosecutors claim that he influenced and pressured the chairperson of Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society to terminate its relationship with Anguria & Co Advocates and instead appoint Kirya & Co Advocates to pursue the compensation claim before the ministry.
The State also contends that Kavundira, who served on the ministry’s verification committee, possessed prior knowledge of the compensation claim and the amounts expected to be paid. Prosecutors further allege that the verification committee itself was irregularly established by Ssali.
The legislators named in the case face accusations relating to the receipt of allegedly stolen public funds and the diversion of government resources. Mawanda, in particular, is accused of receiving Shs 1 billion in 2021, which prosecutors claim was used to settle debts owed by Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society. He is also accused of receiving an additional Shs 200 million to settle obligations arising from a Commercial Division High Court civil case.
Kirya charged with money laundering
Lawyer Julius Kirya is charged with stealing by agent and money laundering in connection with the compensation funds.
The case stems from a broader government programme established to compensate cooperative societies for assets and property destroyed during past wars and political insurgencies. In the 2016/17 financial year, the government created an inter-ministerial committee led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to verify compensation claims.
Before that arrangement, compensation claims were handled by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, which paid out Shs 6.97 billion to various cooperative societies and unions. Records indicate that between the 2016/17 and 2022/23 financial years, compensation payments worth approximately Shs 137.86 billion were processed through the Ministry of Trade.
With the prosecution now under pressure to complete evidence disclosure by June 26, attention will shift to September, when the court is expected to begin hearing detailed testimony and examining evidence in one of Uganda’s most prominent anti-corruption cases in recent years. The outcome of the Constitutional Court petition, however, could still influence the course of proceedings involving some of the accused persons.
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