Agnes Nandutu having her time in court
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Agnes Nandutu, the former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs has spoken out for the first time in court over the Karamoja iron sheets scandal.
“I received 2,000 iron sheets from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with good intentions and this was to support disaster-hit communities in my home district of Bududa,” she told the presiding judge, while appearing before the Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday.
She insisted that she believed the iron sheets were part of government relief aid for vulnerable groups. These according to her included the victims of landslides in eastern Uganda.
“I didn’t know the iron sheets were strictly meant for Karamoja. I was told they were part of a broader support program. I saw it as a chance to help people back home who had no shelter,” Nandutu said during her testimony.
She confessed that the iron sheets were collected from the OPM stores in Namanve by her political assistant, Evelyn Bazibu. “This happened while I was still recovering from a health condition,” she said.
Bazibu also confirmed in court that the sheets were taken to Nandutu’s home in Seeta. They were then later moved to her farm in Mukono as arrangements were being made to distribute them to the affected communities.
But as per investigators 1,617 iron sheets were later found stored on her farm while 383 sheets remain unaccounted for. This incident led to Nandutu being charged under Uganda’s anti-corruption laws for misuse of government property.
She however blamed delays in distribution of the iron sheets on her medical condition and need to verify genuine beneficiaries.
“I was a new minister trying to do the right thing. I didn’t know this would turn into a legal case. I only wanted to support the people of Bududa who were sleeping in churches after landslides destroyed their homes,” she added.
The iron sheets scandal sucked in several other government officials, who include former Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Gorretti Kitutu and Planning State Minister Amos Lugoloobi.
All of these face charges linked to the mismanagement and diversion of relief items intended for vulnerable communities in Karamoja.
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