Lawmaker Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono arrives in court
A Ugandan cabinet minister faces Easter in jail after being charged in a scandal involving the theft of thousands of roofing sheets.
They were destined for vulnerable communities in the northeastern Karamoja region.
Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono, the Minister for the Region, pleaded not guilty in court but was refused bail.
At least 10 other senior government officials are said to have received some of the stolen corrugated iron.
These include the vice president, prime minister, speaker of parliament and other ministers, according to the government’s inspector general.
Some of them told a parliamentary committee investigating the 14,500 missing sheets of iron corruption scandal that they had not asked.
The Prime Minister has apologized and urged other officials to return the sheets. Spokesperson Anita Among told the house that she had returned the ones she received.
A minister was recently forced to remove some of these from the roof of his goat pen, local media reported.
Karamoja has faced prolonged droughts and rainy floods for decades, leaving many people in the semi-arid northeastern region in need of help.
‘Not true’
Ms. Kitutu remains in custody until next Wednesday. It is alleged that she did not distribute the roofing material to the Karamoja communities but gave it to their relatives and officials.
“I understand the allegation and it is not true,” she answered in court in a firm voice.
Sheet iron is widely used in Uganda for temporary construction and roofing
She was charged along with her brother, Michael Naboya Kitutu, who pleaded not guilty to receiving 100 of the corrugated iron sheets.
The minister’s appearance in court was eagerly awaited. Upon arrival, she covered her head and face with a piece of cloth to protect herself from the noisy media.
Her attorney had requested bail, arguing that she was a high-profile senior, had medical complications and would not interfere with prosecution witnesses.
But prosecutors fought to keep her in detention, telling the court that Ms Kitutu prevented her mother, at whose house some sheets were found, from taking a statement to the police.
The story goes on
Her sister-in-law, niece and daughter-in-law, all believed to be involved in the scandal, are on the run.
Ms. Kitutu rose to prominence as an environmental scientist and was involved in mapping her home region in Mt. Elgon, which is prone to landslides.
She became an MP in 2016 and has held other cabinet posts, including energy and minerals.
Corruption scandals involving high-profile government officials are commonplace, but they rarely resign or are fired.
Communications Secretary Chris Baryomunsi said any decision on Ms Kitutu’s future would be made after the police investigation is complete.
“Regardless of who you are, you have to face the law,” he said.
President Yoweri Museveni has called for all those involved to be prosecuted.
So far, no other officials have been charged over the scandal.
Critics had previously complained that only low-ranking personalities were prosecuted after corruption investigations.
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