The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has convicted former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, for dealing with suspect property after she diverted thousands of metal roofing sheets intended for vulnerable communities in the country’s impoverished Karamoja Sub-region.
The former Bududa Woman MP and TV journalist was found guilty on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, putting an end to her prosecution three years after she first appeared in court on April 19, 2023 following what has popularly become Karamoja iron sheets scandal in which several senior government officials and top members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) were implicated for illegal possession and diversion of government iron sheets meant for vulnerable people in the restive, mineral-rich region.
Court found that Nandutu knowingly received and retained government property that was not lawfully allocated to her and which she had reason to believe had been irregularly diverted from a public programme intended for vulnerable beneficiaries. Her bail was cancelled before she was remanded to Luzira Prison until Friday, April 10 for sentencing.
In her judgment, Justice Jane Kajuga found that Nandutu unlawfully received and kept 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in the Karamoja sub-region.
“I am satisfied that the prosecution has adduced evidence beyond reasonable doubt that Nandutu received 2,000 iron sheets from OPM stores in Namanve,” Justice Kajuga ruled.
Court heard that between June and July 2022, Nandutu received the said iron sheets from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) stores and transported them to her farm in Mukono District.
The judge noted that the defence did not dispute that the former minister dealt with the iron sheets, with evidence showing they were collected on her instructions by her political aide.
“Prosecution has proved that Nandutu held the iron sheets, and this element is satisfied,” Justice Kajuga said.
The court further found that the iron sheets were part of a consignment of 10,000 procured under a government Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme intended to support vulnerable communities in Karamoja during the disarmament process.
Evidence presented by the prosecution indicated that although 10,000 iron sheets had been requisitioned for the programme’s official launch, only 1,000 were used for that purpose, while the remaining 9,000 were irregularly distributed to non-beneficiaries.
Most of the beneficiaries were top politicians in the ruling party, most of whom were not prosecuted in court.
“I am convinced that the 10,000 iron sheets for Karamoja were received in OPM stores and did not leave until June when the accused received the 2,000 iron sheets,” the judge stated.
The court rejected Ms Nandutu’s claim that the iron sheets were meant for northern Uganda or for disaster victims in her home district (Bududa), noting that no documentation or requisition supported that position.
“There is no evidence that OPM provides iron sheets as relief items to Bududa, and no documents were produced to show that the 2,000 iron sheets were meant for that region,” Justice Kajuga held.
She added that even local authorities in Bududa testified that they only learned about the iron sheets after the scandal had already broken out.
In determining whether the property was unlawfully obtained, the court found that the diversion of the iron sheets from their intended beneficiaries constituted a loss of government property.
“The 2,000 iron sheets were public property purchased with public funds and intended for public use. Their diversion to unintended beneficiaries was unlawful,” the judge said.
The court also pointed to evidence linking the distribution of the iron sheets to instructions from then Karamoja Affairs minister Mary Goretti Kitutu, but emphasized that such directives did not justify the unlawful allocation.
“It is clear that the iron sheets meant for Karamoja affairs could not be distributed to any other region,” the judge noted.
On whether Nandutu knew or ought to have known that the iron sheets were irregularly obtained, the court found that her position as a minister made ignorance implausible.
“As a minister, she was privy to the budgeting processes and aware of the rightful beneficiaries. Any reasonable person in her position would have known,” Justice Kajuga said.
The judge dismissed Nandutu’s defence that she acted in good faith and had been sidelined within the ministry, describing the claims as unsubstantiated.
“It is shocking how casually the 2,000 iron sheets were received without formal requisition or identified beneficiaries,” she observed.
Justice Kajuga concluded that Nandutu had reason to believe the iron sheets were acquired through an offence namely, the diversion of public resources.
“I accordingly convict her of the offence,” the judge ruled.
Following the conviction, court cancelled Nandutu’s bail and remanded her to Luzira Prison pending sentencing scheduled for Friday.
The ruling follows earlier proceedings in which assessors advised the court to find Nandutu guilty, citing overwhelming evidence that she dealt with suspect property and had knowledge of its irregular acquisition.
Nandutu was facing similar charges with the state minister for Finance Mr Amos Lugoloobi who was arrested and indicted in June 2023 on two counts of dealing with suspect property, after allegedly diverting 700 iron sheets.
However, the DPP withdrew the charges against Mr Lugoloobi leaving Nandutu to face court alone.
In 2023, then DPP, Justice Jane Frances Abodo, declined to sanction files against several other top government officials, citing lack of sufficient evidence.
Nandutu’s conviction comes on the heels of growing public concern over uncontrolled corruption, with international corruption research organisations ranking the East African nation very low in its efforts to combat the vice that seem to be growing everyday like a cancerous tumour.
