Minister Kitutu sent to Luzira over Karamoja Iron sheets

The Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Mary Goretti Kitutu, and her brother Naboya Kitutu, have been remanded to Luzira Prison until 12th April, 2023, for corruption following the diversion of iron sheets meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme.

She has been sent to prison to give prosecution time to make verifications on the land titles she presented while trying to secure her temporary freedom (bail).

Kitutu and her brother, Michael Kitutu Naboya appeared before Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro and denied the allegations that were preferred against them by the prosecution. The two were remanded until April 12, 2023, when they will reappear before court for bail ruling after the verifications on April 11, 2023.

The duo was charged alongside Joshua Abaho (Kitutu’s senior assistant secretary) who did not appear in court on Thursday and criminal summons were issued against him to appear on the same date.

The trio has been charged with six counts of;  loss of public property, corruption, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy to defraud.

According to prosecution, the group between June 2022 and January 2023 at the Office of the Prime Minister’s stores in Namanve caused loss of public property in form of 14,500 iron sheets by diverting them from the intended purpose of benefiting the Karamoja community empowerment programme to their own benefit, knowing that such acts would result into loss of public property.

Prosecution also states that Naboya Kitutu between similar months at Situmi village, Namisindwa district received 100 iron sheets marked ‘OPM Uganda’ knowing that same had been feloniously obtained