They were arraigned before the Court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe and charged with seven counts of causing financial loss.
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A Court Hammer used by judicial officers after delivering decisions.
The Anti Corruption Court in Kampala has charged two officials from Kaliro District and an official from the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development with causing a 1.5 billion shillings financial loss to the Government of Uganda.
They are, Rebecca Kwagala, the Principal Human Resource Officer, and Godfrey Mutome, the Chief Finance Officer, both from Kaliro District, and John Wabwire, the Accountant from the Ministry of Finance.
They were arraigned on Friday before the Court presided over by Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe and charged with seven counts of causing financial loss.
The Court heard that the officials allegedly irregularly initiated, processed, and approved fictitious gratuity and pension payments amounting to over 1.5 billion shillings.
The allegations against the officials include irregularly initiating, processing, and approving fictitious payments to various individuals, including Mudooka Ikoona Geofrey and Kakuku Bethel, between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2022, in Kaliro District Local Government. The officials allegedly acted in collusion, with Kwagala and Mutome initiating and approving payments, while Wabwire processed the payments.
The officials who were charged on Thursday and pleaded Not Guilty were later remanded to Luzira Prison, where they spent a night before their bail application hearing today on Friday.
The officials were later granted bail on January 24, 2025. Rebecca Kwagala and Godfrey Mutome were each granted cash bail of 3 million shillings, with each of their three sureties bonded at 250 million Shillings not cash. John Wabwire on the other hand was granted cash bail of 2.5 million, with each of his three sureties bonded at 250 million shillings too.
The case is set to proceed to pre-trial conferencing on April 1. The Inspectorate of Government is represented by Dr. Ernest Katwesigye, Supervisor Prosecutions, and William Ntumwa, Inspectorate Officer.
In 2023, the Principal Human Resource Officer, of Pader district, Aber Nancy was arrested on charges related to irregular payments of pension and gratuity funds in the district.
According to the State House Anti Corruption Unit, it is alleged that during the Financial Year 2017/2018, the Ministry of Finance sent more than 2 billion shillings as pension and gratuity for pensioners in Pader District with the verified and approved list of pensioners.
But Aber, allegedly decided not to pay 19 pensioners who did not cooperate in a way of paying her bribes.
About seven years ago, four other people including the late Lawyer Bob Kasango, Jimmy Lwamafa the former Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service, former Principal Accountant in the pensions department, late Christopher Obey, former Director of Research and Development Stephen Kiwanuka Kunsa were sent to prison for different roles played in mismanagement of pension cash.
They were found guilty of conspiring to forge a court order, a certificate of taxation and a certificate of costs directing the Attorney General to pay the late Kasango’s defunct law firm Hall and Partners 15.4 billion shillings which was meant for pension and gratuity of more than 6,340 pensioners between 2011 and 2012.
As a result, Kasango the prime suspect was given 16 years for his various roles in the scam, Obey 14 years, while Lwamafa and Kunsa were all given a nine-year jail term.
Lwamafa was however in August 2023 released from prison following a Presidential Pardon.
The Military Court is also trying Captain Gerald Bitindi Byamugisha attached to the Chieftaincy of Pensions and Gratuity in UPDF-COPG and Captain Lamek M.Kimula attached to the 65 Infantry Battalion as an Acting Adjutant for swindling pension for the former UPDF Major General James Kazini.
It is alleged that Byamugisha and Kimula in 2017 while in Kampala Capital City with intent to defraud opened fictitious bank accounts number 2043160022366 and later renewed to 204206051074101 in Pride Microfinance City Branch in the name of late Major General James Kazini's widow Mosiko Lela and falsely obtained 62 million Shillings.
