national 20 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Court of Appeal Orders Former Minister Kitutu to Face Corruption Trial
The Court of Appeal has dismissed former Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu's challenge, allowing her to face separate corruption trials over the mismanagement of the Karamoja supplementary budget. The ruling paves the way for the Anti-Corruption Court to set a date for the proceedings. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/go-face-corruption-trial-appeal-court-tells-former-minister-kitutu-5601772
Former Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Mary Goretti Kitutu, will now proceed to face corruption charges after her appeal to the Court of Appeal was unanimously dismissed. The appellate court upheld a High Court decision that allows for two separate criminal prosecutions stemming from investigations into the handling of a supplementary budget for the Karamoja region.
Kitutu had sought to consolidate the two cases, arguing they arose from the same facts and constituted an abuse of the prosecutorial process, infringing her right to a fair hearing. However, the Court of Appeal, led by Deputy Chief Justice Moses Kazibwe Kawumi, found that the two cases involved distinct transactions, different allegations, varying timeframes, and different co-accused individuals.
The first case, initiated by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), primarily focuses on allegations of procurement, diversion, and receipt of iron sheets intended for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme. Kitutu faces charges related to causing loss of public property and conspiracy to defraud.
The second case, brought by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), concerns alleged financial losses and corruption in the management of funds allocated for peace-building, disarmament, and related administrative activities under the same Karamoja Programme. These charges involve substantial sums of money.
The Court of Appeal emphasized that the law does not mandate the merging of investigations simply because they originate from the same government program. It affirmed the independent constitutional mandates of the DPP and the IGG in prosecuting corruption-related offenses.
With this legal hurdle cleared, the Anti-Corruption Court is expected to issue directives on how to proceed with the trials against Kitutu and her co-accused on October 12. All accused parties have denied the allegations against them.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)