Kampala, Uganda — Former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs Agness Nandutu has been convicted by the Anti-Corruption Court for her role in the diversion of 2,000 iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in the Karamoja sub‑region.
The court found that Nandutu knowingly received and retained government property that was not lawfully allocated to her and which she had reason to believe was irregularly diverted from a public programme intended for vulnerable beneficiaries. Her bail has now been cancelled, and she has been remanded to Luzira Prison ahead of her sentencing scheduled for Friday this week.
Presided over by Lady Justice Jane Okuo, the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court of Uganda convicted Agness Nandutu.
Prosecution had alleged that between June and July 2022, Nandutu dealt with government property consisting of 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets of gauge 28 marked “Office of the Prime Minister.”
The state prosecutors further alleged that she received and retained the said iron sheets at the Office of the Prime Minister stores in Namanve and later at her residence in Mukono District, in circumstances where she had reason to believe that the property had been irregularly obtained as a result of loss of public property.
It should be remembered that at the time when the crimes were committed, Nandutu served as the Woman Member of Parliament for Bududa District and as Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs, a docket supervised under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
Her ministry was implementing a government programme funded under a supplementary budget of approximately Shs39.94 billion for the 2021-2022 financial year. The programme, court further heard, was meant to support disarmament and community empowerment in the Karamoja Sub-region by distributing relief items such as iron sheets to vulnerable groups.
Under the program, the OPM procured a total of 95,044 pre-painted iron sheets, which were stored at the OPM stores in Namanve for official distribution.
When the president wanted to launch the distribution of iron sheets in Moroto District in June 2022, a requisition for 10,000 iron sheets was made, only for 1,000 iron sheets to be used for the exercise. Nandutu was at the event on June 13, 2022, after which it was clear that there were 9,000 iron sheets left in the stores.
Prosecution further presented evidence at trial proving that after the Moroto event, Nandutu was informed by her senior minister for Karamoja Affairs that up to 2,000 iron sheets of the remaining 9,000 had been allocated to her for distribution to landslide victims.
Accepting the allocation, Nandutu facilitated its collection, providing transport and instructing her political assistant to pick the iron sheets from the OPM stores on 23 June 2022.
Prosecution further offered evidence to prove that the iron sheets were first taken to Nandutu’s private residence in Wakiso District and that she counted them there.
She would then facilitate the transfer of the iron sheets to her residence in Seeta, Mukono District for storage under her authority.
Nandutu herself filed a statement during investigations in March 2023 in which she confirmed to police the events surrounding the iron sheets; she even took investigators to the farm.
The Evidence Response Team would recover up to 1,617 iron sheets from Nandutu’s premises, but Nandutu was unable to account for 383 iron sheets.
Court Verdict and Remand
In handing down its decision, the Anti‑Corruption Court concluded that evidence showed Nandutu was in possession of iron sheets that were unlawfully diverted from a government relief programme. With the conviction, the court revoked her bail and ordered her detained at Luzira Prison until her sentencing later this week.
The judgment marks a significant moment in Uganda’s ongoing effort to hold public officials accountable for misuse of resources intended for the country’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
Profile: Who Is Agnes Nandutu?
Agnes Nandutu is a Ugandan journalist and politician who served as State Minister for Karamoja Affairs and as the Woman Representative for Bududa District in the Parliament of Uganda.
Born in Bududa District in eastern Uganda, Nandutu belongs to the Gisu people. Before entering politics, she had an extensive media career, including at NTV Uganda, where she became known for political reporting and hosting debate shows.
She entered elective politics in 2021, winning her parliamentary seat as an independent candidate after participating unsuccessfully in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries. She later made history by being appointed State Minister for Karamoja Affairs.
Outside of her political and media work, Nandutu’s career has been marked by both public popularity and controversy, including international attention — in 2024, the UK imposed sanctions on several Ugandan officials, including Nandutu, under its Global Anti‑Corruption sanctions regime for involvement in the Karamoja iron sheets scandal.
Minister Agness Nandutu has previously apologized to Museveni and begged for forgiveness; she and speaker Anita Among also faces sanctions by the UK government, and previously spoke out about surviving a blood clot in her lungs. (See Details Here, There and Over There).
