Nandutu lawyers conclude defence in Karamoja iron sheets case

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, has finished giving her defence at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala over allegations of diverting 2,000 iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in Karamoja.

Since last month, Nandutu has been giving unsworn evidence before Acting Principal Judge Jane Okuo Kajuga. She denied any involvement in the request, planning, or distribution of the iron sheets from the Office of the Prime Minister. Nandutu told the court that she received the iron sheets in good faith to support landslide victims in her home district of Bududa.

She stated that her former boss, Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu, her assistant Joshua Abaho, and former undersecretary Geoffrey Seremba are better placed to explain how the iron sheets ended up with various ministers and MPs. The Woman MP for Bududa District indicated her intention to call more than five witnesses to support her defence.

The court has scheduled testimony from her witnesses to begin on Friday, August 15, 2025. Nandutu is the second minister to formally defend herself in court, following State Minister for Economic Planning Amos Lugoloobi, who has completed his defence and is preparing to call additional witnesses. She faces charges of dealing with suspect property and was found with a case to answer on January 10, 2025, after prosecution evidence was presented.

The case is part of a broader iron sheets scandal implicating three ministers, including Lugoloobi and former Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu. Kitutu’s trial is currently on hold pending an appeal over allegations of torture while in state custody. The Inspectorate of Government accuses Kitutu of failing to implement peacebuilding activities in Karamoja between February and June 2022, resulting in a government loss of Shs1.5 billion.

Several top government officials, including the Vice President, Prime Minister, and Speaker of Parliament, were initially mentioned in the scandal. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Jane Frances Abodo, dropped their cases, citing insufficient evidence.