OPM engineers granted bail in sh689 million bribe case

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has granted bail to two District Engineers attached to the Office of the Prime Minister who were remanded a day earlier on charges of abuse of office and Corruption.

The two are Dathan Nuwagaba Kahima, the Project Engineering Officer and Pamela Besigye, the District Engineering Assistant all attached to the Development Response to Displacement Impact Project-DRDIP which is designed to address expanded development needs for refugees and the hosting communities.

Prosecution led by State Attorneys Rogers Kinobe and Jackie Mawemuko from the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) accuses the two Engineers of receiving a bribe of 689,260,000 Shillings from various companies and individuals as a reward for recommending them for various tenders and contracts for execution of works and services under the said Project between February 2021 and June/2022.

They are further accused of having influenced the said awards of the tenders to Companies that offered bribes; an arbitrary act prejudicial to the interest of their employers and other qualified companies.

The duo is jointly charged with two businessmen Denis Masiko from Tashil Uganda Limited and Patrick Omia from Leeward Investments Limited who are accused of bribing their way into the award of the said tenders. Masiko allegedly deposited 190 million Shillings to Nuwagaba’s Company account Ark Consult and Engineering Limited in Centenary Bank while Omia deposited 15 million Shillings to the same account.

Nuwagaba and Besigye who were arraigned in Court on Tuesday and remanded to Luzira prison after denying the charges returned to the court Wednesday for a ruling on their bail application. Through their lawyers including Simon Agaba, the accused persons pleaded the assumption of innocence and the right to apply for bail and substantial sureties before the Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe.

As a result, Asiimwe has granted Nuwagaba and Besigye bail after finding their sureties substantial.  She has ordered each of them to deposit a cash bail of 20 million Shillings while their sureties have been bonded at 350 million Shillings. Asiimwe has also restricted the accused persons from leaving the Country without permission from the Court.

She has adjourned the case to October 10, 2023, as investigations continue and also issued Criminal summons to Businessmen Masiko and Omia to appear and answer charges against them in the next session.

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