According to police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), more government officials and ministers are likely to face legal charges in connection with the Karamoja iron sheets scam.
The police investigations, upon which the DPP has based its allegations, have thrown a wide net, according to Mr. Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, and more people are anticipated to show up in court.
“We interviewed several people and we expect all files to be submitted to the DPP by next week. Hon [Mary Goretti] Kitutu’s file was almost ready when she was arrested from Parliament,” Mr Enanga said of the Karamoja Affairs minister, who was sent to jail on Thursday.
Ms Jacquelyn Okui, the DPP spokesperson, said, “The scandal is being handled in piecemeal, and so there are several files for several suspects … the file of Hon Kitutu was the first to be submitted. We are expecting more files of other suspects to be submitted by police and they will be considered by the DPP as and when they are submitted.”
The findings follow Ms. Kitutu’s imprisonment after she was charged with two counts of conspiring to swindle and causing loss of public property at the Anti-Corruption Court. Until April 12, the minister is being held without bail in Luzira Prison.
In Situmi Village, Bukhawekha Sub-county, Namisindwa District, Ms. Kitutu was charged alongside her brother, Mr. Micheal Naboya Kitutu, who is suspected of receiving stolen property between June 2022 and January 2023. The iron sheets he received, it is said, were obtained illegally.
While some Ugandans and anti-corruption organizations viewed Ms. Kitutu and her brother’s arrest as a victory in the war on corruption, other opinions believed she was merely a scapegoat.
Questions were raised about why Ms. Kitutu’s brother, who had previously been detained by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, was charged but not other recipients who had acknowledged receiving and possessing the iron sheets.