AFRICA ( Commonwealth Union) _ The northeastern Karamoja region’s vulnerable communities were to receive them. Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono, the local minister, pleaded not guilty in court but was not given bail. At least ten other senior government personnel are said to be in possession of some of the stolen corrugated iron.
These include the vice president, the prime minister, the house speaker, and other ministers, according to the inspector general of government. Some of them claimed that they had not requested them when testifying before a parliamentary committee looking into the corruption case involving 14,500 missing iron sheets.
The sheets should be returned, the prime minister has apologized and requested other officials. The speaker, Anita Among, let the audience know that she had given back the copies she had received.
According to local media, one minister was recently compelled to remove some from the top of his goat shed.
The semi-arid northeastern region of Karamoja has long been plagued by frequent droughts and flooding during rainy seasons, leaving many residents there dependent on aid. From that Wednesday to the following, Mrs. Kitutu will be imprisoned. Instead of distributing the roofing materials to the Karamoja villages, it is said that she distributed them to her family and government officials.
She and her brother, Michael Naboya Kitutu, who pleaded not guilty, are charged with obtaining 100 of the corrugated iron sheets. The minister’s court appearance was keenly awaited. She arrived with a piece of clothing covering her face and head as defense from the obnoxious press. Her lawyer had asked for bail on her behalf, arguing that she was a well-known senior with health concerns and wouldn’t interfere with the prosecution’s ability to present its case.
The prosecution contended, however, that Mrs. Kitutu should remain in custody because she prevented her mother, whose house some sheets were located, from testifying to the police. Three people who are allegedly connected to the scandal—her sister-in-law, niece, and daughter-in-law—are on the run. Mrs. Kitutu worked to investigate the landslide-prone area close to her home in Mt. Elgon as a renowned environmental expert.
Before being chosen for the House of Representatives in 2016, she served as a cabinet member for the ministries of mining and energy. High-profile government officials are routinely linked to corruption scandals, yet this does not usually lead to their resignation or dismissal.
Chris Baryomunsi, the minister of communications, stated that any decision regarding Mrs. Kitutu’s future would be taken after the conclusion of the police investigation.
