A UK court has sentenced Ugandan High Court judge and former UN judicial officer Lydia Mugambe to six years and four months in prison for enslaving a young Ugandan woman at her home in Oxfordshire.
The 50-year-old was convicted in March by Oxford Crown Court on several charges under modern slavery laws, including conspiracy to facilitate a breach of immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forced labour, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
At the time of the offences, Mugambe was pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford. The court heard that the victim was brought into the UK on a fraudulently arranged visa that claimed she would work at the Ugandan diplomatic residence in London. Instead, Mugambe took the woman to her home in Kidlington, where she forced her to work as an unpaid maid and nanny.
Prosecutors revealed that the visa was obtained with the help of Uganda’s former deputy high commissioner, John Mugerwa, who was promised legal assistance from Mugambe in return.
Presiding Judge David Foxton said Mugambe showed “absolutely no remorse” and had tried to shift blame to the victim. He described the case as “very sad,” especially considering Mugambe’s past contributions to human rights law.
The victim, who has since been granted asylum in the UK, told the court she lived in “almost constant fear” under Mugambe’s control. “I may never be able to return to Uganda or see my mother again,” she wrote in a statement presented during sentencing.
Prosecutor Caroline Haughey KC said Mugambe “exploited the victim’s vulnerability” and used her influence to manipulate and control her. “There was a clear and significant imbalance of power,” she told the court.
Defence lawyer Paul Raudnitz KC noted that Mugambe had resigned from her UN judicial post and referenced what he called her “glittering legal career.” Outside court, a group of supporters held placards reading “Justice for Lydia Mugambe.”
Mugambe’s conviction has shocked Uganda’s legal and diplomatic communities, where she was once widely respected for her work on gender rights and judicial reform.
