The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has issued criminal summons for former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, requiring her to appear on April 14, 2025, over charges related to receiving iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in Karamoja.
Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga issued the summons on Friday following a request by state attorney David Bisamunyu. He informed the court that while Nandutu had submitted a medical report indicating she was unwell, the findings showed she was still fit to work.
The prosecution argued that Nandutu’s absence in court amounted to defiance, citing a medical report from Nakasero Hospital, which advised her to avoid stress but did not prohibit her from working. Justice Kajuga ruled that Nandutu’s lawyers had failed to justify her absence, prompting the court to summon her.
Nandutu is required to defend herself after the court ruled in late 2024 that she had a case to answer regarding charges of dealing in suspect property. Prosecution records indicate that she received 2,000 iron sheets, and the first prosecution witness corroborated this claim.
During the investigation, Nandutu led police to her home, where officers recovered the iron sheets. Several witnesses, including officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), testified, but many could not verify the origin of the iron sheets.
Justice Kajuga highlighted the testimony of Joshua Abaho, the personal assistant to Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu. The judge noted that Abaho's testimony was critical since he was involved in distributing the iron sheets. He told the court that he had been instructed to allocate iron sheets to Nandutu, though he was not present at the meeting where the decision was made.
The prosecution argued that Nandutu attended the launch of the iron sheet distribution project and was aware that no formal requisition had been made for the 2,000 iron sheets she received. The defense countered that the evidence was unreliable and contradictory, insisting that Nandutu had no case to answer. However, the court ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to sustain the charges.
Even if the iron sheets had not been recovered from Nandutu’s home, the judge stated that the available evidence was enough to justify a criminal charge. The court dismissed the defense’s application for acquittal and ordered Nandutu to present her defense.
Nandutu faces charges under Section 10(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009 for allegedly dealing in suspect property. Detective Superintendent of Police Winfred Nakatudde, a state witness, testified that investigators found 1,617 iron sheets at Nandutu’s farm in Mukono, while 383 were unaccounted for.
The iron sheets scandal implicated at least three cabinet ministers. Minister for Economic Planning Amos Lugoloobi, whose case returns to court in May 2025, was also found with a case to answer. Former Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu’s trial was halted pending an appeal in which she claims she was tortured while in custody.
According to the Inspectorate of Government, Kitutu's failure to implement peace-building programs in Karamoja between February and June 2022 led to a government financial loss of Shs 1.5 billion.
Nandutu now becomes the second official, after Lugoloobi, to be found with a case to answer in the iron sheets scandal. Her trial resumes on April 14, 2025.
