Former Journalist Agnes Nandutu goes into hiding, hunted by police as beneficiaries of iron sheets meant for Karamoja sweat plasma

UGANDA - Security agencies are seriously hunting for Hon. Agnes Nandutu Minister of state for Karamoja affairs who is said to have gone hiding after the arrest of Hon Amos Lugoloobi (State Minister for Planning over the Karamoja Iron Sheets Scandal).

Meanwhile, many cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament are sweating profusely as it has emerged they are set to face the wrath of the law for their involvement in the diversion of iron sheets meant for the Karamoja subregion.

Another cabinet minister was arrested Friday in Uganda for misappropriation of iron sheets meant for disadvantaged people in the northwest region. "Following the ongoing investigations into the alleged theft and diversion of Iron sheets meant for the Karamoja region, Amos Lugoloobi, the Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development has been arrested," police spokesman Fred Enanga said in a statement.

Lugoloobi is the second minister in the Cabinet to be arrested for the Karamoja scandal after Minister of Karamoja Affairs Mary Kitutu was arrested April 5. Police said Lugolobi is being detained at the Kira Division Police Station in Kampala as he awaits a court appearance Monday. He reportedly received 600 iron sheets meant for Karamoja, part of which he used to roof his goat shelter.

Genesis of “Mabaati” saga

In an official explanation upon request by OPM Permanent Secretary the late Keith Muhakanizi, the senior inventory management officer in a February 13 2023 internal memo noted that an aide to Karamoja Affairs minister and another official telephoned to inform them that, subject to time-to-time guidance, beneficiaries of 12,200 iron sheets would be arriving to pick the items.

“Accordingly,” the official wrote, “he sent us WhatsApp messages guiding on the distribution and basing on that, we issued the iron sheets to beneficiaries sent by the personal assistant (PA) to the Honourable Minister for Karamoja Affairs until Wednesday 8th February 2023, when we received a call from the Accounting Officer/Under-Secretary (F&A), halting anymore release until further notice.”

By this time, according to the memo, 5,500 G28 corrugated pre-painted iron sheets had already been distributed. Among the listed recipients include Karamoja Affairs minister Goretti Kitutu (3,000), First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga (500), State Minister for Primary Education Moriku Kaducu (200), Third Deputy premier Rukia Nakadama (300), and Finance Minister Matia Kasaija (300).

The other beneficiaries are Finance State minister Amos Lugoloobi (300), Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua and Bwino Kyagulaga, the junior Agriculture minister. Ministers Kasaija and Kadaga have separately acknowledged receiving some iron sheets, without saying whether the consignments are those originally meant for Karamoja, and said they distributed them to roof schools and health centres in their respective constituencies.

In his explanation to PS Muhakazini, the senior inventory management officer added: “It is true that we based on the verbal and WhatsApp communication of the personal assistant (PA) to the Hon MKA (Minister of Karamoja Affairs) to inform our decision to issue to the above-mentioned beneficiaries because we had no reason to doubt communication from a fellow officer who works directly with the Honorable Minister for Karamoja Affairs.”

A senior government official familiar with the accounting procedure in government described the approach by the OPM team as “highly irregular”, arguing that the requisition should have been in writing with an attachment of the distribution list duly signed by the instructing officer.

“The instructions to the stores should also include background [information on how and who made the decision and when],” the source said, “That (explanation that stores team trusted a minister’s PA) is no defence.”