By Aggrey Baba
District Woman MP for Bududa and former Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs, Agnes Nandutu, is once again under court pressure after failing to appear for trial in the iron sheets case for the fourth time. This time, the heat is also on her sureties, who have been summoned alongside her for failing in their duty to ensure she appears before the Anti-Corruption Court.
The acting Principal Judge, Jane Okuo Kajuga, issued the criminal summons after expressing dissatisfaction with the repeated delays in the case, ruling that both Nandutu and her two sureties Budadili West MP Nandala Mafaabi, Elgon West MP Gerald Nangoli and Lc5 Chairperson for Bulambuli District, Milton Kamoti, must appear in court on July 24.
Kajuga said the court had exercised patience and accommodated Nandutu’s medical excuses, but it had now become clear that her absence was more deliberate than unavoidable.
Earlier medical documents submitted by her defence had claimed that she was unwell. However, a recent expert report from Mulago National Referral Hospital, signed by ED Dr. Rosemary Kusaba, revealed that Nandutu’s condition was manageable and that she was able to carry out her normal responsibilities, causing conclude that the MP’s condition could not justify her continued absence from trial.
Nandutu is facing charges of dealing with government property under the Anti-Corruption Act, following allegations that she received and kept pre-painted iron sheets meant for vulnerable communities in Karamoja between June and July 2022 at a store in Namanve, Wakiso District. The iron sheets had been procured under the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to support reformed rustlers and poor households in the Karamoja sub-region.
If convicted, the former NTV journalist faces a prison sentence of up to 7 years.
The iron sheets scandal first came to light in early 2023 and has since implicated several high-ranking officials in the NRM government.
These include former Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu, who is accused of masterminding the diversion of the relief items, State Minister for Planning Amos Lugoloobi, who admitted to using some of the iron sheets on a piggery project, and State Minister for Bunyoro Affairs Jennifer Namuyangu.
Others named in official documents include Vice President Jessica Alupo, First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua, and Ministers Peter Lokeris, Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, Beatrice Anywar, and Jacob Oboth-Oboth, among others.
While not all those named were charged, many were called upon to explain how the iron sheets ended up in their possession, and in some cases, the items were returned, while in others, investigations are ongoing.
The scandal caused a public outcry, with citizens demanding accountability for the items that were meant to support the country’s most vulnerable region.
With Nandutu’s case dragging on and the court now shifting its focus to the sureties, it signals a tougher approach from the judiciary. Court made it clear that bail is not a symbolic gesture and that anyone who stands surety for an accused person must ensure they attend trial without fail, and any failure to do so, the judge warned, may lead to further legal consequences, including the trial proceeding in the absence of the accused.
All eyes will now be on whether Nandutu and her sureties respond to the summons or risk deeper legal trouble.
For a case that has caused public frustration over misuse of government funds, this may mark a turning point in how delays are handled in the courts.
