The Anti-Corruption Court has postponed the trial involving former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Agness Nandutu, who is facing charges of illegally receiving iron sheets meant for the vulnerable people of Karamoja.
The trial has been rescheduled to June 12, 2025, following Nandutu’s recent family bereavement and delays in executing a court-ordered medical examination.
On Monday, the court, presided over by Acting Principal Judge Lady Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga, granted the adjournment after Nandutu’s lawyer, Evans Ochieng, informed the court of her recent losses, including the passing of her father, Nathan Kusolo, and her sister, who died in the same week.
Ochieng requested additional time for Nandutu to grieve and recover, a request that was not opposed by the prosecution’s State Attorney, David Bisamunyu.
Although Nandutu was not in court, one of her sureties, Kamoti Milton Wasunguyi, the Bududa District LC5 Chairperson, was present.
State Attorney Bisamunyu noted that the court-ordered medical examination had not been carried out due to administrative delays and requested an extension to allow for proper service of the order to Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Justice Kajuga granted both the adjournment and the extension, acknowledging the circumstances and the need for the medical examination to proceed.
The court had previously ordered an independent medical examination to assess Nandutu’s fitness to stand trial, following her claims of a serious health condition.
The examination is now expected to take place ahead of the next hearing.
Nandutu faces charges of dealing in suspect property, with the prosecution alleging she privately dealt with government property, including 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets, between June and July 2022.
The prosecution contends that Nandutu received the iron sheets, which had been acquired due to the loss of public property, an offence under Section 10 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009.
Detective Superintendent of Police Winfred Nakatudde, the investigating officer, testified a few months ago that 1,617 iron sheets were found on Nandutu’s farm in Mukono, but 383 were missing. “When we asked the farm manager, he said he did not know where the balance was because he did not count them,” Nakatudde told the court.
The government has implicated three ministers in the iron sheets scandal, including Minister for Economic Planning, Amos Lugoloobi, whose case returns to court in May 2025, and former minister Mary Gorreti Kitutu, whose trial was halted pending an appeal in which she contests allegations of torture during state custody.
The Inspector General of Government (IGG) claims that between February and June 2022, while serving as Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Kitutu failed to conduct various peace-building activities in the Karamoja sub-region, resulting in a financial loss of 1.5 billion shillings to the government.
Nandutu has now become the second person to be found with a case to answer about the iron sheets meant for the vulnerable people of Karamoja.
In 2024, State Minister for Economic Planning, Amos Lugoloobi, was also found with a case to answer over similar charges.
