The public prosecutor’s office in Uganda is planning to charge a minister with corruption for stealing metal roofing sheets intended to assist people in the troubled northeastern Karamoja region.
Ministers are rarely prosecuted for corruption in Uganda, where misappropriation of public money and materials is common.
Karamoja, a remote region bordering Kenya and South Sudan, is home to pastoral nomads who are susceptible to frequent droughts and lethal cattle raids.
According to a story in the government-owned New Vision daily, police arrested three close relatives of Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu in February for selling metal roofing sheets emblazoned with “Office of the Prime Minister.”
The Director of Public Prosecutions announced late Wednesday that Kitutu would be charged with corruption and conspiracy to commit a felony “for diverting iron sheets meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme.”
Kitutu, who is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, could not be contacted for comment right away. Last month, she appeared before a parliamentary committee and apologised for mismanaging the distribution of building supplies.
