High Court Allows Prosecution of Minister Kitutu for Alleged Financial Mismanagement

The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has granted permission for the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to prosecute Karamoja Affairs Minister Goretti Kitutu for offenses related to causing financial loss to the government.

Minister Kitutu stands accused of failing to conduct peacebuilding activities in the Karamoja region, resulting in a loss of 1.5 billion shillings.

The court’s decision follows criminal summons issued against Minister Kitutu in January by Grade One Magistrate Christopher Opit. She is required to appear in court on February 29th, 2024, to face charges related to the alleged financial loss incurred between February and June 2022.

Kitutu sought a permanent injunction to prevent Inspector General of Government (IGG) Betty Kamya from prosecuting her for alleged mismanagement of funds designated for Peace Building Activities in Karamoja. Kitutu argued that the same matter is already under prosecution by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Anti-Corruption Court.

Kitutu wanted the court to dismiss the charges brought by the IGG, asserting that they infringe upon her right to a fair hearing. Furthermore, she sought to stop the IGG from conducting new investigations into the alleged mismanagement of the 39-billion-shilling supplementary budget, maintaining that those inquiries have already been concluded.

Despite Kitutu’s application to the High Court seeking to halt her prosecution on fresh charges, Justice Jane Kajuga ruled in favor of the IGG, affirming that her right to a fair hearing was not infringed.

The court dismissed Kitutu’s argument that the charges brought by the IGG duplicate those already prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Kitutu, along with the Office of the Prime Minister accounting officer Geoffrey Seremba and two others, will appear before Grade 1 Magistrate Christopher Opit of the Anti-Corruption Court next week.