The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has sentenced Matsiko Mutwingire Abert, the former Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Ibanda District, and Nuwagira Tom, the District Natural Resources Officer, to 18 months in prison.
The duo was convicted of Abuse of Office for their role in the unlawful sale of government land.
In addition to their prison terms, both officials have been ordered to pay a compensation fee of UGX 10,470,000 each to Ibanda District. This sum is intended to cover the financial loss incurred by the district in its efforts to recover the land that was illegally disposed of.
The charges stemmed from their actions in granting 13 hectares of the Ibanda Forest Reserve to the Rukokoma Mixed Farmers Cooperative Society.
The court found that Mutwingire and Nuwagira proceeded with this transaction without first obtaining the necessary degazettement of the reserve, a critical legal step required to remove land from its protected status. They were arrested under the State House Anti -Corruption Unit operation.
The SH-ACU was established under the directive of the President to coordinate citizens’ corruption complaints to the presidency with other constitutionally mandated agencies. Its aim is to ensure speedy resolution of these complaints. It often acts as a direct link between public complaints and high-level intervention. It conducts operations, investigates, and facilitates arrests and charges, often in collaboration with the Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
Often involved in highly publicized operations and has a dedicated online platform for reporting corruption.