Kitutu no show at court, magistrate issues criminal summons
The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has issued a second set of criminal summons against the Minister in charge of Karamoja Affairs, Mary Gorreti Kitutu Kimono, after she failed to appear in court today. Grade one Magistrate Abert Asiimwe issued the summons.
The court received a letter from her lawyers, Jbyamukama Advocates, stating that the Minister is ill with high blood pressure.
As a result, the magistrate adjourned the case until March 19, 2024, when she is expected to appear. Minister Kitutu faces charges of causing a financial loss of Shs1.5 billion to the government by failing to conduct peace-building activities in the Karamoja sub-region.
Minister Kitutu is jointly charged with Geoffrey Seremba, the accounting officer in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Magezi Deogratius, under secretary and head of department for the pacification and development program, and Ms. Tracy Atuhairwe, an accountant from the OPM.
The prosecution alleges that between February and June 2022, while performing her duties as a minister for Karamoja Affairs, Kitutu failed to conduct peace-building activities, leading to the loss of the Shs1.5 billion.
Seremba and Magezi are accused of illegally obtaining benefits by authorizing payment of Shs2.2 billion to various staff for peace-building activities without proper due diligence.
