By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with
Published on 2024-01-22 03:06:04
Karamoja Affairs minister Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono has accused the Inspectorate General of Government (IGG) Beti Kamya of being lawless and irrational after being summoned over causing a loss of Shs 1.5 billion. Grade one magistrate Christopher Opit has summoned Kitutu to appear before the Anti-Corruption court on February 29 over her alleged failure to perform her duties between February and June 2022 as minister for Karamoja Affairs, well knowing or having reason to believe that her omission would cause financial loss and indeed caused a loss of Shs 1,555,365,000 to the government of Uganda.
In a statement, Kitutu stated that she has been sick for nearly two weeks and maintains her innocence, saying she is not an accounting officer to be held accountable for the loss of funds. She challenged the IGG, reminding Kamya about her own 2022 case against the attorney general where she challenged the recommendations of the public accounts committee of parliament.
Kitutu’s lawyer, Jude Byamukama, stated that the IGG ought to know the importance of due process, avoiding biased investigations and the role of courts in protecting all individuals against lawlessness by government agencies. Kitutu’s challenge to the IGG is based on her denial of any withdrawals of funds or requisitions for funding for such purposes. She also questioned how the failure to perform activities allegedly resulted in the loss of government funds.
This is the second file being levied against Kitutu in less than a year, with the first one being where she is implicated in the diversion of iron sheets in OPM whose trial is starting next month. Kitutu has challenged the summons issued against her by the IGG, which have now resulted in these criminal summons. The ruling is expected on January 31. Kitutu is being charged alongside secretary/accounting officer Geoffrey Sseremba, under secretary/head of department Deogratius Masagazi, and pacification and development programme accountant, Tracy Atuhirwe – all from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
The summons follows the amendment of charges by the IGG against seven OPM officials – dropping five of them and maintaining two, including Sseremba and Masagazi. The amended charge sheet has now introduced Kitutu and Atuhirwe. Sseremba and Masagazi, who were present in court, have been charged afresh with corruption and maintained their previous plea of not guilty. Through their lawyers, they applied and were granted bail. It is alleged that they authorized a total cash payment of Shs 2.23 billion to various staff within OPM, including Kitutu, for their own selfish benefits.
Read the original article on The Observer
