KAMPALA, Uganda — The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has assumed control of the case against two former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) employees accused of causing the government a financial loss of 4.8 billion shillings ($1.27 million).
UNRA had previously held the mandate to prosecute cases on behalf of the ODPP, but that authority was revoked following UNRA’s return to the Ministry of Works last year.
The defendants include former UNRA Supplies Officer John Mbidde and Engineer Gilbert Kibuuka. They are charged alongside two employees of Luna’s Enterprises Limited: General Manager Richard Ssenkungu and company director Alex Mukomazi Lutaaya.
Last November, UNRA legal officer Lydia Katami informed the Anti-Corruption Court that the case file would be returned to the ODPP for further management due to the change in prosecutorial rights.
The head of the Anti-Corruption Court at the time, Justice Lawrence Gidudu, granted an adjournment until April 29 and 30 to allow the prosecution to prepare for the hearing. Justice Gidudu has since been transferred to Jinja High Court, and Justice Michael Elubu has taken over the case. Registrar Patrick Talisuna adjourned the matter last week to May 29 and June 10 for the hearing before Justice Elubu.
According to the charge sheet, under the first count of causing financial loss, prosecutors allege that in October and November 2019, at UNRA central offices stores in Mpigi District, Mbidde, while employed by UNRA, irregularly issued goods received notes indicating that Luna’s Enterprise Ltd. had fully delivered guardrails and related accessories worth 11 billion shillings. The prosecution contends that Mbidde knew his actions would cause a financial loss of 4.8 billion shillings to UNRA.
Under the second count of causing financial loss, prosecutors allege that Kibuuka, employed as a roads maintenance engineer at UNRA offices in Kampala during the same period, signed two different goods received notes falsely indicating that Luna’s Enterprises had fully supplied guardrails and related accessories worth 1 billion shillings to UNRA.
Under the third count, the prosecution avers that Ssenkungu, while employed by Luna’s Enterprises in November 2019, made payment requisitions totaling 11 billion shillings to the company’s account for the delivery of guardrails and related accessories, despite only partial delivery being made. Prosecutors claim Ssenkungu knew his actions would cause a financial loss of 4.8 billion shillings to UNRA.
All four defendants are also jointly charged with conspiracy to defraud. Prosecutors allege that between October 2019 and June 2020, the quartet conspired to defraud UNRA of over 4.8 billion shillings.
