Prosecutors said Lydia Mugambe, 49, took “advantage of her status” over her victim by preventing her from holding down steady employment and forcing her to work as her maid.
The Oxford Crown Court in the UK on Friday sentenced Ugandan High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe, who was convicted in March of multiple charges related to modern slavery, to six years and four months. This was after being convicted of forcing a young woman to work as a slave.
Justice David Foxton presided over the sentencing session, which kicked off at 10:30am in the UK.
Justice Mugambe was sentenced under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which provides the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. This applies to both holding someone in slavery or servitude and arranging or facilitating the travel of another person for exploitation, which includes human trafficking.
She was found guilty in March of conspiring to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work and conspiracy to intimidate a witness after a trial at Oxford Crown Court.
In footage released by Thames Valley Police, Mugambe appeared shocked when an officer said he was arresting her under the Modern Slavery Act.
She then had a conversation with the officer, in which she said: “I am a judge in my country, I even have immunity. I am not a criminal.”
Caroline Haughey KC, prosecuting, told jurors during the trial that Mugambe exploited her victim by taking advantage of her lack of knowledge about employment rights and misleading her about why she came to the UK.
Mugambe was found guilty by the Oxford Crown Court of manipulating a young woman she had sponsored to work as her maid, as she pursued a law doctorate at the University of Oxford.
Prosecutors alleged that Mugambe abused her authority by preventing the young woman from seeking paid employment, instead forcing her to work unpaid as a maid and childcare provider.
The victim, who Mugambe helped escape Kampala poverty and reach the UK after paying all travel documents (visa fees, air tickets) with a promise of changing her life, turned against her and told the court she suffered isolation and emotional distress due to restrictions on her freedom (that she couldn’t even tour the city, make friends or a second job, until she was advised to seek legal means by someone who she secretly met.
Jurors agreed that Mugambe conspired with Ugandan deputy high commissioner John Leonard Mugerwa to bring the woman to the UK.
Prosecutors said they took part in a “very dishonest” trade-off, in which Mugerwa arranged for the Ugandan High Commission to sponsor the woman’s entrance into the UK in exchange for Mugambe attempting to speak to a judge who was in charge of legal action in which Mugerwa was named.
Jurors also accepted that the defendant conspired to intimidate the woman to have her withdraw her support for the prosecution, or the charges against her to be dropped.
The charge said Mugambe contacted a pastor to assist in making contact with the woman, arranged for members of the woman’s family to be contacted so they could persuade her to drop the case, and arranged for an email to be sent directly to her.
The 49-yearold Judge denied forcing her victim to do household chores and said she “always” treated her with love, care and patience.
“I came here as a student; I don’t need anyone to work for me. I didn’t come with her, she asked me because she has worked at my home before, she asked me,” Mugambe informed court.
LAWYERS ON OPTIONS FOR MUGAMBE
When contacted, constitutional lawyer Peter Walubiri said there are three options that may be available to her.
These include lodging an appeal against her conviction and sentence, taking advantage of Uganda adding UK to the list of the countries it can exchange prisoners, so that she can be brought back and serve her sentence in Uganda or a political option, whereby the Government can engage the King to offer her a pardon.
“The King has powers to pardon any convict in UK and this makes this option also available to her, but whether it will happen or not, it will depend on the political will,” Walubiri said.
On whether her conviction will lead to her removal from office, he said it is not automatic, as a complaint has to first be lodged with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) by any aggrieved person and determine whether her conviction over the charges amount to misbehaviour or misconduct.
“These offences were not in the course of her judicial duties and it is unchartered territory on whether the judge’s conduct outside office amounts to misconduct or misbehaviour,” Walubiri said.
John Bosco Mudde, another senior lawyer, stated that the foreign ministry can engage with the UK through diplomatic channels to facilitate the judge’s service of the sentence in Uganda.
“This can be achieved under the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Act, as provided for in Statutory Instrument No. 37 of 2023. The law enables Uganda and the UK to exchange convicted persons, allowing them to serve their sentences in their home countries within a framework of mutual cooperation between the two nations,” Mudde said.
According to Mudde, the arrangement is largely diplomatic in nature, as the judge was convicted by a competent court of law.
Another lawyer, who preferred to remain anonymous, noted that beyond serving the sentence, the judge could also apply for a more lenient, noncustodial sentence, such as community service, depending on the circumstances.
A community service sentence means a court may, instead of sending a convicted person to prison, order them to perform unpaid work for the benefit of the community.
However, the Modern Slavery Act of 2015, the offence for which Mugambe was convicted, carries a sentence ranging from 14 years to life imprisonment.
The abover law defines modern slavery as compelling or coercing someone to work against their will, or arranging for a person to be exploited.
This includes holding individuals in slavery or servitude, or forcing them to perform labour under threat, coercion, or abuse of power.
The option of appeal, lawyers said, is within 14 days after sentencing.
Additional reporting by Farooq Kasule and Edward Anyoli
UGANDANS IN THE UK PROTEST
On Friday, the Uganda community in Oxford issued a statement expressing their deep concern regarding the guilty verdict on Mugambe and the allegations of domestic slavery brought against her by her maid, whom they claimed she supported for many years.
“We believe that Mugambe’s case reflects a troubling miscarriage of justice, particularly when viewed without the full cultural, relational and factual context elements, which appear to have been either misunderstood or insufficiently considered by the adjudicating authorities,” the statement noted.
Ugandans noted in their statement that: “Justice Mugambe facilitated the young lady to access professional opportunities in the UK, an offer that was accepted voluntarily. Despite arrangements for employment and accommodation elsewhere, the young woman insisted on remaining with Justice Mugambe, who, out of kindness and concern, acquiesced. This generosity, though perhaps in tension with immigration rules, stemmed from compassion, not coercion.”
“Regrettably, it is sought that this young lady got involved with individuals who allegedly advised her to seek asylum and she filed a claim of domestic slavery, a claim we believe was made in bad faith, potentially as a means of manipulating the UK’s immigration and asylum system. The young lady took advantage by seeking sympathy as a victim after claiming a power imbalance, due to Mugambe’s high professional background and high positions of power as well as social class,” the statement noted.
Ugandans in UK also said it is troubling that a woman that Mugambe struggled with in Uganda and trusted with her children in UK could act in a way that caused her harm.
“What is most alarming is the apparent lack of critical evidence considered during proceedings, as well as the heavy reliance on a singular narrative. The relationship between these two individuals was deeply rooted in cultural norms of extended family and mutual support, not exploitation. The portrayal of Justice Mugambe as an oppressor mischaracterises a long history of goodwill and mentorship,”
Ugandans living in the UK said in their statement.
The statement further noted that: “Justice must be based on a holistic, evidence-based approach that includes cultural context and long-term relational dynamics. In this case, we fear that a respected figure renowned for her integrity and service has been unjustly maligned, with her support and kindness misinterpreted as abuse.”
“As a community, we feel that UK judicial system, perhaps on this occasion, lacked a call for a comprehensive and impartial reassessment of this case, taking into account the full spectrum of facts and cultural nuances. True justice requires more than legal formalism; it requires context, fairness and the courage to distinguish between genuine abuse and the exploitation of legal systems,” Ugandans added in their statement.
GOVERNMENT MOVES TO SAVE MUGAMBE
In April this year, the Government formally extended the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Act to the UK — opening a legal pathway for the potential return of Ugandan nationals convicted in the UK, including Mugambe.
The move, detailed in Statutory Instrument No. 37 of 2025, was signed by justice minister Norbert Mao on April 3 and gazetted on April 14. It enables Uganda and the UK to exchange convicted persons to serve their sentences in their home countries, under a framework of mutual cooperation among Commonwealth nations.
The Transfer of Convicted Offenders Act (Cap 134) was originally enacted to allow Ugandan citizens convicted abroad to serve their sentences closer to home, while also permitting foreign nationals convicted in Uganda to return to their countries under similar terms.
Until now, however, the UK was not formally included among participating states.
