An unprecedented corruption scandal rocks the government of President Yoweri Museveni. This is the so-called “sheet metal” scandal, thousands of roofing materials intended for the inhabitants of Karamoja, the poorest region of the country, are said to have been diverted by the minister of this region for the benefit of her relatives and colleagues. In any case, this is what Mary Goretti Kitutu is accused of.
The minister of Karamoja who denies the facts, appeared Friday for the third time before the Kampala anti-corruption court for “corruption and conspiracy”, and “criminal association to defraud”. President Museveni invited himself into this affair. “They stole and must answer for their actions”: in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the president calls for firmness against all those involved in this scandal.
The same Prime Minister is among the ten senior officials, who would have benefited from the sheets diverted by Mary Goretti Kitutu. Also targeted: are the Vice-President and the Head of Parliament. The Ugandan president is demanding that they return the diverted materials or reimburse the stolen sum, the equivalent of 100,000 euros.
The affair broke out last February when the mother and brother of Mary Kitutu were arrested in possession of several sheets, intended for the inhabitants of Karamoja. It caused an outcry in Uganda, the inhabitants of Karamoja are indeed among the most vulnerable.
Last Thursday, Kitutu and his brother were charged with corruption. The minister faces ten years in prison if found guilty. It would be an unprecedented verdict in a country where corruption prosecutions of senior officials are rare.