Three officials from Fort Portal City have been brought before the Anti-Corruption Court on charges of Abuse of Office. The officials were arraigned by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), along with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The accused include Richard Kagaba Ndora, the former acting Deputy Town Clerk, Susan Kyomuhendo, a Senior Assistant Secretary to the City Service Commission, and Ben Mutooro Musinguzi, an office assistant and assistant records officer.
According to a statement from SHACU, the officials are accused of misusing their positions between November 2022 and July 2023. They allegedly forged and distributed appointment letters to 23 applicants without obtaining the required clearance from the Public Service.
The appointment letters were reportedly backdated to June 29, 2023, in an attempt to bypass a suspension issued by the Ministry of Public Service on June 30, 2023, which halted all recruitments that did not have proper clearance.
The statement further explained that the officials ignored multiple previous directives from the Ministry of Public Service and the Public Service Commission regarding proper recruitment procedures.
The suspects have been remanded to Luzira prison and will remain there until their next court appearance on December 4, 2024.
If found guilty under Section 11(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, the officials could face up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to UGX 5.3 million.
