On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, the Anti-Corruption Court remanded Ms. Amina Mutesi, Jinja City’s Principal Education Officer, on charges of abuse of office.
The State House’s Anti-Corruption Unit, the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), and the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) arraigned the educationist before the court this afternoon. Ms. Mutesi joins her co-accused, Haruna Mulopa, an Education Officer, and Samuel Ngobi, an Assistant Sports Officer of Jinja City, who were earlier charged.
According to the prosecution, Ms. Mutesi, being the Principal Education Officer, abused her authority by irregularly ordering headteachers of several government-aided schools in Jinja City to divert UPE capitation grants sent to their schools by the government to other activities within the city.
This act contravened the UPE Guidelines and Regulations for handling public funds.
Sitting in Kololo, Kampala, the Anti-Corruption Court, presided over by Grade One Magistrate Christopher Opit, remanded her to Luzira Prison.
Mutesi, who had been on the run since last month, surrendered herself to the State House Anti-Corruption Police and was subsequently apprehended and charged.
She escaped arrest on August 21, 2024, when anti-corruption agencies came for Mulopa and his colleague Ngobi.
Meanwhile, the same court arraigned Aaron Siribaleka, alias Bishop, of a Pentecostal Church in Kampala, and Chief Director of the Youth Vulnerable Children and Orphans Alliance Africa, on charges of obtaining money by false pretenses at the Mbale Chief Magistrates Court.
It is alleged that between 2018 and 2019, the accused, with intent to defraud, used his organization to obtain over UGX 390M from pastors, parents, and prospective businessmen in the Bugisu region.
The victims paid the money through Child Development Centres (CDCs) with promises of education grants, scholarships, jobs after training, and capital for their businesses, among other opportunities, which never materialized. Siribaleka was remanded until September 25, 2024.
