Former Minister Nandutu Appeals After Conviction Over 2,000 OPM Iron Sheets

Former Karamoja Affairs State Minister Agnes Nandutu has moved to the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn her conviction and four-year prison sentence in the iron sheets case.

Nandutu, who is also the former Bududa District Woman Member of Parliament, was convicted on April 8, 2026, by Anti-Corruption Court Judge Jane Okuo Kajuga on charges of dealing with suspect property involving 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets marked “Office of the Prime Minister.”

The court found that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Nandutu knowingly received and held the government-owned iron sheets, which were allegedly part of materials procured for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme.

While delivering the judgment, Justice Kajuga rejected Nandutu’s defence that the iron sheets were intended for people in Bududa, saying there was no documentary evidence showing that the materials were allocated to the district or specific beneficiaries.

“There is no indication in any of the documents that these iron sheets were intended for the people of Bududa,” the judge ruled.

However, in her appeal filed on July 2, 2026, Nandutu argues that the trial court made errors in both law and fact when arriving at the conviction.

Through her legal team led by Nandaah Wamukoota, with lawyers Evans Ochieng and John Nalela, Nandutu wants the Court of Appeal to overturn the conviction, sentence and all related orders issued by the Anti-Corruption Court.

She has also applied for bail pending the hearing and determination of her appeal.

In her grounds of appeal, Nandutu argues that the prosecution failed to prove that the 2,000 iron sheets were obtained through an offence under the Anti-Corruption Act.

She further challenges the interpretation of Section 21A (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act, describing the provision as unclear and broadly interpreted by the trial court.

Nandutu also contends that the lower court wrongly concluded that the iron sheets had been diverted from their intended beneficiaries, arguing that there was no sufficient evidence linking the materials in her possession to the alleged diversion.

According to her appeal, the prosecution failed to prove that the iron sheets she received were part of the 10,000 iron sheets meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme.

She also faults the trial judge for allegedly overlooking contradictions in the prosecution’s evidence, which she says created reasonable doubt in the case.

Nandutu has further challenged the four-year custodial sentence, describing it as harsh and excessive.

The case stems from the wider Karamoja iron sheets scandal in which government materials meant for vulnerable communities were allegedly diverted.

Other people who have faced charges over the scandal include former Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu, her brother Michael Kitutu Naboya, and former personal assistant Joshua Abaho.

The trial of Kitutu and her co-accused is yet to resume before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala.

The Court of Appeal will now consider Nandutu’s arguments and determine whether to uphold the conviction and sentence or grant her appeal.