Kampala — The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has convicted and sentenced Matsiko Mutwingire Abert, the former Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Ibanda District, and Nuwagira Tom, the District Natural Resources Officer, to 18 months in prison for their roles in the illegal sale of government land. The two officials were found guilty of Abuse of Office after unlawfully allocating 13 hectares of land within the Ibanda Forest Reserve to the Rukokoma Mixed Farmers Cooperative Society, without following the proper legal process of degazetting the forest reserve.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered both convicts to pay UGX 10,470,000 each to Ibanda District as compensation for the financial losses the district incurred in efforts to reclaim the public land.
The conviction follows a successful prosecution led by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), in collaboration with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, as part of ongoing efforts to curb corruption and protect public resources.
“This ruling sends a strong message to public officers that abuse of office and mismanagement of public assets will not go unpunished,” a State House Anti-Corruption Unit official commented following the judgment.
The Ibanda Forest Reserve remains under government protection, and authorities are urging the public to report any similar cases of illegal land allocation.
Torch Media Africa
