KAMPALA – Five staff members from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) were on July 26 arraigned before the Kololo-based Anti-Corruption court and charged with 21 counts relating to Embezzlement, Abuse of Office, Causing Financial loss, and conspiracy to defraud the Commission of over UGX 100 million.
The suspects include; Senior Personal Secretary Agnes Enid Kamahoro, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Moses Mugaba, Secretary, Kwihangana Manasseh the Principal Compliance Officer Mujuni Mpitsi and the Accounts Assistant Ronnie Kwesiga.
The quintet appeared before the Grade One Magistrate, Abert Asiimwe and denied the allegations.
The group applied for bail through their lawyers on grounds that the offence they are charged with a bail-able misdemeanour, they also argued that they each have a fixed place of abode, and they have collective substantial guarantors among others legal requirements.
Prosecution led by Kwezi Asiimwe alleges that between November/2018 and February this year, at Equal Opportunities Commission, in performance of their duties they caused payment of per diem to various officers for editing of Draft Equal Opportunities Commission HIV/AIDS workplace policy; yet those officers were not entitled to it.
They are further accused of having irregularly processed and approved payment to unauthorized persons, purportedly for a sensitization programme in Karamoja Sub-region, knowing or having reason to believe that their actions would cause financial loss to their employer.
They were granted bail with orders that Kamahoro and Mpitsi pay a cash bail of UGX 4m each before leaving prison custody, while Mugabe, Kwihangana, and Kwesiga pay UGX 2.5 million each, they were also ordered to deposit their passports in court.
Four other officials including; Senior Accountant Harriet Byangire, Under Secretary Nicholas Olwor Sunday, Principal Compliance Officer Evans Jjemba and an Office Attendant Sarah Nassanga have been issued with criminal summons to appear in court on August 26, 2019.