Equal Opportunities boss summoned over corruption

The Anti-Corruption Court yesterday issued criminal summons to Ms Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi, the chairperson of Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), to answer several corruption charges.
According to the charge sheet presented before the court in Kololo, Ms Ntambi now joins nine other suspects from the same commission.
The nine senior officials were charged last year but are out of prison on bail.
The charge sheet states that the officials face 25 corruption-related cases ranging from causing financial loss, conspiracy to defraud, embezzlement, corruption, abuse of office.
Ms Ntambi was not present in court when the charge sheet was read as she was reportedly away in Mbale and Kumi districts on official duty. She was represented by her lawyer, Mr Hanan Kaggwa.
Court presided over by Chief Magistrate Pamela Lamunu Ocaya issued criminal summons for her to appear on September 30 to plead to the charges.

Co-accused
Her co-accused are Ms Agnes Enid Kamahoro, 48, the senior personal secretary, Mr Moses Mugabe, 38, a senior monitoring and evaluation officer, Mr Mujuni Mpitsi, 49, secretary, Ms Harriet Byangire, 37, a senior accountant, Mr Ronnie Kwesiga, 33, acting accounts assistant, Mr Evans Jjemba, 35, principal compliance officer, Mr Manasseh Kwihangana, 39, a senior compliance officer.
Others are Ms Sarah Nassanga, 43, an office attendant and Mr Nicholas Sunday Olwor, 51, an under secretary.
The chief government prosecutor said Ms Ntambi’s negligence led to gross mismanagement of the commission’s funds between July 2018 and April 2019.
Ms Ntambi, Ms Kamahoro and Mr Mpitsi between January 6, 2019 and April 30, 2019, allegedly conspired to defraud government of more than Shs9m. Under the charge of abuse of office, Mr Mugabe, Mr Mpitsi and Mr Kwihangana are accused of abusing their authority when they fraudulently processed, requisitioned and approved Shs29m in January last year purportedly for undertaking sensitisation programmes in Karamoja Sub-region whereas not.
In a separate count, Ms Kamahoro, Mr Mpitsi, and Mr Olwor in December 2018, allegedly processed, requisitioned and approved Shs19m purportedly for development of the first and second draft of Equal Opportunities Commission HIV/Aids workplace policy, knowing their acts would cause government a financial loss.