Uganda's Justice Minister Nobert Mao and Ugandan jurist convicted in UK, Lydia Mugambe. PHOTO/COMBO
Uganda has signed bilateral statutory instruments with the United Kingdom, China, Turkey and South Korea to transfer convicted prisoners between the countries, Monitor confirms.
Uganda's Justice Minister Norbert Mao formalised the agreements on April 3 under Section 1 of the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Act.
“In exercise of the powers conferred on the minister responsible for justice by the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Act, this Instrument is made this day of April, 2025,” the document reads.
The pacts allow Ugandan nationals jailed in partner countries to serve the remainder of their sentences at home and permit foreign nationals convicted in Uganda to be repatriated.
When asked on Wednesday whether the United Kingdom accord was specifically negotiated to facilitate the return of Justice Lydia Mugambe, who was convicted of modern slavery in Britain in February, Mao clarified that the agreement applies equally to all eligible offenders, not to any individual case. He did not elaborate further.
When this reporter pressed Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Vincent Bagiire for comment, he referred inquiries back to the Justice Ministry.
“That matter is with the Ministry of Justice. They are in a better position to confirm which instrument can be applied,” Bagiire said.
The agreements come less than two weeks before Mugambe’s sentencing at Oxford Crown Court on May 2.
The jurist, a Ugandan High Court judge on sabbatical at Oxford University, was found guilty of luring a fellow Ugandan to the UK and forcing her to work unpaid as a domestic “maid and nanny.”
Thames Valley Police launched their inquiry on February 10, 2023, after receiving a report that the victim was being held as a slave at Mugambe’s Oxfordshire address.
“A protracted and complex investigation involving several partners then ensued, during which Thames Valley Police established that Mugambe had obtained a visa for the victim to work in the UK,” the force’s website states.
They added: “However, the terms of this visa were that the victim would be paid to work for the then Deputy High Commissioner at the Ugandan Embassy in London, John Mugerwa. Mugambe paid for the victim’s plane ticket to the UK, picked her up from the airport, and thereafter the victim became Mugambe’s slave, carrying out unpaid work as a domestic maid and nanny.”
Prosecutors allege that Mugerwa, who –at the time- enjoyed diplomatic immunity, sponsored the visa in exchange for legal assistance from Mugambe on a separate case in Uganda. The government did not waive his immunity, and no charges have been brought against him.
Close sources say Mugambe’s defence has claimed she was targeted by an individual seeking asylum and a work permit. She remains in custody pending sentence.
About the swap
Implementation of the transfer instruments will involve the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Uganda Prisons Service and foreign counterparts.
Eligible inmates must consent to transfer and meet criteria such as good behaviour and a minimum remaining sentence. Draft regulations are expected in the coming months.
