Ugandans in UK protest ahead of Justice Mugambe court sentence
A section of Ugandans living in UK hold manila papers with protest words outside the Oxford Crown Court as it sat to pass its sentence against Ugandan High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe (inset). PHOTOS/ COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Legal analysts said the signing of the pacts, would facilitate Justice Mugambe’s return to Uganda from where she will serve her sentence and probably get a presidential pardon before she serves her entire sentence.
A concerned section of Ugandans living in the United Kingdom (UK) are protesting outside the Oxford Crown Court that is expected to sit in the next 30 minutes from now to pass its sentence against Ugandan High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe for having allegedly transported a Uganda woman to UK to work as a slave.
On March 13, this year, the court found Justice Mugambe guilty of conspiring to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration laws, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
The court went on and reserved the passing of the sentence to today.
But as the court is set to reconvene, several Ugandans have carried pla cards as a sign of discontent, arguing that the case against Justice Mugambe is an "asylum scam" and not that of "domestic slavery".
"Free Lydia Mugambe, free Lydia Mugambe Justice for Lydia..." the Ugandan community is chanting outside tye courtroom.
Some had pla cards with words inscribed on them such as; "Ugandan community together we stand and support Lydia Mugambe," "condemnation without a full cultural context equals to injustice and unfairness", wake up Britain, African judge deserves justice too", "Judge Lydia deserves fairness not rush to judgment", "who is exploiting who in this case", and Lydia Mugambe is a descent community head not a criminal"
The offense of modern slavery in the UK carries up to the maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
Justice Mugambe, 50, a High Court judge, who was at the time pursuing her PhD in law at Oxford University, UK, allegedly lured a Ugandan girl into the UK and forced her to work as an unpaid domestic maid and nanny.
The prosecutors said Justice Mugambe took “advantage of her status” over her victim in the “most egregious way” by steady employment and forcing her to work as her maid and provide childcare for free.
This was after the Thames Valley Police launched their inquiry on February 10, 2023, after receiving a report that the victim was being held as a slave at Justice 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 stated.
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.”
But close family sources have insisted that the judge is a victim of a scheme by a Ugandan woman whom she helped to travel to the UK but instead joined bad groups who misadvised her on what strategies she could use to quickly get asylum there.
It’s believed that when the woman in question reached the UK, her peers advised her to report to the police that she was being held by the judge against her will that is when the police swung in and had the judge charged.
The sentencing of Justice Mugambe comes barely three weeks after Justice Minister Norbert Mao on behalf of Uganda, signed bilateral statutory instruments with the United Kingdom, China, Turkey, and South Korea to transfer convicted prisoners between the countries, Monitor confirms.
“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 13, 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.
Legal analysts said the signing of the pacts, would facilitate Justice Mugambe’s return to Uganda from where she will serve her sentence and probably get a presidential pardon before she serves her entire sentence.
