Equal Opportunities Commission boss faces prison if she skips court again

The troubled head of Equal Opportunities Commission, Mrs. Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi could end up in prison, should she skip court again.

The Anti-Corruption Court, yesterday Wednesday, September 30, 2020, issued criminal summons for Ntambi to appear on 7th October to answer 3 counts that include charges of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Section 309 of the Penal Code Act. She is jointly accused with Moses Mugabe, a Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, and Mujuni Mpitsi, the Secretary to the Commission.

The summons were issued by the chief magistrate, Pamela Lamunu Ocaya.

 “You are hereby commanded by the Government to appear in the Anti-Corruption Court at Kololo on October 7^th at 09:00 am so that the case can be heard,” the magistrate ordered.

This followers prayers from the State Prosecutor from the Office of DPP, Edwin Amanya to have Ms. Ntambi produced in court to take plea, since all the co-accused have taken plea and investigations are complete.  

“I pray that you summon the accused because investigations are already complete and the matter is scheduled for trial,” he requested court.

Ms. Muwebwa was charged in absentia in the Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, and despite her lawyers, committing to produce her in court on September 30 to take a plea, she was a no-show. 

According to a charge sheet signed by Jane Frances Abodo, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ntambi and the co-accused “between 19th November 2018 and 3oth April 2019 conspired to defraud the government of Uganda a sum of Uganda Shillings Thirty-Five Million, Two Thousand (UGX35,002,000). The money was “purportedly for undertaking an audit exercise of Rural Electrification Programme in Uganda” which activity is said not to have taken place.  

The Chairperson is also involved in another conspiracy to defraud charge, involving UGX9,480,000. In this particular case, she is jointly charged with Mujuni Mpitsi, Agnes Edith Kamahoro, a Senior Personal Secretary and Olwor Sunday Nicholas, the Commission’s Undersecretary.

“Sylvia Muwebwa Ntambi between July 2018 and April 2019 at Equal Opportunities Commission offices in the Kampala District, being employed in the Commission as the Chairperson, neglected her duty of directing the affairs and administration of the Commission, thereby leading to gross mismanagement of the Commission Funds,” reads part of the charges.  

Whistleblower raises new corruption charges against Ntambi

Other than the charges in the Anti-Corruption Court, a new whistleblower report to President Museveni, Ntambi is also accused of embezzling the Commission’s funds through inflated and non-existent trips abroad, workshops and seminars.  

For example, the whistle-blower alleges that in March 2020 she travelled to New York for the Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). For this meeting, she was paid Shs36.8m for 17 days yet the meeting was for 13 days.

It is also alleged that between April 6 and April 16, she received Shs27.2 million for a 12-day benchmarking trip in Sweden and Finland, but according to the whistle-blower this meeting did not take place.

Ms Ntambi has also been accused of using her powers to direct payment of salary advances to herself, contrary to internal finance rules. She for example in March 2016 is said to have directed to be paid a salary advance of UGX37.3 million and another UGX40.3 million in February 2, 2017.