The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recalled Uganda’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Nelson Ocheger, following a damning investigation into alleged financial misconduct at the High Commission in Abuja. The scandal, which unfolded between 2022 and early 2024, has triggered widespread calls for accountability within Uganda’s foreign service.
According to findings from the Auditor-General, and investigations led by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), over UGX 300 million in supplementary wage funding went unaccounted for. More alarmingly, on August 31, 2023, the mission transferred US $1 million (approximately UGX 3.7 billion) from the High Commission’s Stanbic Bank account to Golden Edge Blocks Distribution Co. Ltd., a little-known company with no verifiable ties to the embassy.
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The funds were reportedly sent under the pretext of “project funds to Naira project account,” yet no evidence exists of any services rendered by the firm. Investigators suspect the transaction was a cover to exploit black-market exchange rates, turning the embassy into a channel for illicit financial gain.
While junior officers and the financial attaché executed the transaction, senior officials assert that Ambassador Ocheger was aware of and potentially complicit in the dealings. His attempt to have Mr. Eriya Tusubira, the embassy’s accounting officer, removed and his bank signatory rights revoked in the middle of the probe has been interpreted as a deliberate act of obstruction—an authority only held by Uganda’s Ministry of Finance.
The consequences were immediate. Staff at the mission went without salaries for months, and the commissioning of Uganda House Abuja, the new chancery building, was postponed indefinitely. The embassy’s operations ground to a halt, drawing criticism from both parliamentary leaders and civil society back in Kampala.
In April 2025, Ambassador Ocheger was recalled. No formal public defense or response has been issued by him or his legal team. The government has submitted a full investigative report to the Office of the President, and further disciplinary or prosecutorial action is pending.
The case has exposed deeper issues of oversight within Uganda’s diplomatic service. A separate probe is also ongoing at the Ugandan Consulate in Dubai, where allegations include misuse of diplomatic privileges and involvement with gambling operations.
As part of a wider crackdown, several envoys are being recalled, and reforms to improve fiscal accountability in embassies and consulates are being rolled out. According to Ministry sources, the government is determined to restore trust in Uganda’s foreign missions and demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption.