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The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has sentenced two former senior Ibanda District officials to 18 months in prison each for illegally selling government land.
Matsiko Mutwingire Abert, the former Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Ibanda, and Nuwagira Tom, the District Natural Resources Officer, were convicted of abuse of office after they unlawfully allocated 13 hectares of protected forest reserve land to a private farmers’ cooperative.
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The court found that the duo acted outside their authority when they granted part of the Ibanda Forest Reserve to the Rukokoma Mixed Farmers Cooperative Society without obtaining the legally required degazettement of the land.
In addition to their prison sentences, the convicts were each ordered to pay UGX 10,470,000 in compensation to Ibanda District to cover the financial loss incurred during efforts to recover the land.
The judgement underscores the government’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on corruption and the illegal disposal of public assets. The Ibanda Forest Reserve is designated protected land, and its conversion for private use without due legal process was deemed a serious breach of public trust.
The case, prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), is one of several recent high-profile convictions signaling a firmer stance on accountability within local government structures.
