Ugandan officials face court over payroll fraud and bribery

Ugandan authorities have secured convictions and remands in separate corruption cases involving local government officials.

In Bugweri District, Human Resource Officer Wilson Byekwaso was convicted by the Anti-Corruption Court for causing a loss of Shs125.37 million to the government. Byekwaso pleaded guilty to creating three ghost employees—Kadijja Namusubo, Policap Mukisa, and Robert Muziraki—on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System. The individuals, who were never recruited or employed at Busembatia Secondary School, received salaries between November 2022 and February 2024. The court ordered Byekwaso to refund the full amount, pay a Shs3.26 million fine, and barred him from holding public office for 10 years. He faces a seven-year jail term in default of payment.

Separately, former Mukono District Speaker Betty Hope Nakasi has been remanded to prison following allegations of soliciting a Shs2 million bribe. Prosecutors allege Nakasi claimed she could influence the Mukono District Service Commission to secure a promotion for a procurement officer in exchange for the payment. The case is part of a broader investigation into the illegal sale of government positions within the Mukono Local Government. Nakasi is scheduled to return to court on October 21, 2026.