Court Remands Kitagwenda LC5 Chairperson Over Alleged Sale of District Jobs

The State House Anti-Corruption Unit, in Collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Uganda Police Force and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, has arrested and arraigned the Kitagwenda District LC5 Chairperson, Mushemeza Ismail Kambanda, on multiple counts of obtaining money by false pretenses. Kambanda appeared before the Kamwenge Magistrates Court and was remanded until January 6, 2026.

According to investigators, Kambanda, together with accomplices who are still at large, is accused of defrauding several job seekers between 2024 and 2025. The suspects allegedly promised victims employment opportunities, mainly in the Nursing and Midwifery departments of Kitagwenda District, despite the absence of any approved job vacancies.

The case followed complaints from residents of Kitagwenda District who accused the LC5 Chairperson of extorting money from them under the guise of securing district jobs. Victims reported paying between UGX 5 million and UGX 15 million, either directly to Kambanda or through his agents. In return, they were issued what later turned out to be fake appointment letters and forged minutes purportedly from the District Service Commission.

Problems arose when the victims attempted to report for duty and discovered that the appointment letters were not genuine and that the promised positions did not exist. Efforts to recover the money reportedly failed after Kambanda declined to refund the payments. The affected individuals subsequently reported the matter to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which coordinated with Kitagwenda Police and local leaders to launch formal investigations.

Investigators further revealed that upon learning of the ongoing inquiries, Kambanda abandoned his office and went into hiding for several months before he was eventually tracked down and arrested.

Authorities say investigations into the matter are still ongoing and have appealed to anyone who may have been extorted by the LC5 Chairperson to report to the police to aid the probe.

The arrest comes as part of a broader national effort to combat corruption, particularly in district-level recruitment through District Service Commissions. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has repeatedly emphasized the need to eliminate the sale of government jobs. To date, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit has carried out investigations in more than 20 districts, including Mpigi, Gomba, Kyankwanzi, and Mukono, leading to the arraignment of over 15 officials on various corruption-related charges.