Court clerk jailed for hiding files

KABERAMAIDO - The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kaberamaido has sentenced a court clerk to one year and two months in prison over unlawful possession of court files.

Chief Magistrate Patricia Ndagire handed down the sentence after finding that Emmanuel Osege, a former clerk at Dokolo Chief Magistrate’s Court, kept two case files at his home and used them to demand money.

The court heard that the files were recovered from Osege’s residence in Abota village during a Police search linked to investigations into office breaking and theft of a court computer.

In a judgment dated April 29, 2026, the chief magistrate said the convict abused his position by removing and hiding files that were pending hearing, forcing the court to make duplicate files.

“The prosecution proved all the ingredients of the offence of unlawful possession of government stores against the accused person beyond reasonable doubt.  The accused person is therefore found guilty of the offence as charged,” Ndagire ruled.

The magistrate observed that although unlawful possession of government stores is a misdemeanour attracting a lighter sentence, committing it as a court clerk erodes public confidence in the judiciary services and stands against the judiciary's mission of effectively and efficiently administering justice.

She described the act as a betrayal of judicial values and warned court staff against misusing their positions to hide court files.

The court heard that the concealed files related to two criminal cases handled by the Dokolo Chief Magistrate’s Court involving Bosco Okuma, who is battling charges of demanding money with menaces and obtaining money by false pretences.

During the trial, the state, represented by Irene Nambozo, presented four witnesses, including police officers and a court process server, who testified that the files were found in the convict’s house.

The convict was represented by lawyer George Engwau, who later withdrew as his legal representative.

The witnesses included Cpl. John Martin Odida, Superintendent of Police, Absolom Mpala, Constable Debora Grace and Susan Akello, a process server and in charge of archives at Dokolo Chief Magistrates Court.

The magistrate noted that the convict was no longer serving as a court clerk at Dokolo Chief Magistrates Court and, upon transfer to Kaberamaido Chief Magistrates Court, ought to have formally handed over any property belonging to his former station.