Court grants Police access to MP Mawanda’s bank records

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The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has granted the Police permission to inspect the bank account of Igara East MP, Michael Muranga Mawanda, held at Tropical Bank.

Mawanda and five others face corruption charges in connection with a shilling 3.8 billion cooperative funding scheme.

The other accused include Geraldine Ssali (former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade), Leonard Kavundira (Principal Co-operative Officer at the Trade Ministry), Julius Kirya (lawyer), Paul Akamba (Busiki County MP), and Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudiimi (Elgon County MP).

Principal Magistrate Grade I Christopher Opit issued the directive on Thursday, July 10, 2025, following an ex parte (one-party) application filed by Chief State Attorney Annet Namatovu from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

“I have heard the submissions of the applicant as regards the application and also had the benefit to peruse the application and the affidavit of the Police officer. For the interest of the ongoing investigations, the orders sought for are hereby granted,” he ordered.

The magistrate granted Inspector of Police Didas Mfitundinda, a police officer attached to the Asset Recovery Division in the ODPP, permission to retrieve Mawanda’s bank statements dating from January 2020 to date.

He also granted him access to certified copies of account opening documents, account holder details, specimen signature cards, and cash withdrawal slips or withdrawal cheques.

In his affidavit, Mfitundinda stated that he is carrying out financial and asset-tracing investigations in a criminal case involving Mawanda and his co-accused.

Mfitundinda said inspecting Mawanda’s bank account number 2000406317 at Tropical Bank is necessary for the ongoing investigations.

Allegations

The prosecution alleges that during the 2021/2022 financial year, Ssali abused her office by irregularly introducing Buyaka Growers Co-operative Society among the cooperatives listed for government war-loss compensation, despite it not appearing in the supplementary budget request dated August 4, 2021.

This act, according to the prosecution, was arbitrary and prejudicial to her employer, the Ministry of Trade.

It is further alleged that during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years, Ssali authorised payments to Kirya and Company Advocates amounting to sh3.8 billion, purportedly for Buyaka Growers Co-operative Society, in contravention of the 2017 Treasury Instructions.

The prosecution maintains that Ssali did this while knowing—or having reason to believe—that such an act would result in financial loss to the government.

Additionally, the prosecution alleges that between 2019 and 2023, Ssali, together with Mawanda, Akamba, Wamakuyu, Kavundira, Kirya, and others still at large, conspired to defraud the government of shillings 3.4 billion intended as compensation for war losses suffered by Buyaka Growers Co-operative Society.

Court documents state that during the 1981–1986 liberation war and subsequent insurgencies in parts of the country, several cooperative societies were adversely affected. This led many of them to seek compensation from the government.