Biostatician convicted over misuse of government property

A principal Biostatician from ministry of health has been found guilty of abuse of office and ordered to pay a fine of sh3.5m to government.

Anti- Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Agnes Alum also convicted Malimbo Mugagga of misuse of public property.

Mugagga was sentenced to a fine of sh2.5m for abuse of office and in default he is to serve one-year imprisonment.

He was also fined sh1m for misuse of public property and in default, he is to serve seven months in jail.

Magistrate Alum said prosecution led by Inspectorate of Government has proved beyond doubt that Mugagga abused his office and misused public property while he was a principal Biostatician at the ministry of health.

In 2015, IGG charged Mugagga with abuse of office and misuse of public property after receiving information that he was using government vehicle to do his private work.

According to the evidence adduced in court, Mugagga had been entrusted with carrying out government work in the Epidemiology disease control and surveillance under the National Disease Control Department using government vehicle, but he abused the trust.

IGG's case against Mugagga

Prosecution said instead of carrying out government designated work, Muggaga gave the vehicle to a private person Bogere Sentamu who has been using it for the last four years before the vehicle was impounded.

Prosecution said that Mugagga gave the vehicle to Bogere to vend motor vehicle spear parts at Kiseka market, a city suburb. Mugagga has been claiming that the vehicle was in the garage.

IGG's probe

During investigations conducted by the Directorate of Leadership Code, it was found that many officials at the ministry of health were misusing property of the ministry of health.