Simon Kigwana, a former prosecutor at Nabweru Chief Magistrates Court, has been fined 7 million Shillings and banned from holding public office for ten years after being found guilty of bribery by the anti-corruption court. The verdict was delivered by Anti-Corruption Court Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe three days after Kigwana’s conviction.
The court ruled that the Prosecution had successfully proven that Kigwana, during his time as a prosecutor, directly sought a gratification of Shillings 6 million from Zam Ndagire and Octavious Kasumba. On May 15th, 2019, he allegedly received Shillings 200,000 from Ndagire at Nabweru playgrounds. Despite Kigwana denying the charges, the Prosecution, led by Senior State Attorney Nicholas Kawooya, presented evidence from seven witnesses to support their case.
The complainants, Ndagire and Kasumba, were involved in a case of threatening violence at Nabweru court, which Kigwana was prosecuting. During their interactions regarding the case, Kigwana solicited and received the money in question. He was apprehended by detectives from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, who had the complainants offer the money to Kigwana in a car parked near Nabweru court. The complainants had been given an envelope containing Shillings 200,000, which had been photocopied by State House detectives.
The complainants traveled in the same car with an official from Statehouse and other officers in another vehicle. Kigwana entered the complainants’ car to receive the envelope, leading to his arrest and the recovery of the money. He was subsequently transferred to the CID headquarters in Kibuli, where he was charged.
Kigwana, in his defense, maintained that he had only asked the complainants to bring more witnesses and argued that there was no reason for him to request money for bail or file preparation since the case was already set for a hearing, and the file was in order.
During sentencing, the court considered factors presented by both parties, including the abuse of trust and damage to the reputation of the DPP’s office. Consequently, Kigwana was fined Shillings 3.5 million on each count. Magistrate Esther Asiimwe emphasized the importance of punishing Kigwana to deter other officers from engaging in corruption.
Director of Public Prosecutions, Jane Frances Abodo, commented on the matter, describing the act as unfortunate and reiterating her warnings against corruption within her staff. She warned of taking legal action against any staff members with evidence of corruption.
