Anti-Corruption Court Remands Mombasa Consul General Over Shs494m Loss

Uganda’s Anti-Corruption Court on Monday remanded Ambassador Herbert Kiguli, the country’s Consul General in Mombasa, Kenya, to Luzira Prison over allegations that he caused a financial loss of more than Shs494 million to the government.

The 59-year-old diplomat appeared before Principal Magistrate Christopher Opit at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala, where he was charged with causing financial loss and abuse of office. He denied the charges. The court ordered him held until midday on October 7, 2026, when his bail application is scheduled to be heard.

According to the Inspectorate of Government (IG), which investigated and prosecuted the case, the alleged offences occurred on November 9 and 10, 2020. At the time, Kiguli was serving as Commissioner for Human Resource Management at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) in Entebbe. Prosecutors allege that he originated and signed five requisitions totaling Shs614,768,000 on behalf of the Principal of Bukalasa Agricultural College. These actions, the state claims, resulted in an actual financial loss of Shs494,097,270.

The IG states that the funds were neither budgeted for nor expected by the college, and that no valid memorandum of understanding governed the financial relationship between Bukalasa Agricultural College and MAAIF. The money was intended for various ministry activities that ultimately could not take place because of COVID-19 restrictions. The prosecution team, led by Principal Inspectorate Officer William Moses Ntumwa and assisted by Inspectorate Officers Milly Namuwanga and Jennifer Katusiime, told the court that Kiguli knew or had reason to believe his actions would cause loss to the government.

Kiguli was arrested by the Inspectorate of Government shortly before his court appearance. He was appointed Consul General at Uganda’s Consulate in Mombasa in October 2024, a posting that places him in charge of economic, commercial, and cultural relations along a key trade corridor between Uganda and Kenya. Prior to the diplomatic assignment, he had spent more than two decades in public service, primarily in human-resource management roles across several ministries.

In a press statement issued after the remand, the Inspectorate of Government reiterated its commitment to protecting public resources and urged all public officers to comply with financial regulations. The agency noted that the case forms part of its ongoing efforts to address alleged irregularities involving senior officials, including those who have since moved into diplomatic positions.

Under Section 19 of the Anti-Corruption Act, a person convicted of causing financial loss faces a fine of up to 336 currency points, imprisonment for up to 14 years, or both. The matter remains at the magistrate’s court level pending the bail ruling and any subsequent committal proceedings. Further details of the evidence are expected to emerge when the case returns to court on Wednesday.

The remand of a serving diplomat on charges linked to actions taken six years earlier has drawn attention to the length of time some public-finance investigations take and to the Inspectorate’s willingness to pursue officials after they have left the ministries where the alleged irregularities occurred. Kiguli remains in custody at Luzira Prison pending the October 7 hearing.

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