Trial for Geraldine Ssali and co-accused set for December

What the report says

The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has set December 5, 2026, as the start date for the trial of former Ministry of Trade Permanent Secretary Geraldine Ssali and five co-accused, according to The Independent Uganda. The case involves allegations linked to the diversion of 3.868 billion shillings meant for war-loss compensation to Buyaka Growers Cooperative Society Limited.

The court also rejected a bid by former Busiiki County MP Paul Akamba to delay the proceedings while related appeals continue. Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga said the alleged human rights violations raised by Akamba were serious, but not closely tied enough to the corruption case to justify stopping it. She emphasized the need to avoid further delay in a matter that was committed to court in June 2024 and had not yet heard any witnesses.

The amended indictment contains 12 counts, including diversion of public resources, receiving stolen property, stealing by an agent, money laundering, abuse of office, causing financial loss and conspiracy to defraud. Besides Ssali and Akamba, the accused include MPs Michael Maranga Mawanda and Ignatius Wamakuyu Mudimi, lawyer Julius Kirya Taitankoko and registrar Leonard Kavundira. All denied the charges when the amended case was read to them.

If the trial proceeds as scheduled, it will move a long-running corruption case into the evidence stage after repeated procedural disputes. More broadly, the matter is significant because it concerns alleged misuse of public funds intended for compensation related to war losses, a politically sensitive subject in Uganda.