By Spy Uganda
The Anti-Corruption Court has released on bail key officials implicated in the infamous ghost workers scandal, in which public institutions allegedly harboured non-existent employees to siphon government funds.
In a ruling delivered this week, the Court granted bail to Makerere University Business School (MUBS) official Jacqueline Namaganda, who has been jointly indicted with former MUBS principal, Prof. Waswa Balunywa. Namaganda is facing charges of abuse of office and neglect of duty. She was ordered to deposit Shs4 million in cash as bail, alongside Shs50 million in non-cash bail.
Separately, Uganda Police’s Human Resource Commissioner, Eldard Mugume, and Ms. Lillian Waidha were also released on similar bail terms. The duo is accused of unlawfully recruiting individuals into the Uganda Police Force between February and March 2013, a move investigators allege facilitated the expansion of ghost worker networks within the institution.
The presiding judge directed that all three accused officials deposit their passports with the court, effectively restricting international travel as their cases proceed.
The ghost workers scandal has long cast a shadow over Uganda’s public service, exposing systemic fraud that has drained billions from the national treasury. The bail decision underscores the delicate balance between the constitutional right to liberty and the gravity of corruption-related charges that continue to erode public trust in state institutions.
