Six top government officials accused of looting UGX 60 billion from the state coffers are back on the streets after securing bail, but two IT masterminds behind the digital heist are still locked up.
The Anti-Corruption Court, led by Justice Lawrence Gidudu, handed the six officials bail after they coughed up between UGX 20M and UGX 30M, while their sureties committed to non-cash bonds ranging from UGX 200M to UGX 300M. Their passports and land titles are now in court custody, and they’ve been banned from their offices.
The tech wizards who allegedly made the money vanish including; Mark Kasiiku and Tonny Yawe were denied bail.
Kasiiku is said to have secretly wired $6.1 million to Japan, while Yawe reportedly used his IT skills to reroute funds through Uganda’s payment system, sending millions into foreign accounts. With their fate hanging in the balance, the judge advised them to “bring better security” next time they apply for bail.
Meanwhile, Pedison Twesigomwe, another top Finance Ministry official, is also rotting in remand after failing to apply for bail. Sources say he played a key role in facilitating the entire fraud scheme.
Investigators from CID and DIS (formerly CMI) have been tracking the missing billions since September 2024. Initially thought to be the work of hackers, police later confirmed that it was an inside job involving finance ministry insiders and Bank of Uganda staff. Although some money was recovered from UK accounts, the billions wired to Asia have disappeared into thin air!
