By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
The Anti-graft court in Kampala on Tuesday (April 14) remanded, Esther Owarimpa, a parish chief in Mitooma District after she was found guilty on charges of corruption.
Owarimpa, in her youthful age is the parish chief of Ruhehe North Parish in Kabira Sub-county, was on April 14, 2026 arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala.
Her remand followed investigations by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), working jointly with the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
She is accused of extorting millions of money from job applicants falsely claiming that she could influence outcomes of the District Service Commission recruitment process.
“Between Oct 2025 and Jan 2026, while serving as a Parish Chief at Mitooma DLG, Esther allegedly solicited and received millions of shillings in bribes from job applicants, claiming she could influence DSC decisions to secure them jobs,” Prosecution told court.
Her prosecution comes amid a wider anti-corruption dragnet in Mitooma District, following SHACU-led operations in March that resulted in the arrest of several senior officials over alleged sale of government jobs during recruitment exercises held on March 12, 2026.
The arrested officers were Joanita Nakityo (CAO), Sadic Mugisha (DHO), Sam Karakuza Tugume (Chairperson DSC), and Richard Nabimanya (DEO). Owarimpa formed part of the group that was still at large, but she was apprehended.
SHACU investigations allege that Nakityo repeatedly interfered with the District Service Commission’s mandate, including scheduling interviews and selecting technical advisors, while also influencing scoring of candidates.
It is further alleged that Tugume extorted between Shs7 million and Shs25 million from at least 23 applicants, promising them government jobs.
SHACU also states that Mugisha engaged in influence peddling, allegedly ensuring preferred candidates were ranked highly and even receiving unusually high scores of up to 48 out of 50, in some cases leaking interview questions and answers.
Nabimanya is accused of lobbying commission leadership to secure favourable assessments for certain education candidates.
SHACU has urged members of the public to report any incidents of extortion linked to recruitment processes as investigations continue, with other suspects still at large.
Owarimpa was remanded until April 27, 2026, when she will be returning to court for further hearing of her case.
