City lawyer remanded over sh444m theft

KAMPALA - Controversial lawyer and former bailiff Akleo Mugisha has been arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court on charges of forgery, theft, and conspiracy to defraud.

Mugisha was arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), working with the Criminal Investigation Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, who were investigating theft of shillings 444.3 million belonging to the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC).

SHACU on Friday, May 16, 2025, explained that the accused, along with others who are still at large, created a fraudulent arbitral award dated November 22, 2019.

“In this document, they claimed that they had been contracted by the UNMC to develop a software and database application for use by the council members. They also alleged that the council had failed to make the necessary payments for the work amounting to sh444.3m,” the statement said.

The statement further noted that the suspects went ahead and obtained a garnishee order, where they attached the UNMC’s account from which they stole this money.

“The accused, together with others, including a registrar Cissy Mudhasi, who was dismissed, orchestrated this scheme by producing and using falsified legal documents, including the arbitral award, to unlawfully obtain funds. These funds were reportedly transferred to an account belonging to Ram Engineering (U) Ltd, a company that belongs to Julius Mugambagye, a co-accused,” SHACU added.

Mugisha was later remanded to Luzira Prison until June 17, 2025.

In February 2025, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) dismissed Mudhasi, who was working as the Masaka deputy registrar, for misconduct.

According to the statement issued by JSC, Mudhasi was dismissed for abusing her judicial authority by ordering the attachment of the accounts belonging to Makerere University, the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council, and a private individual without following proper legal procedures.

Additionally, she defied the chief justice’s instructions by entertaining execution proceedings during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Mudhasi’s dismissal follows her interdiction on June 24, 2020, Mudhasi, by the then acting chief registrar Tom Chemutai, accusing her of three offenses, including producing shoddy work and conducting herself in a manner prejudicial to the image, dignity, and reputation of the service, contrary to the Judicial Service Regulations of 2005.

Chemutai accused Mudhasi of conspiring with lawyers: Mugisha and Martha Orishaba, and the RAM Engineering Company director Julius Mugambagye, to defraud Makerere University of sh3.5b, among other allegations. 

According to court records, Mudhasi, who is considered the prime suspect in this matter, did this during May and June 2020, when she was employed as the deputy registrar.