By Our Reporter
Two teachers from Nyakasa Primary School have been arraigned before the Ntungamo Chief Magistrates Court on charges of Conspiracy to Defeat Justice, deepening an ongoing investigation into widespread irregularities surrounding capitation grants in the district.
The accused, identified as Tunanukye Marsaile and Nkumiriza Molly, were formally charged this afternoon following a joint operation by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Criminal Investigations Directorate, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Both defendants have been remanded until March 26, 2025, pending further proceedings.
According to prosecution reports, the two teachers are alleged to have interfered with an active police investigation concerning pupil enrollment data at Nyakasa Primary School. The teachers reportedly transferred nursery pupils to Primary One in a deliberate effort to inflate the school’s official enrollment figures. By doing so, they aimed to secure a larger capitation grant from the government, which allocates funding to Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools based on the number of enrolled students.
The actions of the accused, authorities say, were intended to obstruct justice and compromise the integrity of an investigation into fraudulent activities linked to the disbursement of capitation grants in Ntungamo District.
This latest development is part of a broader anti-corruption crackdown on education officials and school administrators in Ntungamo District. Earlier, the District Education Officer (DEO), Municipal Education Officer (MEO), and several headteachers from various primary schools were charged before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala on allegations of causing financial loss and abuse of office.
Investigations revealed a large-scale scheme in which school officials and administrators inflated pupil numbers to fraudulently obtain additional funds through Uganda’s capitation grant system. In the financial year 2023/2024, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development disbursed capitation grants for over 124,000 pupils across 249 UPE schools in Ntungamo District. However, the actual number of enrolled students was found to be closer to 80,000, leaving a discrepancy of more than 40,000 ghost pupils, which resulted in an estimated UGX 1 billion financial loss to the government.
Authorities have since intensified efforts to hold those responsible accountable, with the State House Anti-Corruption Unit working alongside law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies to root out corruption in the education sector.
As the case unfolds, public attention remains fixed on Ntungamo District as a cautionary example of the risks of corruption in education service delivery. The government’s capitation grant program, designed to ensure equitable access to quality education, has come under renewed scrutiny as authorities work to prevent similar abuses across the country.
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