By Our Reporter
As Ugandan High Court Judge Lydia Mugambe awaits sentencing in the United Kingdom for forced labor and exploitation charges, the Ugandan government has quietly amended legislation that would allow her, and others convicted abroad, to serve their sentences on home soil — a move critics say is as political as it is legal.
On April 4, just weeks after Mugambe’s conviction in the UK, Uganda’s Justice Minister Norbert Mao signed a controversial amendment to the Transfer of Convicted Offenders Act, broadening its scope to include Commonwealth countries. The change was officially gazetted on April 15, raising eyebrows among legal analysts and opposition politicians who see it as a calculated effort to protect powerful elites from serving time in foreign prisons.
Sources within the Ministry of Justice have confirmed that Judge Mugambe’s case was a “key consideration” in fast-tracking the amendment. Her potential return under this law could mean she serves any UK-imposed sentence in a Ugandan prison — or possibly under conditions more favorable than those abroad.
Mugambe, 49, was convicted in March by the Oxford Crown Court for a range of offenses including forced labor, conspiracy to violate immigration laws, and witness intimidation. The case revolved around her treatment of a young woman she allegedly brought from Uganda under false pretenses and coerced into unpaid domestic labor while studying in the UK.
Adding to the scandal is the involvement of Uganda’s Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, John Leonard Mugerwa, who was accused during the trial of assisting in securing the woman’s visa in exchange for favorable legal outcomes back in Uganda — an allegation that adds a diplomatic stain to an already damaging case.
The Ugandan government has not officially commented on whether Mugambe has requested repatriation, but the timing of the legal amendment suggests the possibility is being prepared for.
Human rights advocates have expressed concern that allowing convicted elites to serve sentences at home may undermine justice and send the wrong signal about Uganda’s commitment to human rights and international law.
“This is about more than just one judge,” said one Kampala-based legal expert who declined to be named. “It’s about the integrity of Uganda’s justice system and whether high-ranking individuals can escape the consequences of their actions abroad by returning to a more lenient or politicized legal environment.”
Mugambe’s conviction also raises uncomfortable questions about vetting and accountability in Uganda’s judiciary. Despite ongoing investigations in the UK last year, she was appointed to a prestigious United Nations judicial roster in May 2023 — a role that now hangs in jeopardy.
Diplomatic tensions between Uganda and the UK have simmered beneath the surface, with both governments staying tight-lipped in public but reportedly engaged in closed-door discussions on the implications of the case and the new law.
As Mugambe’s sentencing looms this Friday, all eyes will be on the UK court’s decision — and on how Uganda navigates the legal, political, and diplomatic storm it now finds itself in.
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