The Chief Magistrates Court in Mpigi has remanded three senior district officials, including the District LCV Chairperson, over allegations of soliciting bribes from job seekers.

Those remanded are Mr. Martine Ssejjemba, the LCV Chairperson of Mpigi District, Mr. Fredrick Kirumira, the Chairperson of the Mpigi District Service Commission, and Ms. Sarah Nakamoga, the Commission Secretary. They were charged with demanding money by menaces and will remain in custody until July 8, 2025, when the case will be mentioned again.

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly demanded varying sums of money from job applicants ranging from Shs50,000 to as high as Shs15 million in exchange for consideration in recruitment processes for district jobs.

The arrests were prompted by a directive from President Yoweri Museveni during his Parish Development Model (PDM) monitoring tour in the Greater Mpigi sub-region on June 17, 2025.

During his address, the President revealed that he had received several complaints from residents regarding corruption in the district recruitment process.

In response, the President ordered Brig. Gen. Henry Isoke, the Head of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, to take immediate action against officials involved in the alleged sale of government jobs.

Following investigations, the accused were arrested and presented before the court on Thursday. They did not take plea, as the state prosecution requested more time to complete inquiries into the matter.

Speaking shortly after the court session, officials from the Anti-Corruption Unit confirmed that further investigations are ongoing, and more suspects may be implicated.

The scandal has sparked public outrage in Mpigi and beyond, with several civil society organizations calling for a full audit of all recent recruitments in the district.

Efforts to get comments from the accused’s legal representatives were unsuccessful by press time.