Nakyobe Mbonye warns prosecutors against false charges and intimidation

The Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, has warned prosecutors in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) against abuse of office.

She cited offences such as selective prosecution and unjustified delays, noting that such practices undermine public confidence not only in the institution but also in the state.

Mbonye also observed that one of the significant challenges facing Uganda today is corruption, particularly within the prosecutorial system.

This situation is perilous; we have been hearing reports of false charges being employed to intimidate individuals, as well as the illegal appropriation of land. Such actions must cease, especially among certain prosecutors.

Nakyobe Mbonye made the remarks on Monday, May 25, 2026, at Hotel Africana in Kampala, while opening the annual prosecutors’ symposium.

The event was attended by various dignitaries, including Wamaitha Kimani, Country Director of the International Justice Mission; Paul Woniaye, Director of Programme Management at Redeem International; and Gabby Mercy, Country Director of the Human Trafficking Institute, among others.

She stated that a prosecutor must not become an instrument of oppression, intimidation, extortion, or illegal enrichment. “According to our profession, you are not there to secure a conviction at all costs, but to deliver justice in the fairest way,” she said.

“Do not allow people to influence you. You went to school to study the law and came to practice it fairly. Do not wait for someone to put you behind the chambers and tell you what to do. A prosecutor is to pursue justice fairly, objectively, and independently.”

“This profession demands a lot of empathy, but some of you are there concocting things while you know the law—reading it upside down. I encourage you to leave that profession and go to another,” she continued.

Nakyobe stressed that integrity must guide every prosecution decision, drawing from the symposium’s theme: “Enhancing Professionalism for Responsive Prosecutorial Service.”

Her message follows recent allegations of misconduct involving a state prosecutor. For months, residents of Anyomolyec Village and Otwal trading centre B, in Okii parish, Otwal sub-county, Oyam district, have accused State Attorney Sarah Amony, who serves as the Resident State Attorney for Gulu City, of using hired agents and local police to seize ancestral land forcibly.

Also read: Gulu State Attorney Sarah Amony accused by Otwal residents of land grabbing, graveyard destruction 

The alleged tactics include intimidation, unlawful arrests, destruction of property, and even the desecration of graves.

The residents accuse Amony, who originally hails from their area, of grabbing land from local families. Specifically, they blame her for destroying graves and constructing roads, among other offences.

At the centre of the dispute is land belonging to the family of the late James Egole, where three graves have reportedly been tampered with, and structures built over them after she allegedly seized the property.

Speaking to journalists on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Otwal Trading Center B village, Richard Agwa, a local defence official, confirmed that due to the incident, pupils from Angolo Primary School and Otwal Secondary School have been unable to access their schools because the accused person has closed the community’s access road.

He added that the late James Egole had left Acuti Jimmy in charge of the land before he died. Furthermore, the late Ogwal Moses, a son of the late Egole, was buried there long ago.

Sophia Akite, 48, from the same area, said, “I was brought here in 1993, and the late James Egole was the owner of this land.” She recounted that residents were shocked on March 18, 2026, after seeing Sadam Okullu Onimo delivering construction materials onto the land, which does not belong to him, acting in collaboration with Sarah Amony.

Another resident, Joy Adong, also accused Amony of ordering the demolition of property on people’s land. Adong added that Okullu Onimo Sadam and Sarah Amony, the Gulu State Attorney, are the root cause of the entire matter. “We are calling upon top security personnel to protect us over this matter,” she said.

“They came at dawn with police,” said Ayiko Collins, 35, a widow whose three houses were burned and destroyed, and whose potato garden was ravaged by a tractor. “There was food in the house—three sacks of sorghum, two sacks of beans, and two sacks of maize—all burnt inside. I had to run for my life.”

She stated that Okullu Onimo Saddam, one of Amony’s agents, continues to threaten her. The plot has been fenced off, and even her husband’s grave was enclosed by Amony’s agents amidst death threats.

Now living in a humble grass-thatched house, Ayiko is trying to recover from what she calls the inhumane treatment by Sarah Amony, and is calling for help from the government and well-wishers, as her life remains at stake.

During a community meeting on March 18, 2026, more than 62 residents gathered to condemn what they described as a coordinated scheme to dispossess poor households of their customary land.

Multiple families allege that agents and armed men claiming to act on behalf of a state attorney have fenced off gardens, demolished homes, desecrated graves, and uprooted crops within the past month.

Patrick Agwai, 54, accused both Sarah Amony and her team, led by Okullu Onimo Sadam, of bringing confusion to the community over the land dispute. He stated that these individuals are using large sums of money to instil fear and threats among the community.

The locals stated that they now live in fear because anyone who challenges any land grabbing is arrested and faces false charges.

They further asserted that Sarah Amony, a principal state attorney, has been working with a certain Inimu Saddam, who repeatedly threatens the community, often accompanied by police and hired goons.

When contacted, the accused person, Sarah Amony, Gulu State Attorney, was called twice on Monday, May 4, 2026, at around 4:15 p.m. for comment on the matter. She did not answer our calls.

Meanwhile, DPP Lino Anguzu said the symposium was not merely a training event but also an opportunity for self-reflection on performance.

“I urge you all to recognise that we are called to enter the public service. Do not treat your office simply as employment. Prosecution is a constitutional call to public service,” he said.

He encouraged those with diplomas to obtain degrees, and those with degrees to upgrade to master’s levels. “Whoever does not want to refresh is as good as nothing, because those are people who are still using old information to judge new cases. So if you cannot upgrade, go back home.”