Masaka, Uganda— Maurice Peter Kagimu Kiwanuka, Uganda’s former Ambassador to Switzerland and Nigeria, has been sentenced to six months in prison by the Masaka High Court over a long-standing debt exceeding UGX 1 billion.
Justice caught up with the former diplomat on Tuesday, May 20, when he was arrested from his home in Kampala and transported to Masaka High Court.
There, Court Registrar Mr. Roy Kalungi delivered the sentence, citing Kagimu’s repeated failure to respond to court summons.
According to prosecution, the case dates back to 2015–2016 when Kagimu borrowed large sums of money from Mr. Sansa Richard, a farmer from Kisaabwa in Bukomansimbi.
Sansa claims the loans were provided in multiple installments, funds he himself sourced from friends. Over time, the debt ballooned.
“In 2017, we were both arrested over the debt, but while Ambassador Kagimu was released on police bond, I was left to deal with the fallout,” said Sansa.
“Eventually, court ruled that he owed me UGX 873.33 million plus penalties—altogether more than one billion shillings.”
Efforts to recover the money hit a wall when attempts to auction Kagimu’s Matrimonial home in Kampala were blocked due to family property laws, leaving Sansa to shoulder the burden of repaying lenders himself.
Kagimu’s legal team, led by Counsel Peter Kimanje Nsibambi and Cyrus Nsubuga of Bakimanje Nsibambi Advocates, has announced plans to file for bail.
They argue the former ambassador deserves more dignified treatment, referencing his heritage as the son of Uganda’s first Chief Justice, the late Benedicto Kagimu Kiwanuka.
Counsel Nsubuga also revealed that President Yoweri Museveni had once attempted to assist with the matter.
“The President wrote to the Attorney General on October 16, 2023, offering support to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, there was no follow-up. We urge the President to re-engage with this case,” Nsubuga appealed.
Kagimu Kiwanuka is a seasoned statesman with a long political history. He entered public service in 1989 as the Constituent Assembly delegate for Bukomansimbi County, playing a role in drafting Uganda’s 1995 Constitution.
He later served as MP for Bukomansimbi and as Minister of State for Economic Monitoring under the Office of the President from 2001 to 2006.
As a diplomat, Kagimu represented Uganda as Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other global bodies in Geneva.
In 2016, he was reassigned to Nigeria before being dropped from the diplomatic service.
Now, the former ambassador faces a new chapter behind bars as legal and political drama continues to unfold.
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