KAMPALA – The Director of Complaints, Investigations and Legal Services at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Pauline Nansamba Mutumba, has come under intense scrutiny over her career progression, accumulation of responsibilities and the handling of human rights complaints.
Mutumba appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), chaired by Muwada Nkunyingi, as MPs examined administrative and financial affairs at the commission.
The committee questioned how Mutumba moved from serving as personal assistant to former UHRC Chairperson Mariam Wangadya to becoming one of the commission’s senior directors within a relatively short period.
According to information presented before the committee, Mutumba joined UHRC on October 1, 2021, after being headhunted by Wangadya to serve as her personal assistant.
She was promoted to Principal Human Resource Officer in 2023 before subsequently becoming Director of Complaints, Investigations and Legal Services.
MPs questioned whether the promotions followed the applicable public service procedures and whether there were exceptional circumstances that justified her rapid advancement.
The committee also raised concerns over the number of responsibilities currently assigned to Mutumba.
Besides serving as Director of Complaints, Investigations and Legal Services, she is also acting as Director of Monitoring and Inspections and chairs the Contracts and Fleet Management Committee.
The multiple assignments prompted MPs to question how the additional responsibilities were allocated and whether the decisions were formally approved by the commission.
The committee further heard that Mutumba received additional administrative responsibilities in 2025 following the separation of some duties that had previously been handled by former Accounting Officer Margaret Lucy Ejang.
Mutumba told MPs that she received a formal letter assigning her additional duties, including responsibility for writing minutes of commission meetings.
Questions Over Personal Accounts
The inquiry also turned to UHRC’s practice of depositing funds meant for commission activities into personal bank accounts belonging to staff.
Mutumba and Doreen Nabatte, a personal assistant to the chairperson, were among staff whose personal accounts were reportedly used to receive commission-related funds.
COSASE directed the Police Criminal Investigations Directorate at Parliament to obtain bank statements for the 2024/2025 financial year to establish the source, movement and use of the funds.
The two officials were also directed to record statements with police regarding the money that passed through their personal accounts.
The issue forms part of the committee’s wider investigation into financial controls and accountability at UHRC.
Dispute Over Closure Of Complaints
Mutumba also faced questions over the closure of human rights complaints before the commission’s tribunal.
Commissioner Simeo Muwanga Nsubuga cited the case of Godfrey Kierere from Bundibugyo, whose complaint was reportedly closed on March 4, 2026 after the commission determined that the police officer implicated in the matter had acted in self-defence.
Nsubuga questioned the circumstances and timing of the closure, particularly because the complainant was reportedly informed about the decision about three months after the tribunal’s last sitting in December 2025.
The matter sparked a tense exchange between MPs, commissioners and UHRC officials over who has the legal authority to close complaints.
Mutumba told the committee that she does not have the power to close cases, arguing that such decisions are made by the commission.
She said her responsibility was to communicate decisions taken by the commission in line with her duties, including her role as registrar to the tribunal.
Mutumba told MPs that the tribunal handled 136 files in 2025, with 35 resulting in awards and 101 being dismissed. She added that another 411 files were closed during the same year.
She further reported that 428 cases had been closed in 2026.
However, commissioners told the committee that they had not collectively considered or taken a position on all the cases reported as closed.
Commissioner Jacklet Atuhaire said some complainants had challenged the closure of their cases, claiming they were never informed that their matters had been brought to an end.
She cited instances where complainants had been instructed to return with witnesses at subsequent tribunal sessions, only to later discover that their complaints had been closed.
The commissioners maintained that complaints before the tribunal should be dealt with through the prescribed process, with cases either awarded, dismissed or adjourned.
Other Administrative Concerns
COSASE also questioned Mutumba about allegations concerning her use of business-class travel, procurement procedures and the utilisation of UHRC resources.
The committee is continuing its examination of the commission’s financial management, recruitment and promotion procedures, administrative decisions and handling of human rights complaints.
MPs are also scrutinising how additional responsibilities are assigned to individual officers and the accountability mechanisms surrounding funds channelled through personal bank accounts.
The inquiry is expected to shed further light on UHRC’s internal administration, financial controls and procedures for handling complaints brought by members of the public.
Ends
English 