Former Post Bank MD Mukweli Cleared of Corruption Charges

Updated by Eric Kikomeko at 1544 EAT on Friday 5 December 2025

Former Post Bank Uganda managing director Stephen Mukweli has been acquitted of all criminal charges by the Anti-Corruption Court.

The case, dating back to 2016, involved allegations that Mukweli paid over Shs 292 million in commissions during the bank’s bid for the SAGE project. On Wednesday, Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove any criminal wrongdoing by Mukweli or other officials charged alongside him.

The prosecution alleged that senior officials in the Business Growth Department, together with Post Bank’s top leadership, irregularly initiated, approved, and executed a commission payment to businessman Jude Muhereza Kachoboye following the bank’s successful SAGE bid.

As managing director, Stephen Mukweli was accused of authorising the payment. Alex Kayaayo and Fred Samuel Wasike were said to have improperly forwarded the requisition for approval, while Gilbert Nuwamanya was accused of initiating it without proper authority.

Jackson Mwesigwa, then general manager of finance, was alleged to have irregularly processed and effected the payment. All six accused, including Kachoboye, later faced an additional count of conspiracy to defraud.

At least prosecution witnesses were called, and numerous documents were presented to support the allegations. At the close of the prosecution’s case, the court found a prima facie case and required all six accused to enter their defense.

The defendants chose to give unsworn statements and did not call any witnesses. Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga said she had carefully reviewed each of the alleged offences. On the alleged abuse of office, the judge noted that the law required the prosecution to prove that the accused acted arbitrarily in a manner prejudicial to Post Bank’s interests.

The evidence, she found, showed that the engagement of Jude Muhereza Kachoboye had been openly discussed within the bank, particularly in the business growth department and the executive committee. The arrangement was neither secret nor unilateral: emails, internal discussions, and the agency agreement demonstrated that the bank had collectively agreed to engage Kachoboye’s services as part of its bid strategy.

On the charge of causing financial loss, the judge noted that the prosecution had to prove that the accused knowingly or recklessly caused Post Bank to suffer a loss — a claim contradicted by evidence presented in court. Records showed that the bank’s participation in the SAGE programme had earned it more than Shs 8 billion by 2019, far exceeding the commission paid out.

Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga reasoned that a payment made in the course of business, which ultimately contributed to substantial financial gain, could not reasonably be characterised as a loss. She added that any administrative lapses did not meet the legal threshold for criminal liability, as the prosecution had not proved fraudulent intent.

Regarding the conspiracy to defraud charge, the court noted that the law required proof that two or more persons had agreed to pursue a fraudulent or deceitful objective. Justice Kajuga found no such evidence.

“While it was clear that the accused held discussions and agreed to hire Jude Muhereza Kachoboye as a commission agent, the court finds there was nothing to indicate the arrangement was designed to cheat the bank or the government,” the ruling stated. The judge further said that the prosecution’s claim of fraud was unsupported by documents and testimony presented at trial.

Considering the totality of the evidence, Justice Kajuga concluded that none of the essential elements of the alleged offences had been proven. Her findings were in line with the opinions of the gentleman and lady assessors, who recommended that the accused be acquitted. She therefore entered verdicts of not guilty on all counts for all six defendants.

The court also ordered that all bail money and posted securities be refunded, discharged all sureties, and informed the parties of their right to appeal within 14 days, The Observer reported.

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