Police arrested two teachers from Nyakasa Primary School in Uganda today. The court sent Marsiale Tunanukye and Molly Nkumiriri to Ntungamo prison until March 26th. Both educators face serious charges of conspiracy to defeat justice. Their troubles began when they interfered with an official investigation at their school in early August 2024.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit caught these teachers doing something pretty sneaky. On paper, they moved little kids from nursery classes up to first grade. They did this trick to make it look like more students attended their school than they actually did. Why bother with such a scheme? Money, of course. The government pays schools based on how many students they teach.
Both teachers told the judge they were innocent when they appeared before Constance Turyasingura yesterday. This Ntungamo grade one magistrate decided the teachers should stay locked up for a few weeks until their next court date. The same thing happened just yesterday to six education officials from that same district who pulled similar stunts.
Those six officials included Fred Bahati, who runs education for the entire district. His buddies Gordon Nabaasa, Rushegyera Abias Nabasa, Allen Komuhangi, Bernard Munuunura, and Geoffrey Ntereire all helped cook the books. These headteachers reported fake student numbers, and the higher-ups never bothered checking before sending those reports to the national ministry.
The scam worked perfectly for months. The Ministry of Education handed over cash for 124,817 students spread across 249 schools throughout Ntungamo District last year. Investigators later discovered only about 80,000 kids actually existed. The other 40,000 students were completely made up, just names on paper that earned real money from the government.
This massive fraud cost Ugandan taxpayers almost 1 billion shillings. Chief Magistrate Gordon Muhimbise handled their case yesterday. He ordered all six officials to Ntungamo Government Prison where they must stay until March 28th next year. The court plans to hear their full case then, giving them plenty of time to think about their actions behind bars.
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit caught these teachers doing something pretty sneaky. On paper, they moved little kids from nursery classes up to first grade. They did this trick to make it look like more students attended their school than they actually did. Why bother with such a scheme? Money, of course. The government pays schools based on how many students they teach.
Both teachers told the judge they were innocent when they appeared before Constance Turyasingura yesterday. This Ntungamo grade one magistrate decided the teachers should stay locked up for a few weeks until their next court date. The same thing happened just yesterday to six education officials from that same district who pulled similar stunts.
Those six officials included Fred Bahati, who runs education for the entire district. His buddies Gordon Nabaasa, Rushegyera Abias Nabasa, Allen Komuhangi, Bernard Munuunura, and Geoffrey Ntereire all helped cook the books. These headteachers reported fake student numbers, and the higher-ups never bothered checking before sending those reports to the national ministry.
The scam worked perfectly for months. The Ministry of Education handed over cash for 124,817 students spread across 249 schools throughout Ntungamo District last year. Investigators later discovered only about 80,000 kids actually existed. The other 40,000 students were completely made up, just names on paper that earned real money from the government.
This massive fraud cost Ugandan taxpayers almost 1 billion shillings. Chief Magistrate Gordon Muhimbise handled their case yesterday. He ordered all six officials to Ntungamo Government Prison where they must stay until March 28th next year. The court plans to hear their full case then, giving them plenty of time to think about their actions behind bars.
