By Editorial,
The Anti-Corruption Court has convicted Fredrick Edward Lubinga, an Architectural Assistant and Chairperson of the Evaluation Committee at the Ministry of Education, for soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for influencing the awarding of school construction contracts.
Justice Okuo Jane Kajuga sentenced Lubinga to one year in prison, fined him 4 million Shillings, and barred him from holding public office for 10 years.
The judge noted that she had considered several factors, including the method used to commit the offense or (demanding a bribe), the abuse of office for personal gain, and the resulting prejudice to both the complainant and the employer.
According to court records, between August 2019 and March 2020, Lubinga solicited 50 million shillings and later accepted 25 million shillings from Synergy Enterprises Ltd, a company that had submitted bids for construction projects at Nyamitanga Technical Institute and Kaleera Technical Institute.
In 2021, Lubinga was arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) but he called for a meeting with the contractor and again demanded 10% kick back after being released on bond. Justice Kajuga ruled that Lubinga had abused his authority as an evaluator by demanding bribes in exchange for recommending the contractor for the project. END.