By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
The Anti-Corruption Court has convicted and sentenced the former Principal Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Lands, Lira Zonal Office to 3 years imprisonment.
Mr. Ateng Francis was sent to the coolers today, Tuesday, 25th November, 2025 on eleven counts of; abuse of office, fraudulent procurement of certificate of title, forgery, uttering false documents, and conspiracy to commit a felony, among others.
According to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, in January 2018, while employed at the Ministry of Lands’ Zonal Office in Lira District, Ateng along with others, abused his authority with the intention of defrauding Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) of its land.
It is alleged that Ateng facilitated the irregular issuance of a special certificate of title, arranged for the separation and allocation of the said land, identified brokers, and sold the land to private individuals without following the procedures for disposing off government property.
Ateng and his co-accused further forged signatures of the then Managing Director URC and used it to utter false documents used in the transfer and sale of the said land.
One of Ateng’s co-accused, Ocen Joseph, had previously pleaded guilty on the same charges and given a custodial sentence of two years.
These investigations followed a Directive issued by H.E. the President in 2022, to State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with CID and Office of Director of Public Prosecutions to investigate corruption within Uganda Railways Corporation and to prosecute all individuals involved in defrauding Uganda Railways Corporation of its land.
