AG Kiwanuka accused of shielding wanted Sudanese fugitive

by · The Observer
Augustino Taban Idro Kuei

Businessman Samuel Lotigo wants the government to act upon what it claims is the unprofessional conduct of Ugandan Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka accused of helping wanted fugitive Augustino Taban Idro Kuei to avoid extradition to South Sudan to face trial for fraud.

Idro is a former business partner of Lotigo, with whom their joint investments linked Uganda and South Sudan. In 2020, Lotigo claims that he discovered that Idro had defrauded him about $7.7m (roughly Shs 29bn) through forgeries and uttering false documents.

Records show that in one of the high-profile deals, Lotigo and Idro, along with other agro-commodity processing companies such as Aponye Uganda Limited and Chris Kaijuka’s Afro Kai Limited, were contracted in a joint venture by the World Food Programme (WFP) to supply food in South Sudan between 2015 and 2020.

All was well until Lotigo, who also had the deal to supply military uniforms to the South Sudan national army, suspected foul play. For one, Idro is said to have convinced Lotigo to let him handle the $7.7m procurement for South Sudan’s military uniform but the deal suffered a stillbirth when Idro allegedly didn’t pay the Chinese, thereby triggering a conflict that is yet to be resolved.

According to the documents in our possession, a number of top-level officials in South Sudan were bribed to approve the consignment but the South Sudan government refused to accept it. Matters were not helped when Lotigo discovered that Idro may have allegedly forged his signature for the withdraw of millions of dollars that saw him lose his Lotis Towers in Nakasero, among other vices.

So, with the two holding both Ugandan and South Sudanese citizenships, Lotigo sought redress in South Sudan where their businesses are concentrated. In 2021, the South Sudan government followed up Lotigo’s complaint with an Interpol red notice to have Idro reprimanded in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he was residing at the time.

In the meantime, the South Sudan government confiscated several trucks belonging to Idro. The UAE authorities swiftly arrested him but as efforts to extradite him to South Sudan were ongoing, Ugandan Attorney General Kiryowa intervened and approached the Sudanese authorities to release Idro.

Kiryowa is said to have flown to Juba, where he met with a number of high-profile South Sudan government officials. Idro initially had the red notice removed at the insistence of the South Sudan Justice minister, a move that allowed him to return to Kampala.

But Lotigo protested and petitioned the South Sudan Appeals Court that quashed the minister’s directive and reinstated the red notice.
Documents available to us further show that when Idro travelled to DR Congo later in the year for a business mission, Congolese authorities, acting on the red notice, arrested him.

But yet again, Lotigo accuses Kiryowa of using his powers to save Idro from extradition to South Sudan. As a result, the standoff has created tension within the diplomatic community of the two nations, with South Sudan authorities wondering why Uganda is protecting a fugitive.

To date, Idro continues to be highly protected and is thoroughly guarded by at least four counter-terrorism police officers all the time. Efforts to reach out to Kiryowa, Lotigo or Idro were fruitless as they did not pick up our repeated calls.

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