Museveni pardons former NSSF boss David Chandi Jamwa

President Yoweri Museveni has pardoned the former National Social Security Fund (NSSF) managing director, David Chandi Jamwa who has been serving a 12-year jail term handed to him for causing the government a financial loss of over Shs 3 billion.

Jamwa has been pardoned alongside 12 others – Vincent Ntale, Nelson Drabo, James Omirambe, Samuel Aliama, Francis Leku, Joseph Kabila, Yoha Ayita, alias Samu, Fred Kato, Jackson Owino, Zakaria Okello, Nono Joseph, Ouma Mesach John alias Jojmabo. The convicts have been serving sentences ranging between three and 20 years imprisonment.

Uganda Prison Services spokesperson Frank Baine says that they have already received the president’s letter pardoning the said convicts and that they are preparing to release them accordingly since the president has prerogative of mercy under the law.

Jamwa was in 2011 indicted by the High court on two counts of abuse of office and causing financial loss contrary to the Anti-Corruption Act 2009. He was tried and convicted of causing financial loss in 2007 but was acquitted of the offence of abuse of office. He was then sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and barred from holding any public office for 10 years.

Then Anti-Corruption court judge, John Bosco Katutsi did not however order Jamwa to refund the money that NSSF lost in the sale of bonds. The court held the state did not prove that Jamwa benefited from the financial loss. The rose came after Jamwa sanctioned the sale of NSSF bonds to the now-defunct Crane bank before their maturity. He appealed to the Court of Appeal against the conviction and sentence while the attorney general also appealed to the Court Appeal against the acquittal. 

The two appeals were consolidated and Jamwa’s appeal was subsequently dismissed. He was instead sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for the offence of abuse of office which was to run concurrently with the 12 years imposed by the trial judge for the offence of causing financial loss. Jamwa had after running out of other options resorted to serving the sentence. 

His mother, Tezira Jamwa, a former member of the Constituent Assembly and Woman MP for Tororo and other political figures from Tororo and Jophadhola tribe appealed to Museveni for pardon. Lawyer, Asuman Odaka in March 2021 wrote a letter to the president asking him to pardon Jamwa. The seemingly excited Odaka said that he met Jamwa today Wednesday and informed him about the good news from the president.  

“We really pushed so hard for David to be released. I thank President Museveni that he finally answered our prayers. David will be out of prison within a matter of hours said,” said Odaka.

In April 2020, Museveni pardoned 833 prisoners across the country. A prominent politician from Tororo told URN that they once met the president after he had pardoned the former permanent secretary of Public Service Jimmy Lwamafa. The president was reportedly surprised that Jamwa was still in jail.