VIDEO: Netball president Sarah Babirye Kityo remanded to Luzira Prison for allegedly obtaining of money by false pretence

They say when it rains, it pours. But, unfortunately, in the case of out-of-office Uganda Netball Federation president Sarah Babirye Kityo, it is beginning to flood!

The embattled netball boss was summoned by Uganda Police on Monday, April 15, to record statements in her defence for alleged obtaining of money by false pretence and was then expressly produced before the court and remanded to Luzira Prison.

According to a police report, the Buganda Road Court remanded Babirye on charges of defamation and obtaining Shs16m in which she allegedly falsely pretended to take people to the United States.

She purportedly committed the offences in May 2022 with businesswoman Zainab Namutebi.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire confirmed the development.

“She was arrested over an allegation of obtaining money by false pretence amounting to Shs16m. Her file was sanctioned by the time we arrested her,” Owoyesigire told Pulse Sports.

A one Sarah Wamala claims she paid Kityo Shs8m to take her daughter to the United States of America.

At the same time, another accuser, Gloria Kikomeko Nantambi, alleges that she paid Shs8m to Kityo to take her to the United States of America.

Kityo and Namutbei pleaded not guilty to the two counts of obtaining money by false pretences before Grade One magistrate Siena Owomugisha.

They were subsequently remanded to prison until May 17 to hear their bail application.

Kityo is also being investigated by the Parliament’s Police CID department over mismanagement of funds and is also out of the office of the netball presidency for three months.

The development comes at a time when Babirye is involved in a war of words with her supervisor Bernard Ogwel, the General Secretary National Council of Sports, over alleged corruption.

Speaking before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee last week, Ogwel revealed that he opened charges against Kityo earlier this year.

“What Sarah (Kityo) alleged was a malicious campaign to accuse me. When Sarah assumed office, her clandestine agenda against my personality became clear.”

“Right away in the second quarter, she started recording and sharing viral messages against my personality,” Ogwel told PAC.

The former legislator accuses Ogwel of repeatedly receiving kickbacks from the Netball federation whenever he allocates funds to the National team.

Babirye claims that Ogwel received Shs30m out of the Shs100m allocated to the men’s senior national team, ‘The Rock’, for their trip to the 2021 championships in South Africa.

However, Ogwel describes the allegation as malicious propaganda against his personality.