Lydia Mugambe, 50, a United Nations judge and Ugandan High Court official, has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison after being convicted of modern slavery offences in the United Kingdom. At the time of the offences, Mugambe was pursuing a PhD in law at the University of Oxford.
The case came to light when police discovered a young Ugandan woman working without pay as a maid and nanny in Mugambe’s home in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The court heard that Mugambe had arranged a fraudulent visa for the woman, claiming she would be employed as a paid domestic worker at the London residence of John Mugerwa, Uganda’s former deputy high commissioner.
However, upon arrival in the UK, the victim was taken directly to Mugambe’s residence, where she was subjected to domestic servitude. Prosecutors revealed that Mugambe and Mugerwa had a mutual arrangement: Mugerwa would sponsor the woman’s visa in exchange for legal assistance from Mugambe in a separate court case in Uganda.
During sentencing at Oxford Crown Court, Judge David Foxton criticized Mugambe for showing “absolutely no remorse” and for trying to shift blame onto the victim. He called the case “very sad,” particularly in light of Mugambe’s previous work in human rights law.
Although charges were approved against Mugerwa for conspiracy, he was not prosecuted due to diplomatic immunity, which the Ugandan government declined to waive.
Chief Superintendent Ben Clark of Thames Valley Police commended the victim’s bravery, stating, “There is no doubt that Mugambe knew she was committing offences.” Senior Crown Prosecutor Kate Haughey also remarked on the significant abuse of power in the case, noting that the victim had been deceived and was unaware of her employment rights.