Uganda arrests government minister accused of taking bribe

KAMPALA, Uganda – Ugandan police have arrested a government minister for allegedly taking a bribe from a businessman.

Police spokesman Asan Kasingye said Saturday that Herbert Kabafunzaki, a junior minister in charge of labour and industrial relations, has been detained on corruption-related charges.

This is the first time a Cabinet-level official has been arrested in an apparent sting operation over bribery, which is rampant within the official bureaucracy.

Kabafunzaki was arrested Saturday at a luxury hotel in the capital, Kampala, where he allegedly received a bribe sent by a Sudanese hotelier in Uganda.

The minister had been trying to mediate a case of sexual harassment brought against the hotelier by one of his employees.

Presidential spokesman Don Wanyama said President Yoweri Museveni was aware of the move to arrest Kabafunzanki.