Teso Talent Foundation, founder Boniface Eyagu has been sentenced to one year in prison after admitting to stealing Shs3.1 million donated by UK sponsors to pay school fees for vulnerable children in the Teso sub-region.
Eyagu, the founder of Teso Talent Foundation, was convicted by the Ngora Grade One Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to misappropriating the funds.
According to court records, UK-based donors sent Shs3.5 million to cover school fees for 10 pupils at Vienna Nursery and Primary School. However, Eyagu reportedly paid only Shs400,000 to the school and used the remaining Shs3.1 million for personal expenses.
The donors reportedly became suspicious after noticing inconsistencies in accountability reports submitted by Eyagu. They contacted the school and discovered that the full tuition fees had not been paid.
During investigations, Eyagu admitted receiving the money and using the balance for himself. Appearing before Magistrate Isaac Boniface Abilu, he pleaded guilty and asked for forgiveness, promising to refund the money.
The prosecution asked for a tough sentence, arguing that misusing donor funds undermines trust and could discourage future support for vulnerable communities.
In his ruling, Magistrate Abilu noted that the offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years but considered Eyagu’s guilty plea and cooperation before sentencing him to one year in prison. He was also ordered to refund the Shs3.1 million within two months.
Eyagu had already spent one day on remand and will therefore serve the remaining 11 months and 29 days. Authorities also said he is facing separate investigations in Soroti and Kapelebyong over alleged fraud involving the same UK-based donors.
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