A senior United Nations judge, Lydia Mugambe, has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison by Oxford Crown Court for enslaving a fellow Ugandan woman under the guise of offering her employment in the United Kingdom.
According to British media, the 50-year-old judge brought the woman from Uganda with promises of a paid job but forced her to work without wages in domestic servitude. Mugambe, who also serves as a judge in Uganda’s High Court and was pursuing a PhD in the UK, was found guilty of multiple offenses, including immigration violations, facilitating travel for exploitation, forced labor, and witness intimidation.
The court heard that the victim, whose identity is protected for legal reasons, was subjected to continuous fear and psychological pressure, and denied basic employment rights under UK law.
The presiding judge emphasized that Mugambe showed no remorse for her actions and instead exploited her position of power and influence to manipulate and abuse the victim. It was revealed that Mugambe obtained a UK visa for the woman using falsified documents arranged through Uganda’s former Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, John Mugirwa.
In return, Mugambe had offered legal assistance to Mugirwa in a case he faced back in Uganda. However, Mugirwa was not prosecuted due to diplomatic immunity.
During sentencing, the court condemned the misuse of authority by someone tasked with upholding justice and called the crime a serious breach of trust. UK police commended the victim’s courage in coming forward and urged others who may be victims of modern slavery to report and seek justice.
