By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
A Ugandan High Court judge and recent UN appointee has been sentenced to more than six years in prison by a British court for forcing a woman to work as her domestic servant without pay while she studied at the University of Oxford.
Judge Lydia Mugambe, 50, was convicted on four counts, including violations of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.
The Oxford Crown Court found her guilty in March of “conspiring to breach immigration law,” “facilitating travel with a view to exploitation,” “requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour,” and “conspiracy to intimidate a witness.”
During her sentencing on Friday, the court heard how Mugambe exploited a young woman, whose identity remains protected, forcing her to cook, clean, and care for children while receiving no wages. The offenses took place while Mugambe was pursuing a doctoral degree in law at Oxford.
The prosecution stated that Mugambe “exploited and abused” the woman, “taking advantage of her lack of understanding of her rights to properly paid employment and deceiving her as to the purpose of her coming to the UK.”
The victim told the court, “I felt lonely. I felt stuck. I didn’t know what to do.” She recounted how her passport was taken from her, and how she was made to work long hours in isolation.
Mugambe, who joined the United Nations judicial roster on May 26, 2023, denied the allegations during trial. “I have always treated her with love,” she told the court, claiming the woman had been “like family” to her.
The judge presiding over the case rejected her defense, concluding that Mugambe “used her status and position to coerce and control” the victim, and said the offences were aggravated by “deliberate deception and exploitation of a vulnerable person.”
Mugambe’s conviction marks one of the rare cases in which a high-ranking international legal official has been prosecuted under the UK’s Modern Slavery laws.
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