Ugandan cabinet minister Mary Goretti Kitutu is to be charged with corruption after three of her family members were arrested for selling building materials bound for the poor.

Prosecution of ministers for corruption is rare in Uganda, where the misappropriation of public funds and materials is routine.

In a remote region bordering Kenya and South Sudan, the Karamoja region is home to pastoral nomads vulnerable to frequent droughts and deadly cattle raids.

Police arrested three close relatives of Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu in February for selling metal roofing sheets branded with “Office of the Prime Minister”, according to a report in the government-owned New Vision newspaper.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said late on Wednesday it would charge Kitutu with corruption and conspiracy to commit a felony “for diverting iron sheets meant for the Karamoja Community Empowerment Programme”.

Kitutu, who will appear in court on Thursday, could not be reached for immediate comment.

Appearing before a parliamentary committee last month, she asked for forgiveness for mismanaging the distribution of the building materials.