The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Anti Corruption Court in Kampala has remanded three Members of Parliament to Luzira Prison on charges of corruption for soliciting money from the Uganda Human Rights Commission in order to increase its budget.
The MPs are:
Yusuf Mutembuli MP for Bunyole East Constituency in Butaleja District, Resident of Bweyogerere Kirinya in Kira Municipality Wakiso District, Paul Akamba MP for Busiki Constituency in Namutumba District resident of Kyanja Balagade Rise Nakawa Division and Cissy Namujju Dionizia Lwengo District Woman MP resident of Nambu Village, Kigo Wakiso District.
The Legislators who spent two days in Police custody before they could be produced in Court were on Wednesday afternoon, were arraigned before a fully packed courtroom presided over by the Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro and charged with one count of corruption.
The Prosecution alleges that MPs Mutembule, Akamba and Namujju on May 13th 2024 at Hotel Africana in Kampala solicited from Mariam Wangadya the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission an undue advantage of 20 percent of the anticipated Budget of the UHRC for the Financial Year 2024/2025. This was reportedly done by asserting that the MPs were able to exert improper influence over the decision making of the Budget Committee of the Parliament of Uganda to increase UHRC budget, in consideration of the said undue advantage.
The three MPs have however denied the charges levelled against them and applied for bail through their respective lawyers led by Asuman Basalirwa.
The Prosecution led by State Attorney Nicholas Kawooya informed the Court that investigations into this case are still ongoing and prayed for an adjournment.
MP Namujju has presented Muhammad Ssentayi, the Bukoto West MP, Hajji Hassan Bulwadda, owner of Bulwadda Clinics located at Buwada Mall Gayaza Road who is her business partner and longtime friend and Ssemmwanga Gyavira MP for Buyamba County in Rakai as her sureties.
She also deposited her passport with Court.
Akamba has presented Mariam Naigaga the Namutumba district woman, MP Robert Kasolo of the Iki Iki Constituency and MP Henry Kibarya Mourice as his sureties.
Mutembuli on the other hand has presented Namukose Minsa Kirya, a community development officer in Mukono who is his sister as his sureties.
The lawyers for the accused persons told court that the offenses are not grave in nature and even if they are convicted, court can jail them for ten years or be ordered to pay currency points.
On their part, the Prosecution asked Court for more time to verify the documents presented by the sureties like identification cards and Local Council One letters from the Chairpersons.
According to Prosecutor Kawoya, they also want to verify the LC1 letters presented by all the accused persons and he says, this requires more time.
The gravity of the offense they are charged with, whether the suspects have places of residence in the court’s jurisdiction, are some of the issues the Prosecutor wants the Magistrate to look into before granting bail. This plus the fact that the accused are MPs which makes it a matter of public interest.
The accused persons will return to Court on Friday for ruling on their bail application. The Magistrate said it was late for her to write her decision.
Trouble for the accused persons started last week after President of Uganda General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni held the State of the Nation Address where he disclosed that he has overwhelming evidence on the corrupt public officials.
Museveni said MPs allegedly collude with accounting officers, Ministry of Finance and Bank of Uganda to make allocations of Public resources in exchange for kickbacks (bribes) and promised to crush them.
Museveni revealed that the facts before him confirmed long standing rumours he had of corruption at the heart of government especially during annual appropriation of tax payers’ money.
He floated an idea of possible Amnesty to the corrupt MPS but majority of the legislators interrupted his speech in disagreement.
The accused persons will return to Court on Friday June 14th 2024 for ruling on their respective bail application. The Magistrate said it was late for her to write her decision.
*****
URN
This is a start. At least.
But it seems this approach to fighting corruption seems familiar… making a big splash about going after small fry while ignoring or forgiving big fish for supposedly making mistakes involving billions in taxpayers’ money.
Countries which have properly managed corruption are consistent about it. They are steady, they don’t sprint and then collapse. And they have no sacred cows. As a result, it shows… they have been able to soar to heights that we will just have to continue admiring while wondering why so many formerly colonized economies which were at par with Uganda’s economy in 1962 have since left us in the dust of “eating”.
Sadly, most Ugandans seem comfortable being left in the dust, or the dust makes it impossible for us to see examples of what is possible and start taking steps towards reaching those levels and beyond.
Maybe we are just used, as we have been coached for many generations to just accept that the dust of “eating” is part of our nature as Ugandans and our fate as a nation, and that there’s nothing we can do about it. We have seen many people changing, from complaining bitterly about the dust to selfishly thriving in the dust… “if you can’t beat them, join them”.
Those who complain about the choking dust and try to demand accountability are branded agents of homosexuals and accused of serving foreign interests… and then we hear big words being used in defence of our beloved dust… sovereignty… subversion… what…
Things of Uganda.
Sadly, we are used.
Yet we remain hopeful.