Speaker Anita Among Opposes Museveni On Corruption!! Tells Him To Stop Labelling Uganda Parliament As Corrupt

As parliament reconvenes today from recess to deliberate on amendments to the 2024/25 budget appropriation bill returned by the president, Members are convening for a full house session this afternoon.

Addressing the house, Speaker Anita Among, who recently faced criticism for endorsing corruption during an event in Lwengo, reiterated her stance that Members of Parliament are not inherently corrupt.

“First of all Honorable Members, we can not say that our members are corrupt. Even if some of our members have been arrested and they’re in prison, there’s a presumption of innocence. Honorable Members can you shut up, please, there’s a presumption of innocence, you can not say some body is a thief…..”said Speaker Anita Among.

The Speaker’s assertions counter statements made by President Museveni last month during the State of the Nation Address, where he exposed a corruption network involving MPs, Ministry of Finance officials, and other accounting officers.

Despite these allegations, Speaker Among maintains that corruption does not exist within parliament.Following the President’s revelations, three MPs were summoned to the Criminal Investigation Directorate in Kibuli, Kampala.

They were subsequently detained at Kira Division Police Station, had their homes searched, and later remanded to Luzira Prisons.Speaker Anita Among’s comments downplaying the prevalence of corruption in parliament coincide with a period where the number of legislators detained on corruption charges has risen to five.

Two MPs, Yusuf Mutembuli (Bunyole East) and Cissy Namujju (Lwengo District), have already been committed to the High Court for trial but remain incarcerated in Luzira Prisons. Meanwhile, Paul Akamba (Busiki East), Micheal Mawanda (Igara East), and Mudimi Wamakuyu (Elgon County) await bail or trial proceedings.

According to the charge sheet, Mutembuli, Namujju, and Akamba allegedly demanded a 20% kickback from the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mariam Wangadya, from the enhanced 2024/25 commission budget.

The incident was reportedly recorded and brought to President Museveni’s attention, prompting their arrest.The remaining MPs, Mudimi Wamakuyu and Micheal Mawanda, are implicated in a corruption scandal involving cooperative compensation funds under the Ministry of Trade.

Akamba is facing dual charges related to soliciting bribes from Mariam Wangadya and mismanagement of Shs164 billion allocated to cooperatives.

During her visit to Lwengo two weeks ago, Speaker Anita Among defended Cissy Namujju, stating a preference for a daughter who shares stolen resources with her community over one who steals for personal gain.

This statement sparked widespread debate among Ugandans regarding her stance on corruption in the country.

Meanwhile , President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni last week urged public servants to eradicate corruption and cease working in cliques, emphasizing that these vices hinder citizen inclusiveness in policy implementation and thereby impede economic growth.

Museveni stressed that no state or country can develop, grow, or transform without the stabilizing influence of the security sector. These remarks were made at the 13th Africa Public Service Day 2024 held at Kololo Independence Ceremonial Grounds that were presided over by Vice President Jessica Alupo.

He challenged public servants to deepen their roots and achieve more in service delivery, emphasizing the need to eliminate corruption, increase and accelerate the speed of service delivery at the grassroots level, and build partnerships with stakeholders worldwide.

The Africa Public Service Day 2024 was being held under the theme “Empowering a Citizen Centric Public Service for an Inclusive and Thriving 21st Century Africa; a Journey of Lifelong Learning and Transformation”

Museveni appealed to civil servants to reduce barriers to poor people accessing their services, enhance discovery and participation, and strengthen their voices.

He also urged them to move resources to the community level from the center expeditiously and implement the one-stop center concept, automating their services and reviewing business processes regularly to capture new trends.