Three MPs Arrested Over Allegations Of Corruption Hours After Museveni Vowing To Die Fighting Corruption

Police have detained three Members of Parliament who were summoned on Monday morning to the Criminal Investigation Directorate in Kibuli.

Parliament’s Legal Committee vice chairperson, Yusuf Mutembuli; Lwengo Woman MP, Cissy Namujju and Busiki County MP, Paul Akamba are being held together at Kira Police Division cells.

“Our three colleagues have unfortunately been transferred from Kibuli to Kira Division for further management of their cases,” a dependable source told us on Monday night.

KAMPALA EYE has learned that two of the accused were quizzed over their roles in the Budget Committee of Parliament that they were previously members. One of the legislators reportedly had some underhand dealings with Kenyans during the processing of the Petroleum Supplies Amendment Bill in November 2023.

“Parliament is becoming a marketplace of deals for some MPs. There was a plot to sabotage the Petroleum Supplies Amendment Bill and there are people who positioned themselves to benefit from it at the expense of Ugandans,” said the source.

Meanwhile, another MP is said to have collected huge sums of money from various agencies while still serving as a member of the Budget committee.The said legislator bought an expensive SUV and personalized its number plate.

It is also said that the same legislator has erected big construction projects and also wanted to buy a property in the U.S. at USD$3 million.

The summons followed President Museveni’s revelation during the State of the Nation Address last week that he had evidence on the corrupt syndicate from the Ministry of Finance to Parliament.

“I have been hearing that from the Ministry of Finance, they collude with the accounting officers of ministries to come to Parliament working with some people there (Parliament) to provide certain funds, provided you take a share. I didn’t believe this but now I have proof,” said Museveni on Thursday.

Parliament has been at the centre of allegations of gross corruption and abuse of the taxpayer’s sweat after revelations by social media activists that billions of shillings was being irregularly doled out in corporate social responsibility and per diem.

The corruption allegations got more damning with revelations that four backbench Parliamentary Commissioners shared Shs1.7 billion among themselves under the so-called service award that they negotiated.

Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga, who was then Leader of the Opposition, in March 2022 attended a meeting that award him Shs500 million as a one-off person to holder gratuity.

The others in the meeting were NRM legislators Solomon Silwany (Bukooli Central), Esther Afoyochan (Zombo Woman), and Prossy Mbabazi (Rubanda Woman) – who pocketed Shs400 million each.

For Mpuuga, the money was the poisoned chalice that spilled the frothing bad relations he was having with his parent party, the National Unity Platform and the fallout has yet to show any signs of repair.

At Parliament, the four legislators are facing censure after the ruling party legislators led by Lwemiyaga County’s Theodore Ssekikubo and Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi decided to drag them down legally.