The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Ugandan High Commissioner to the UK to start preliminary investigations into allegations that the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has property in there.
Henry Okello Oryem, the state minister for international relations, said the probe would include examining all the title deeds in the UK.
Oryem said even though the onus is on the UK government to prove the allegations it raised, the Government of Uganda will also do its own search for the avoidance of doubt.
“Even before the May 11, 2024, directive by President Yoweri Museveni, we had acted on his earlier letter dated May 2, 2024, which he had copied to our High Commissioner in London. We instructed the High Commissioner to start preliminary investigations so that in case the President writes, we will be ready.
“The High Commissioner was supposed to examine the deeds in the UK. Although we are in a strange situation, he who alleges must prove.
The onus is on the UK government to prove these allegations. Nevertheless, the Government of Uganda will also do its own search and we say for the avoidance of doubt, we will use our resources and connections to find out whether the Speaker had a property in her name, her children or her husband,” Oryem said yesterday.
Uganda’s High Commissioner to the UK, Nimisha Jayant Madhvani, also confirmed they had been notified. “We are waiting for the written instruction from the foreign affairs minister and we start with our work,” Nimisha said.
Asked what would happen if the Government established that Among did not have any property in the UK, Oryem said:
“We will challenge the British government on their actions.”
The development comes days after President Yoweri Museveni demanded that the UK government give evidence indicating that Among owned a house in their country.
This was after a report the Inspectorate of Government (IG) sent to the President showed that Among had not declared any property in the UK.
In his letter dated May 11, 2024, Museveni also noted that he had spoken to Among, who denied owning any in the UK.
Insisting that the UK government ‘cannot falsely accuse any official and the Government lets it pass’, the President directed the foreign affairs minister, Gen. Jeje Odongo, to follow up with the UK government to substantiate their claims.
“I have received a letter from Dr [Patricia) OKiria, the Deputy Inspector General of Government (D/IGG), dated May 9, 2024, informing me that Speaker Among never revealed that she had a house in the UK. Among has told me she does not own a house in the UK.
“Therefore, working with the Attorney General (Kiryowa Kiwanuka), write an appropriate letter to the relevant authorities in the UK to demand the source of their information.
They cannot falsely accuse any of our people and we let it pass,” Museveni directed Odongo.
The Leadership Code Act (as mended in 2021) requires all public officers to declare their income, assets and liabilities to the IGG.
Yesterday, the IGG, Beti Kamya, asked the press to give them space to carry out their full investigations.
“We are asking the press to give us space to do our work. We shall give you useful information once we are done,” she said.
