Yesterday, the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, staunchly defended the institution in light of the recent corruption crackdown, emphasizing the necessity for evidence before making accusations.
This defense came after several lawmakers were detained on graft allegations. Among, who herself faces sanctions from the United Kingdom and the United States over corruption allegations, invoked the principle of presumption of innocence, stating:
“We cannot say that our members are corrupt. Even if some of our members have been arrested and they are in prison, there is a presumption of innocence… You cannot say somebody is a thief. Nobody is corrupt, if that is what you want to hear.”
Potential Controversy and Moral Debate
Among’s remarks have sparked potential controversy and may ignite a moral debate between Parliament, which is tasked with oversight, and the Executive, which has recently accused lawmakers of colluding with a government syndicate to embezzle taxpayer money by inflating budget allocations.
Response to Presidential Allegations
These comments were in response to concerns raised by some MPs regarding President Museveni’s recent letter, which cited corruption allegations against Parliament. In a June 22 letter addressed to Among, Museveni returned the Appropriation Bill 2024, highlighting corruption allegations as one reason for his refusal to assent to the Bill.
“There are three mistakes here: indiscipline in budgeting, sabotaging the national priorities, and now suspicions of massive corruption. I am, therefore, writing to request that this practice stops accordingly,” President Museveni wrote.
He further noted, “The recent case of the Members of Parliament who were arrested for some alleged offenses has again highlighted the mistake of Members of Parliament interfering with the constitutional mandate of the President of budgeting for the country by reallocating money budgeted for the core sectors of the economy.”
Arrests and Allegations
Several lawmakers, particularly those on Parliament’s Budget Committee, have been arrested or summoned for interrogation over allegations of abusing the budgeting process and soliciting kickbacks, actions tantamount to corruption.
Among the arrested are Ms Cissy Nammujju (Lwengo District Woman), Paul Akamba (Busiki), and Yusuf Mutembuli (Bunyole East), who are accused of soliciting a 20 percent kickback from the budget increment they lobbied for the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) in the current financial year.
Previous Defenses of Corruption Allegations
This is not the first time Among has defended those facing corruption allegations. Last month, at a public function in Lwengo District, Among appeared to defend Nammujju, suggesting that stealing was not a big deal as long as the MP shared the loot with her electorate.
These remarks are reminiscent of President Museveni’s warning to the Inspector General of Government, Ms Beti Kamya, to avoid targeting ‘sacred cows’ who steal public resources but invest domestically.
Polarizing Debate in Parliament
Despite Museveni’s recent stern stance against corruption, including among Members of Parliament, the debate in yesterday’s plenary was polarizing. Some MPs denounced the President’s comments, while others accused their colleagues of corruption.
“There is a very serious allegation of grave corruption against the Budget committee. The wording of that letter specifically mentions corruption and he is not doing it for the first time… I would feel extremely uncomfortable that this reference is made to the Budget committee. I support the idea that the committee of the whole house processes the matter,” said Jonathan Odur, the Erute South MP.
Defense from the Budget Committee Chair
Efforts by Mr. Patrick Isiagi, the chairperson of the Budget Committee, to defend his members were met with heckling. Isiagi argued that the Budget Committee acts on recommendations from sectoral committees that process ministerial statements.
“Let us remind ourselves of the process of budgeting so that we point a figure and identify the enemy correctly. The sectoral committees interrogate the Budget seriously with the entities responsible and make reports to the floor, which debates them and refers them to the Budget committee for harmonization. Any reports made by the Budget committee are from reports from the sectoral committee,” he explained.
Mr. Dan Kimosho, the Kazo MP, added,
“Whether we do ping-pong on who is corrupt, and who is not, the matter is before us. When the Budget committee brings their report, it is approved by the whole House. Whether you want to pretend that you are not touched, you are part of this Parliament.”
