Kampala, (UG):- Three Members of Parliament, all subscribing to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) yesterday spent the entirety of their day at Kibuli CID headquarters in Kampala before later getting transferred to Kira Division Police in Wakiso on corruption-related crimes.
The MPs include; Bunyole East county representative, Yusuf Mutembuli, Paul Akamba of Busiki constituency in Namutumba District, and Ms Cissy Namujju, Lwengo District Woman Representative.
DailyExpress on Sunday evening broke the story in which we stated that the Police CID had issued summons against the trio and other staff at Parliament, and the Finance Ministry, after it appeared that they had allegedly connived in pushing the passing of the National Budget to serve their interests in terms of financial gains.
Sources at Kibuli CID and the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) told this publication yesterday that the evidence gathered so far is sufficient to press charges against the trio.
“The evidence already gathered is enough to present the honourable (MPs) to court and we expect it to happen by Wednesday,” said an official who was part of Monday’s quizzing at the Directorate.
Relatives and friends, among them colleague MPs, brought in beddings and personal effects, including buckets, lotions, a suitcase and a carton of bottled water at Kira Division Police where the accused are confined.
The trio is expected to be arraigned before the court this week and will reportedly be remanded to Luzira as Museveni presides over the national budget reading this Thursday.
During his Thursday State of the Nation Address at Kololo, President Museveni assured Ugandans that there is proof against the corrupt government officials starting 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,” the President said on Thursday, promising to crack the whip against those implicated.
He further ordered police and prosecutors to go after the suspected thieving officials after accusing Finance and Parliament officials of transactional budgeting; legislators allegedly colluding with accounting officers to make allocations of public resources in exchange for kickbacks.
The Charges
Two of the accused MPs are wanted over their roles in the Budget Committee of Parliament that they were previously members of, while another is accused to involving with an underhand in dealings with some 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,” a source speaking on preference of anonymity intimated to this website.
Additionally, the source said 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 legislator also bought an expensive SUV and personalized its number plate.
It is also said that the same legislator erected big construction projects and also wanted to buy a property in the U.S. at USD$3 million sparking mixed reactions amongst peers.
The NRM Parliamentary Caucus Spokesperson, Hon Brandon Kintu when contacted to get his side of the story on the party MPs detained said they for now don’t know the truth, but that the ruling party has been quietly investigating allegations of corruption against some of its members.
Kintu did not name names or provide particulars of the cases.
About the MPs
Cissy Namujju, Lwengo Woman MP;
The legislator retained her seat from the 10th Parliament. In 2017, she was thrust in the spotlight during a court hearing for failing to answer basic primary literacy questions, including among others, “what is a map?” and “characteristics of an insect.” The court hearing was challenging her election following questions surrounding her academic qualifications. She retained her seat after three justices unanimously ruled that she was validly elected for the position. The legislators has always stood ground that she has all the required qualifications needed for contesting for parliamentary seats. Currently, she is a member of the Physical Infrastructure Committee in Parliament.
Yusuf Mutembuli, Bunyole East MP
He has had a shot at politics since 2011. Contesting under the Democratic Party (DP) ticket, Mutembuli lost at the time to Mr Emmanuel Dombo, now serving as the director of communication at the NRM Secretariat. In 2016, while standing on an independent ticket, Mutembuli lost to NRM’s Moses Nagwomu. He finally won the seat in 2021 after standing on the NRM ticket. He is currently the vice chairperson of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee.
Paul Akamba, Busiki County, Namutumba District (NRM)
Akamba retained his seat from 10th Parliament. Currently, he serves as a Member of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
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