The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has denied bail to Hon. Cissy Namujju Dionizia, the Lwengo District Woman Member of Parliament, and Hon. Yusuf Mutembuli, the Bunyole East Member of Parliament. Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro rejected their bail applications on Friday, citing insufficient sureties. Consequently, Namujju and Mutembuli were remanded until June 17th.
Chief Magistrate Aciro advised the MPs to bring appropriate identification documents, including introduction letters from their Local Council One Chairpersons and employment IDs, as well as identification documents for their sureties.
In contrast, the same court granted bail to Hon. Paul Akamba, the Busiki County Member of Parliament. Akamba's sureties were deemed substantial, having presented all necessary documents. He was ordered to pay 13 million shillings in cash, while each of his sureties was required to execute a non-cash bail of 100 million shillings. Additionally, Akamba was instructed to deposit his passport with the court.
The prosecution alleges that Mutembuli, Akamba, and Namujju solicited an undue advantage from Mariam Wangadya, the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), on May 13th, 2024, at Hotel Africana in Kampala. They allegedly sought 20 percent of the anticipated UHRC budget for the financial year 2024/2025, claiming they could exert improper influence over the Parliament's Budget Committee to increase the UHRC budget in exchange for the undue advantage.
The trouble for the accused MPs began last week following President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni's State of the Nation Address. During his speech, President Museveni revealed that he had overwhelming evidence of corruption among public officials. He accused the MPs of colluding with accounting officers, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Uganda to allocate public resources in exchange for kickbacks. President Museveni vowed to take decisive action against the implicated officials.
As the court proceedings continue, Namujju and Mutembuli remain in custody, awaiting their next hearing. The case highlights the ongoing efforts to combat corruption in Uganda's public sector, with high-profile figures being held accountable for their actions.
The trio was remanded by Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro on charges relating to soliciting a 20% undue advantage from UHRC Chairperson Mariam Wangadya. Two of them, Mutembuli and Akamba, are former members of the powerful Budget Committee, which undertakes preliminary scrutiny of national revenue and expenditure estimates before a final appropriation by parliament. All the accused MPs subscribe to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
With all said and done, on e big question remains - will the president's fist hand on corruption bite harder even on other corrupt officials.
