Kampala Anti-Corruption Court Remands Three MPs Over Solicitation Charges

The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has remanded three Members of Parliament to Luzira Prison on charges of corruption for allegedly soliciting money from the Uganda Human Rights Commission to increase its budget.

The MPs involved are:

• Yusuf Mutembuli, MP for Bunyole East Constituency in Butaleja District, residing in Bweyogerere Kirinya, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District.
• Paul Akamba, MP for Busiki Constituency in Namutumba District, residing in Kyanja Balagade Rise, Nakawa Division.
• Cissy Namujju Dionizia, Woman MP for Lwengo District, residing in Nambu Village, Kigo, Wakiso District.

The legislators, who spent two days in police custody before being produced in court, appeared before Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro in a fully packed courtroom on Wednesday afternoon. They were charged with one count of corruption.

The prosecution alleges that on May 13, 2024, at Hotel Africana in Kampala, MPs Mutembuli, Akamba, and Namujju solicited an undue advantage of 20 percent of the anticipated budget of the UHRC for the Financial Year 2024/2025 from Mariam Wangadya, Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission. This was purportedly done by asserting that they could influence the Budget Committee of the Parliament of Uganda to increase the UHRC budget.

The three MPs have denied the charges and applied for bail through their lawyers, led by Asuman Basalirwa.

State Attorney Nicholas Kawooya informed the court that investigations are still ongoing and requested an adjournment.

MP Namujju presented Muhammad Ssentayi (Bukoto West MP), Hajji Hassan Bulwadda (owner of Bulwadda Clinics), and Ssemmwanga Gyavira (MP for Buyamba County, Rakai) as her sureties, and deposited her passport with the court.

MP Akamba presented Mariam Naigaga (Namutumba district woman MP), Robert Kasolo (Iki Iki Constituency MP), and Henry Kibarya Mourice (MP) as his sureties.

MP Mutembuli presented Namukose Minsa Kirya, a community development officer in Mukono and his sister, as his surety.

The defense argued that the charges are not severe and that even a conviction could result in a maximum jail term of ten years or a fine. They emphasized that the accused have permanent residences within the court’s jurisdiction.

The prosecution requested more time to verify the documents presented by the sureties, including identification cards and Local Council One letters from the chairpersons. They stressed the gravity of the offense, the importance of the accused having residences within the court’s jurisdiction, and the public interest given the MPs’ status.

The MPs will return to court on Friday for a ruling on their bail application. The magistrate noted it was too late to issue a decision on the same day.

The situation arose following President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s State of the Nation Address, where he claimed to have substantial evidence of corruption among public officials. Museveni accused MPs of colluding with accounting officers, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Uganda to allocate public resources in exchange for bribes, and vowed to address the issue. He mentioned possible amnesty for corrupt MPs, which was met with significant dissent from the legislators.