By Patriot Corps
In a dramatic cross-examination at the High Court in Kampala on Friday, Mariam Wangadya, Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), provided crucial testimony against three Members of Parliament accused of demanding a bribe to approve the UHRC budget. The MPs—Yusuf Mutembuli, Cissy Namujju, and Paul Akamba—face prosecution on the orders of President Yoweri Museveni.
Wangadya detailed the unfolding of the scandal. She described Mutembuli as the vice chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, before whom she presented a policy statement addressing the UHRC’s financial shortfall. Despite requesting 58 billion shillings, only 19 billion was allocated, impeding the Commission’s operations.
According to Wangadya, an unnamed MP initially connected her to Fox Odoi, who then introduced her to Mutembuli. During their meeting, Mutembuli suggested that UHRC should offer a 5% cut of its budget to MPs for approval. Wangadya refused, finding it difficult to comply.
The situation escalated when Mutembuli later introduced Wangadya to Ignatius Mudimi Wamakuyu, vice chairperson of the Budget Committee. Mudimi showed Wangadya a plain sheet with “5%” written on it, implying the need for a bribe to secure budget approval.
Faced with dwindling donor support and budget cuts, Wangadya sought President Museveni’s intervention. During a meeting at State House Entebbe in April 2024, she informed Museveni of the MPs’ demands and requested his assistance. Museveni was outraged and instructed her to cooperate with the police to gather evidence.
On May 13, 2024, Wangadya met Mutembuli, Namujju, and Akamba at Hotel Africana, where the MPs reiterated their demand for a 20% bribe from the UHRC budget. Namujju even threatened that failure to comply would lead to negative repercussions. Wangadya recorded the conversation with instructions from Maj. Betty Agaba, Museveni’s ADC.
The recording was handed over to the police, leading to the MPs’ arrests and current prosecution for corruption. This case underscores the pervasive issue of corruption in Uganda, where the Inspector General of Government reports a loss of over 10 trillion shillings annually due to corrupt practices.