Deputy Speaker Tayebwa Pledges Parliament’s Support for Three MPs Arrested on Corruption Charges

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has expressed Parliament’s support for three MPs arrested over corruption charges.

Hon. Tayebwa pledged Parliament’s support while officiating the handover ceremony of the new leadership of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Youth Affairs (UPFYA) at Parliament on Thursday afternoon.

“As a leadership of Parliament, we shall stand by our colleagues until they are proved guilty. That doesn’t mean that we condone any behavior that is inappropriate,” – Thomas Tayebwa.

The Deputy Speaker also called upon the MPs not to shy away from the reading of the 2024/25 budget due to fear of arrest.

Since the arrest of three MPs on Monday, a cloud of fear has loomed over Parliament as reports of more arrests circulate.

MPs Yusuf Mutembuli, Paul Akamba and Cissy Namujju appear before the Anti-Corruption Court on Wednesday 13th June 2024. (Photo by New Vision)

Additionally, he said that President Museveni is happy about the performance of the 11th Parliament. According to Hon. Tayebwa, reports about rackets of corruption have been hovering over the August House since the 9th and 10th Parliament and this shouldn’t scare MPs.

“We are working very closely with the President and we hope that we can continue cleaning up. Only that, the message that has been put out, it is as if Parliament is rotten, Parliament is finished, most of you are hiding your heads in the sand.” Hon. Thomas Tayebwa

He also challenged MPs to publish the good work they do for the country, saying their work eclipses the negative publicity.

Parliament swims in corruption allegations

On Monday, June 10th, three MPs, including the Lwengo woman MP, Cissy Donanzio Namujju, Busiki County MP, Paul Akamba, and Yusuf Mutembuli, Bunyole East, were arrested over corruption allegations.

The three MPs were remanded to Kitalya prison until June 14th by the Anti-Corruption Court on Wednesday evening.

Similarly, a section of legislators led by Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo are collecting signatures for a motion to censure four backbench Commissioners. The MPs say that the Commissioners allocated themselves service awards worth shs 1.7 billion without permission from the house.