The Uganda Prisons Service has denied claims that two NRM MPs facing corruption charges were secretly taken from Luzira Prison to meet President Museveni at State House.
Lawyer Nicholas Opiyo had alleged on social media that the MPs were whisked away from detention for a meeting with the President, whose purpose was unclear.
Via his X (formerly Twitter) platform, lawyer Nicholas Opiyo alleged that two NRM MPs had been whisked away from detention to meet Museveni at State House for reasons he said had been unclear.
“Two NRM MPs charged and remanded to prisons on corruption charges were, allegedly, after their detention, secretly whisked from their detention at Luzira Prisons to meet the President at State House, Entebbe,” Mr Opiyo, a human rights activist, posted on Monday.
“What the president was discussing with the two legislators is unclear but it certainly undercuts his public posture as an anti-corruption crusader.”
However, Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine has described the allegations as false and unfounded.
“As Prisons, we categorically state that these allegations are false and unfounded,” Baine said.
According to Baine, the Prisons Act of 2006 mandates the service to ensure safe and secure detention of prisoners, and there is no reason to parade them at State House. He emphasized that prisoners are tried and released according to the law, and there is no justification for producing them at State House at any time.
The Act requires the service to ensure that all persons lawfully detained in prisons are detained safely, securely and humanely and are tried where necessary until lawfully released or released from prison.
“Therefore, there is no reason whatsoever for prisoners to be produced at State House at any time of the day or night,” Baine said.
Baine suspects that Opiyo’s allegations are intended to mislead the public for personal reasons and should be disregarded.
It’s worth noting that four NRM legislators were arrested and remanded to Luzira last month on corruption charges. The legislators in question are Paul Akamba (Busiki County MP), Cissy Namujju (Lwengo Woman MP), Michael Mawanda (Igara East MP), and Ignatius Mudimi (Elgon County Legislator).
Prosecutors allege that the lawmakers misappropriated approximately Shs3.4 billion for purposes unrelated to the intended use of the funds. Additionally, they are charged with conspiring to defraud the Ugandan government, as stated in the indictment.
The legislators, who remain in custody, allegedly attempted to bribe the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission to inflate the organization’s 2024/25 budget in exchange for a 20% kickback.
Meanwhile, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni last week urged public servants to eradicate corruption and cease working in cliques, emphasizing that these vices hinder citizen inclusiveness in policy implementation and thereby impede economic growth.
Museveni stressed that no state or country can develop, grow, or transform without the stabilizing influence of the security sector. These remarks were made at the 13th Africa Public Service Day 2024 held at Kololo Independence Ceremonial Grounds, presided over by Vice President Jessica Alupo.
He challenged public servants to deepen their roots and achieve more in service delivery, emphasizing the need to eliminate corruption, increase and accelerate the speed of service delivery at the grassroots level, and build partnerships with stakeholders worldwide.