Wangadya testifies against MPs as their trial kicks off

KAMPALA- The hearing of a corruption case against three Members of Parliament Cissy Namujju, Paul Akamba and Yusuf Mutembuli on Friday kicked off before the Anti-corruption court.

The first prosecution witness was the Uganda Human Rights Chairperson Mariam Wangadya who narrated to Justice Lawrence Gidudu on how she met the accused persons at Hotel Africana in Kampala and how she met president Museveni at State House Entebbe to lodge her resignation due to financial constraints in the commission.

The three jailed MPS  Cissy Namujju, Woman Mp Lwengo, Paul Akamba , Busiki County and Yusuf Mutembuli , Bunyoli East are on charged of soliciting bribe from the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission Mariam Wangadya to have her budget passed.

Wangadya testified that in May 2023, she led her team to the legal and parliamentary Committee of parliament to present the budget framework of the UHRC.

That while Still in the prencists of parliament, she interacted with MP Yusuf Mutembuli who offered to help her with the UHRC financial challenges if only she could remit to him and his undisclosed friends 5% of the enhanced budget.

Wangadya told Justice Lawrence Gidudu that, Hon. Mutembuli asked for the telephone details of the UHRC accounting officer Moreen Ejanga and her (Wangadya’s) business card before meeting with the accounting officer at the UHRC offices and further insisted on his alleged 5% to have the said budget enhanced.

And that it was after this interaction that Wangadya reported Mutembuli’s demands to President Museveni who promised to handle the matter. However, on May 13^th 2024, Mutembuli called Wangadya to meet at Hotel Africana to discuss the said matter with other very important people.

According to the evidence, Wangadya then approached security personnel and asked for a recording device and proceeded to Hotel Africana where she met Mutembuli, Namujju and Akamba at Elgon restaurant.

The witness said, the three MPs offered to help Wangadya with the commission’s financial issues but had increased their demands to 20% in order to influence Members on the budget committee and officials in the Ministry of Finance.