By Ofwono Opondo<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At last week\u2019s State of the Nation Address to parliament, President Yoweri Museveni revealed that he now has hard evidence against corruption racketeers between the Ministry of Finance, and parliament vowing to give them a decisive \u201ccrush\u201d and so far, three little-known NRM MPs got arrested and indicted this week for tempting to extort from Mariam Wangadya, chairperson Uganda Human Rights Commissioner, and a former deputy IGG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How silly they were. Mostly inconsequential, except for voting, Cissy Namujju, Paul Akamba, and newcomer Yusuf Mutembuli could be fronts for a larger howl of hounds united by a shared purpose for self-enrichment. Previous attempts at fat political cats fell through the doors as none got convicted by courts of law, were quickly rehabilitated, and re-admitted into the fold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apparently, like hounds, they have primal instincts and olfactory abilities to sniff money scent in ministries and agencies often aided by civil servants for tracking in their common goal. The poorly kept secret from the NRM caucus and parliament is that MPs transactions including passing policies and bills are often oiled by soft cash at their bidding nicknamed \u2018article\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, typically, the budget cycle is when the warm sunshine arrives and you begin hearing the distant whispers of hounds echoing through the valleys, otherwise called committees, signaling the start of the money hunt. We have been hearing hunting horns piercing the forest canopy as gathering hounds set off for their chase haranguing \u2018uncooperative\u2019 government accounting officers. But usually, many accounting officers are willing partners in the white-collar crime because they know how and where the money is hidden within their official budgets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the sectoral and the bigger budget committee deals are cut, sometimes slashed, and reallocate higher figures to ministries or agencies whose officers have \u2018agreed\u2019 to cooperate with committee chairpersons or MPs. This perk is the first to be released at the beginning of financial year (July-September), or last quarter of April-June when the treasury slate is cleared in a rush with no one waving them down. The respective ministry \u2018desk officers\u2019 at the Finance Ministry are demigods without whose endorsements, budgets may not be shuffled around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These events should re-energize the public that had lost hope because President Museveni had recently been treating corruption allegations including against cabinet ministers with soft ball gloves. In fact, his letter to the Inspector General of Government a year ago to \u201cgo slow\u201d on corruption allegations in the UPDF caused jeers and sneer. While the president is usually methodical, many saw the dismissal of Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nanduttu from cabinet as coming too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the banner of broad-basedness and inclusivity, the NRM has been gathering dubious politicians into its leadership ranks especially electoral politics to obtain numerical strength, reluctant to check their background. That failure is now undoubtedly proving that there is a price to pay unless it redraws its political line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But well although he wrote to the IGG over UPDF, he nevertheless recently carried out dramatic reshuffles pointing towards taming corruption that had crept back reminiscent to when Col. Kizza Besigye was Chief of Logistics and Engineering or Maj. Gen. James Kazini was army commander as UPDF became a den where hounds wagged tails in illicit deal-making. Listening to Besigye speak against corruption these days is quite heartwarming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NRM has for long taken shelter in proclaiming the many anti-corruption agencies and legislation enacted under its watch, yet few big cats have been effectively snared. Many Ugandans liked when the president tongue-in-cheek suggested some form of amnesty for the corrupt, but MPs roared back that they were thirsty for blood to spill. Now the anxious public waits to see how serious they are since some of them are already being fingered by the arm of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The writer is the government spokesperson<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Ofwono Opondo At last week\u2019s State of the Nation Address to parliament, President Yoweri Museveni revealed that he now<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ofwono.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12411,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/corruption-ministers-pss-mps-are-the-judas-iscariot-in-government-ofwono-opondo\/","url_meta":{"origin":12211,"position":0},"title":"Corruption; Ministers, PSs, MPs Are The Judas Iscariot In Government- Ofwono Opondo","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"July 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ofwono Opondo From President Yoweri Museveni\u2019s public speaking notes these days, corruption in government is a major problem delaying and derailing Uganda\u2019s socio-economic transformation and has recommitted to \u201ccrush it.\u201d According to the president, the subterfuge is widespread down to the parish levels where officials extort money to provide\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ofwono.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ofwono.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ofwono.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ofwono.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3572,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/ofwono-opondo-warns-nrm-leaders-about-the-partys-national-declining-support-from-76-to-58\/","url_meta":{"origin":12211,"position":1},"title":"OFWONO OPONDO WARNS NRM LEADERS ABOUT THE PARTY’S NATIONAL DECLINING SUPPORT FROM 76% TO 58%","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"BY OFWONO OPONDO The recent political shifts against the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and President Yoweri Museveni particularly in Buganda and Busoga, hitherto known strongholds, are grim pointers to what the future portends.The loss came against the backdrop when NRM first lost Kampala in 2001, and later Jinja, Masaka, Mbale,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/politics-national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/16250636740903192808382260211413.png","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15905,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/11-nrm-candidates-declared-unopposed-members-of-parliament\/","url_meta":{"origin":12211,"position":2},"title":"11 NRM Candidates Declared Unopposed Members Of Parliament","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Electoral Commission has so far declared unopposed 11 NRM MPs elect and these include the former Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre, Ofwono Opondo. Ofwondo was declared unopposed as the Member of Parliament representing Older Persons for Eastern Uganda. Opondo\u2019s victory follows the withdrawal of a case by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11656,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/money-heist-in-parliament-and-mpuugas-fight-for-political-life-ofwono-opondo\/","url_meta":{"origin":12211,"position":3},"title":"Money heist in parliament and Mpuuga\u2019s fight for political life- Ofwono Opondo","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Uganda\u2019s mainstream media houses with nearly 100 journalists accredited to cover Parliament all couldn\u2019t sniff the stench from what appears to be fictitious expenses payouts until volunteer digital warriors exposed it in the ongoing #UgandaParliamentExhibition. 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