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Parliament has acknowledged that billions of shillings from taxpayers were deposited into personal accounts of some of its staff members. This revelation emerged during an X (formerly Twitter) Space event organized by the Agora Discourse, where Mr. Chris Obore, the director of public and corporate affairs at Parliament, addressed the issue.
Mr. Obore clarified that while the money was indeed directed to individual accounts, it was not intended for personal use. He explained that Parliament, as a public institution, engages in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, and these funds were allocated for such purposes.
The involvement of junior parliamentary staff in managing these funds on behalf of Speaker Anita Among was highlighted by Mr. Obore, who cited the Speaker’s numerous commitments as the reason behind her delegation of tasks to junior staff members.
In response to concerns raised about the transparency and accountability of these expenditures, Mr. Obore emphasized the importance of understanding the purpose and utilization of the allocated funds. He urged for fairness in assessment, refraining from solely criticizing Speaker Among’s actions without considering the context of her community investment initiatives.
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The discussion surrounding the utilization of parliamentary funds intensified following the disclosure of a document by Ms. Agather Atuhaire, an activist with Agora Discourse. Ms. Atuhaire shared a document on her X-platform containing a list of names of junior parliamentary staff members allegedly receiving money on behalf of Speaker Among.
According to Ms. Atuhaire, the document, purportedly part of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) report, indicates that Daniel Adilo and Emmanuel Okwii received significant sums on behalf of the Speaker for specific activities, revealing a weekly expenditure of Shs400 million by Speaker Among.
Mr. Obore countered the allegations by underscoring that the funds designated for CSR activities should not be misinterpreted as personal benefits for staff members. He defended the role of junior employees in facilitating the Speaker’s CSR initiatives, reiterating that the funds were allocated for Parliament’s social responsibility projects.
Public scrutiny of Parliament’s operations has intensified in recent days, particularly through the #UgandaParliamentExhibition campaign led by Ms. Atuhaire and Dr. Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, a senior cartoonist and satirist. Allegations of corruption, graft, unclear expenditure, nepotism, and lack of transparency have been key issues raised during this campaign.
Challenging Mr. Obore’s stance, Ms. Atuhaire called for transparency by urging him to provide accurate information to counter the documents she shared. She reaffirmed the authenticity of the documents depicting Speaker Among’s trips obtained from the EFMS (Electronic Funds Management System), inviting Mr. Obore to present his evidence or resort to legal action.
Mr. Obore, however, viewed the exhibition targeting Speaker Among as having a concealed agenda, implying a motive beyond transparency and accountability in Parliament’s operations.
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