The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, has condemned the manner in which Busiki County Member of Parliament Paul Akamba was apprehended by security forces.
According to Among, during the Wednesday 19, 2024, plenary, Akamba was re-arrested brutally by plain-clothed security forces after securing bail at court, which prompted her to call for an end to the brutal arrest of MPs and all Ugandans.
“As you are aware, some of our colleagues are going through an investigation. We held a meeting yesterday with the heads of investigative bodies, and we will get a report on the discussions we had, especially on the brutal arrests not only of our members but of everybody outside there. We need to respect the rights of our citizens,” Among said.
Speaker Among revealed that Akamba, who was recently taken from the premises of the High Court after initially securing bail, is currently being held up at the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters, answering fresh charges for another crime he is accused of.
The Speaker also noted that she had agreed with the police to present her with the summonses of all accused MPs instead of picking them up brutally.
“One thing I insisted to the police is that if you want to arrest my members, give the summons to me. Because originally they would like to pick people anyhow, I said, Give me the summons. And as you bring the summons, it shouldn’t be on hearsay, the list of 30. Tell me exactly why you want this person,” she noted.
On June 10, 2024, three Members of Parliament (MPs) were taken into custody by police after a day of questioning at the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) headquarters in Kibuli. The MPs include Yusuf Mutembuli, Cissy Namujju, and Paul Akamba.
The CID is conducting a wide investigation into corruption in Parliament and is expected to arrest more MPs and civil servants.
This follows President Yoweri Museveni’s order to police and prosecutors to go after suspected corrupt officials after revealing that he has proof of a corruption racket involving officials from the Ministry of Finance and Parliament.
