A section of Members of Parliament has publicly apologised to Ugandans, admitting that they failed to adequately confront corruption and oversight weaknesses in the 11th Parliament.
The apology was led by Koboko North MP Musa Noah, who said lawmakers did not do enough to protect public resources, especially within parliamentary oversight structures.
“I was sitting in the budget committee. I can tell you without any fear or contradiction, I actually personally don’t know the budget of the Parliamentary Commission. They turned the budget of the Parliamentary Commission into a classified budget,” Noah said.
He added that this limited scrutiny and weakened accountability in the budgeting process.
“There was no scrutiny on the budget of the Parliamentary Commission, which was a very big mistake. And unfortunately, we allowed this to just be passed like that,” he noted.
Noah, who also sits on Parliament’s ICT Committee, further admitted that oversight work had largely stalled in the current financial year.
“In 2025/26, our committee hasn’t conducted any oversight visit. My first trip in the 11th Parliament was to the Dubai Expo. When I asked about reports, I later realised the trip had turned into something of leisure,” he said.
He concluded by calling for reform in the next Parliament, saying: “We really need to give Parliament the name it deserves.”
Former Kagoma North MP Brandon Kintu described the 11th Parliament as deeply tainted by corruption and urged the incoming House to restore public trust.
“It has been the epitome of corruption. It has been the epitome of injustice. We have left with a very bad name,” Kintu said.
He added that even though Parliament passed 136 Bills, public perception has been overshadowed by allegations of misconduct among leaders.
“This Parliament is the first where an outgoing presiding officer is under investigation. There is a lot of impunity,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Tingey County MP Fadil Twalla linked ongoing anti-corruption investigations to praise for the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, saying critics had been proven wrong.
“People have been undermining General MK, but I think you have seen that he means what he tweets. It is ‘kisanja no corruption’ and you have seen it,” Twalla said.
The apology comes amid heightened scrutiny of former Speaker Anita Among, following reports of searches at her residences and offices, with allegations linked to corruption, luxury assets, and large sums of money.
