‘Investigate And Arrest Tayebwa And Adolf Mwesigye , Anita Among Didn’t Steal Alone’ Former Mak VC Says

Former Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, has called for investigations into Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa and Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige over alleged financial impropriety at Parliament, arguing that all public officials mentioned in corruption claims should be subjected to the same legal scrutiny.

Speaking through a post on X (formerly Twitter), Baryamureeba said public officials should not be exempt from investigations simply because they accumulated wealth before assuming high office. According to him, possessing personal wealth prior to joining government does not rule out the possibility of misusing public resources while in office.

“On this I will disagree with you. Even those that join politics with money do steal public funds,” Baryamureeba wrote.

The former Makerere University vice chancellor also referred to former Speaker Anita Annet Among, claiming she had built substantial wealth before becoming Speaker of Parliament but later found herself at the centre of investigations into the alleged misuse of parliamentary funds.

“Did you know that Hon. Anita Annet Among made a lot of money when she was MP and Chairperson of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE). She even had deals with President Salva Kiir. This I know for a fact. So she was rich too when she became Speaker,” he stated.

Baryamureeba argued that investigations into the management of parliamentary finances should not focus on a single individual but should extend to every official whose name has surfaced in corruption allegations.

“But now she is being investigated for what she stole as Speaker of Parliament and there is overwhelming evidence that the Deputy Speaker was part of the racket that embezzled public funds. So let them all be investigated and if he is clean he should be cleared. The same applies to the Clerk of Parliament; he should be investigated too. One remains innocent until proven guilty,” he added.

His comments come amid sustained public debate over accountability and transparency in Parliament’s management of public resources. In recent months, allegations relating to parliamentary expenditure, procurement processes, and the use of public funds have generated widespread scrutiny from both the public and anti-corruption agencies.

Several complaints concerning Parliament’s financial operations, including expenditure on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and other administrative spending, have either been subjected to investigations or remain matters of public interest awaiting official findings.

Baryamureeba also questioned reports that the final tranche of CSR funds allocated to the offices of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker for the last quarter of the 2025/26 financial year was returned to the Consolidated Fund without being spent.

“Why is it that the last batch of CSR for the last quarter of 2025/26 funds have been returned to the Consolidated Fund untouched for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker? It’s because the previous disbursements were fraudulently spent and they feared to touch this one. Just like the VIP tickets for the World Cup,” he alleged.

However, Baryamureeba did not present documentary evidence to support his claims regarding the alleged fraudulent expenditure of CSR funds or the reference to World Cup VIP tickets.

Neither Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa nor Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige had publicly responded to Baryamureeba’s allegations by the time of publication.

Under Uganda’s legal framework, allegations of corruption, embezzlement, or abuse of office remain subject to investigation by the relevant authorities. Individuals accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until they are found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.