I have proof of corruption in Parliament, Finance Ministry - Museveni

President Museveni has said he received evidence about a racket of corrupt government officials in the Ministry of Finance and Parliament of Uganda that connived to swindle public funds.

During his Thursday State of the Nation Address, Mr Museveni who has been in power for nearly four decades revealed that he recently received proof about the corrupt racket, saying that he had however heard about these corrupt officials without taking it seriously, thinking that they were mere rumors.

“I have been hearing that from the Ministry of Finance, they collude with the accounting officers of ministries to come to Parliament working with some people there [Parliament] to provide certain funds, provided you take a share. I didn’t believe this but now I have proof,” President Museveni said on Thursday.
Further, he confirmed that corruption has already infiltrated his own house, with some State House staff soliciting bribes from both locals and foreigners, on promises of taking them to meet the President.

“I have been hearing that people even in my office take bribes from people to bring people to see me, can you imagine! But fortunately recently we arrested one of them; he is alleged to have extorted shares and money from an investor who was coming from somewhere, he is in court now,” he said, adding that “we are moving and we are going to get them,” he said.

The President who had no good words to the corrupt officials argued that “public servants and political leaders who steal public money are corrupt and will be crushed.”
“It is really amazing that some of our people can join this corruption knowing that we have the capacity to crush all this group,” he wondered.

However, President Museveni also faulted a section of Ugandans, who he said were serving the interests of foreigners. He warned that the government is following these Ugandans who he described to be both “corrupt and traitors.”

“There are however other actors that get money from foreigners to work for foreign interests, these are both corrupt and traitors and we are monitoring their activities, if they don’t stop and with evidence we shall deal with them also,” he added.
The President also likened the corrupt officials to foreigners who threaten Ugandans, saying that these underestimate the strength of Uganda to run its affairs.

“The corrupt are like the foreigners, you know some of these foreigners don’t know Ugandans, they don’t know us………… I’m very sorry for them because they don’t know how strong we are, we are patient but if you make a mistake you will see,” he said.
Adding that “those who threaten us, please you are wasting your time, we are not going to move because we are sure, we are people of here, this is our land, we want nothing from anybody, so we don’t want threats,”

The Presidential warning against foreign threats comes at a time when the UK and the US sanctioned the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among and former two government ministers, among others over corruption scandals which involved the diversion of iron sheets meant for Karamoja sub-region for their personal benefits.