TAKEAWAYS

• Odonga Otto says Parliament should be investigated beyond the recent arrests of seven officials by the IGG.
• He questions why major corruption allegations in Parliament, including commercial borrowing and stalled construction projects, have not been fully probed.
• Otto argues the anti-corruption crackdown should not be selective or politically motivated

Outspoken former Aruu County MP Hon. Odonga Otto has said Parliament needs a full-scale clean-up, arguing that Uganda’s anti-corruption drive should not stop at the recent arrest of seven parliamentary officials by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG).

This follows the arrest of seven parliamentary staff this week, including Director of Communications and Public Affairs Chris Obore, in a widening corruption probe that has thrown fresh scrutiny on the administration of Parliament.

According to Otto, the arrests are a welcome step, but they must not be reduced to a selective purge targeting individuals who have fallen out of political favour.

“Parliament needs to be clean, but you should not clean people only when the President has disagreed with that person. There are many other scandals inside Parliament that also need to be investigated by the IGG.”

Otto said the anti-corruption fight should not be shy about confronting the deeper financial dealings of Parliament, including its borrowing from commercial banks, the delayed completion of the parliamentary annex, and the handling of procurement contracts.

He questioned why Parliament would borrow money from commercial banks at commercial rates, saying such arrangements raise concerns about possible kickbacks and abuse of public resources.

“How can the government of Uganda borrow at 7 percent from a commercial bank? Parliament borrowing from commercial banks, the unfinished parliamentary annex, and the CCTV contract all deserve investigation.”

Otto also cited the long-delayed parliamentary annex project and the controversial CCTV installation contract at Parliament, saying the public deserves answers on why such expenditures have remained shrouded in secrecy. The former MP also applauded the CDF, Gen. MK saying that this is a stance he believes is being furthered by him and not the President.

It should be noted that a few weeks ago, former Speaker of Parliament Anita Among was sanctioned by the UK government over corruption allegations, piling further pressure on Parliament, an institution that has for years faced accusations of wasteful expenditure, inflated procurement deals and abuse of public funds.