Hundreds of people on Sunday gathered at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Parish, Kyazanga, Lwengo District to take part in a special appreciation ceremony for the area’s female councillor, Sissy Namjoo, who was recently released on bail on budget corruption charges.
Namju, who was wearing a white gomesi, was accompanied by several politicians including Minister of State for Microfinance, Haruna Kasoro, Bukoto West Constituency MP Muhammad Sentai and Budaka District Woman Constituency MP Pamela Nasiyo Kamugo.
Senior Adviser to the President on Omasaka issues, Justin Namere, had urged the State House Anti-Corruption Unit to block the ceremony, saying it was unnecessary as the lawmakers were still facing prosecution.
“We are writing to you as patriotic Ugandans under the ‘Wacha Wewe, Stop Corruption’ campaign to make all necessary efforts in solidarity with President Museveni in his fight against corruption,” Namere said in the petition submitted on August 8 to Brigadier General Henry Isoke, head of the anti-corruption body.
Namere also urged local police to stop the ritual from taking place, but her efforts did not get the desired result.
Namju and two other lawmakers, Mr Paul Akamba (Busiki County, Namutumba Region) and Mr Yusuf Muthembuli (Bunyore East, Butaleja District), were granted bail by the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court after spending 55 days in Luzira Prison.
However, Akamba will not be getting out of prison anytime soon as he still faces separate charges of stealing Sh3.4 billion that was meant to be paid as compensation to the Buyaka Growers Cooperative.
At a thanksgiving ceremony on Sunday, Father Gonzaga Nsamba of Busibo parish praised Namju for the courage she showed in prison and likened her experience to that of Jesus on the cross.
“If your faith is strong, you will not be overwhelmed by any difficulties you face in life. I am happy that we are gathered here today to pray for God’s mercy and love,” he said.
Fr Mbaaga Tujinde Senkungu and Fr Charles Mbabazi, parish priests of St Jude Thaddeus Church, Kyazanga, expressed gratitude to Fr Namju for his consistent support of church projects, including the ongoing construction of a new church in the area.
After the mass, clergy from various denominations gathered in Namju’s ancestral hometown of Kabuke village to pray for her to survive her legal battle.
In her speech, Namju expressed her gratitude to all those who have supported her since her imprisonment.
“Some people come to me crying in prison. I tell them not to cry because everything I am going through is on my life calendar. I thank God for making me follow my life calendar. It is not good for anyone to wish prison upon them, but it is beneficial for everyone to have prison experience and know how the world works,” she said.
Speaking at a rally in Lwengo on June 22, Speaker of Parliament Anita Amon and two MPs, Daudi Kabanda (Kasambiya Sub-county, Mubende District) and Juliet Kinyamattama (Woman MP, Rakai District), defended Namju, saying that despite her hardships she was very generous and “shared whatever she stole with her constituents”.
“It’s better if the kids eat it and take it home,” Among said to thunderous applause from the crowd.
“If she stole as we have heard, she should have shared (the loot) with the people of Lwengo,” Kinyamattama said at the time.
The three are said to have solicited 20% of the Uganda Human Rights Commission’s (UHRC) budget during the preparation of the 2024/2025 budget.
