Erute South Legislator Jonathan Odur spoke out on Tuesday regarding the peaceful March to Parliament protests by Ugandan youths and he criticized the country’s leadership for dismissing and threatening young demonstrators, emphasizing that those responsible for any harm will be held accountable.
Quoting from the Parliament Watch X account, Odur highlighted that individuals committing injustices in Uganda will eventually face justice in courts of law.
“The public record should capture them, those ones who feel are very powerful, let the records capture them, time will come, each one of them will account,” he asserted.
Odur accused the President of failing to combat corruption and protecting corrupt individuals, questioning this approach to governance. He condemned the unnecessary security deployment at Parliament, stressing that it should be a place for all Ugandans to seek redress.
“The more the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Commissioners of Parliament and MPs bury their heads in the sand and try to cover those very serious allegations of corruption in this House, the more people will rise up,” he warned.
On Tuesday, numerous youths participated in the March to Parliament protest, which was organized online to address ongoing corruption issues across the country.
Despite heavy police presence, protesters carrying Uganda flags and placards gathered in small groups around Kampala’s central business district. They chanted and called for the Speaker of Parliament to resign, remaining peaceful and compliant during arrests.
Earlier in May, Britain sanctioned former Ministers Gorreti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, including the Speaker of Parliament, following corruption charges related to theft from impoverished communities in Karamoja.
Additionally, at the end of May, the United States barred Speaker Anita Among and other MPs from entering the country due to “significant corruption and gross violations of human rights.”
Odur proposed a public inquiry into corruption allegations, insisting that those accused should step aside for a transparent investigation.
“Why are they covering up? We all hold these offices in trust of the people. If we can’t satisfy the demands of the people, the people can then take any other step they deem fit to make us more accountable and some of those could go into ways that Ugandans have never imagined,” he stated.