Yesterday President Museveni led a walk through Kampala city to Kololo ceremonial grounds in a bid to scare away corruption from the pearl of Africa, many people thronged the streets to walk with him though others were left disappointed after major roads that lead to the city were closed hence halting their businesses for a day.
However,while speaking about corruption at Kololo, the Deputy Speaker of parliament Jacob Oulanyah who quoted the bible verse in John 8:7 boldly spit the truth in Museveni’s face when he said every one is corrupt without exempting president Museveni a statement that left every one whispering.
He was referring to the Bible in the story of Jesus where he asked those who felt a woman had committed sin to cast the first stone, the Deputy Speaker said that, ‘’let he who has not practised corruption cast the first stone’, we would be shocked at how many stones would fly here’.
“Mr President, we are all corrupt. We need to have a change of attitude. Don’t wait to be anything else to start fighting corruption. It starts from where you are & what you do. The fight starts with you. Let us stop the pretence,” Oulanyah said.
While reacting to Jacob Aulanyah’s biblical allusion, President Museveni said that he is not corrupt and has never stolen from anyone but he is wealthy. He added that corrupt persons are parasites who get wealthy from what they have not worked for.
“Corrupt people are bad investors. They think that God does not see them. For last 60 years, I have not seen corrupt people have their wealth sustainably,” Museveni said adding that, ‘the Deputy Speaker said that no stone would be thrown at the corrupt. Let them bring a corrupt person here, I will be the first to throw a stone. I am not corrupt’. said Museveni
However one scholar and former Makerere University Environmental don Prof Oweyegha Afunaduula said Jacob Oulanyah is not safe at all, sighting an incident that happened way back in the early days of Museveni’s rule when the then Minister of Public service Prof Shem Masaba said the same statement in a cabinet meeting that “All of us Corrupt”, a statement that didn’t please the president at all and it didn’t him long to loose his position.
Prof Oweyegha goes ahead and says the Deputy Speaker re-echoed Professor Masaba’s statement which didn’t leave the chief walker happy and it will not be a surprise if he fall out with the longest serving president in east and central Africa who is seeking to extend his rule to 40 years in the next general elections of 2021. Lets watch the space.
