Muntu rebukes MPs, local leaders over bribes, condemns their 'predatory nature'

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In a scathing attack on corruption, Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential flag-bearer Maj. Gen. (rtd) Mugisha Muntu has sternly warned Members of Parliament and local government leaders, cautioning them against soliciting and accepting bribes.

Locally known as brown envelopes, as often referred to by the high-ranking politicians in Uganda, Muntu condemned corruption orchestrated by MPs who draft Bills and pass laws after being enticed by money.

“Buying MPs and local leaders to pass fake Bills and bylaws in Parliament and district councils has not only killed the image of our country but also our capacity to speak against social injustice and corruption,” he said.

While addressing the campaign rally at Kasana Market in Luwero district on November 4, 2025, Muntu did not mince words in his condemnation of corruption, which he said has long plagued the country’s governance structures, affecting service delivery to the citizens.

The former Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) army commander made it clear that his government, when elected in 2026, shall not tolerate such malpractice which undermines the very fabric of leadership and public service.

“We are watching you, and we will not hesitate to take action against anyone found engaging in corruption in the Parliament when Ugandans vote us into power in 2026. I witnessed when the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party central executive committee (CEC) members were bought like goats in broad daylight, and we condemn such in our government,” he insisted.

“The days of thinking that you can buy your way to power for shillings 1,000 from the poor locals or protection for arrests are over. The people of Uganda expect more from your servant leadership, not your predatory nature of squandering their resources,” he threatened.

According to Muntu, accepting bribes is not only illegal but also undermines the government’s efforts to improve service delivery and reduce poverty.

“When leaders engage in corruption, they are essentially stealing from the poor. It is high time we held ourselves to higher standards and restored the truth of the people in our institutions,” he said.

“If the people of Luwero district had become corrupt and selfish during the 1980’s when we were fighting, nobody, including President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, would have come out of the bush alive, but we survived due to patriotic citizens who sacrificed themselves for the sake of our country,” he emphasised.

In recent years, several MPs and government officials have been arrested, charged and even jailed over corruption-related offences, with the recent one being the Karamoja iron sheet scandal that involved senior government officials in the country.

Kasifah Nakigozi, a market vendor reacting to Muntu’s remarks, said: We need leaders who are accountable to the people, not themselves.

We need accountable leaders who portray integrity, transparency and love for their country.

Muntu attributed high levels of corruption to moral degeneration, which has plagued Uganda since the politics of money and intimidation gained a foothold in the country.

“Buying voters and leaders in opposition parties started a long time ago, until it became public recently,” he noted.

Even voters who demand good service from the government want to be bought with shillings 1,000 to vote for a five-year term, which is much smaller than even the price of a local chicken now standing at 25,000, according to Muntu.

“We are here seeking your support to end President Museveni’s government and such MPs who have taken Ugandans for granted for many years,” he appealed.

Health insurance

He pledged to construct a health system that provides health insurance for all, thereby reducing medical expenditures and focusing on the socioeconomic development of families.

“Under our healthcare systems, we shall enrol all the citizens of health insurance to cut down the medical care expenditure that continues to bite in the pockets of ordinary Ugandans, causing abject poverty in the country,” he pledged.