Parliament’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Chris Ariko Obore, and six other senior parliamentary officials have been remanded to prison until July 7, 2026, after appearing before the Anti-Corruption Court to answer charges of embezzlement, money laundering and related corruption offences involving billions of shillings in public funds.
The officials were remanded after prosecutors from the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) formally read out charges accusing them of siphoning billions of shillings from Parliament between 2023 and 2026.
The accused include Human Resource Director Daniel Adilo, Executive Secretary in the Office of the Speaker Leonard Okema, Principal Research Officer Rajab Kaaya Ssemalulu, Capacity Development Officer Vincent Otebata, Principal Protocol Officer Emmanuel Emuron Okwi, and Parliamentary SACCO Chief Executive Officer Murebe Methods.
The case is one of the biggest corruption prosecutions ever mounted against senior officials serving in Parliament’s administration.
Billions allegedly embezzled
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors accuse the officials of embezzling vast sums of taxpayers’ money while serving in their respective offices.
Among the allegations:
- Daniel Adilo is accused of embezzling Shs14.61 billion, the largest amount in the case.
- Chris Obore is accused of embezzling Shs5.253 billion.
- Vincent Otebata is accused of embezzling Shs5.253 billion.
- Leonard Okema allegedly embezzled Shs3.489 billion.
- Rajab Kaaya Ssemalulu is accused of embezzling Shs2.17 billion.
- Stella Itute, who was also charged in the case, is accused of embezzling Shs75 million.
The prosecution alleges that the accused stole the money by virtue of the positions they occupied within Parliament.
Money laundering charge
Beyond the embezzlement counts, prosecutors also accuse Chris Obore, Daniel Adilo, Leonard Okema, Rajab Kaaya Ssemalulu, Vincent Otebata and Murebe Methods of laundering Shs10.89 billion.
According to the charge sheet, the six allegedly processed, approved and received the money between January 2023 and April 2026, knowing it represented proceeds of crime.
The money laundering charge was brought under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Court orders remand
Following the reading of the charges, the Anti-Corruption Court ordered that the accused be remanded until July 7, 2026, when they are expected to return to court as investigations and proceedings continue.
The remand marks a significant escalation in the IGG’s corruption probe into Parliament, which has attracted widespread public attention due to the seniority of the officials involved and the enormous sums allegedly lost.
The prosecution contends that the offences were committed over a three-year period while the accused held influential positions in Parliament’s administration, giving them access to public funds.
If the allegations are proved, the case would rank among the largest alleged embezzlement scandals involving officials of Uganda’s Parliament.
The accused have not yet entered their defence on the substance of the allegations and, under Ugandan law, remain presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a competent court.
