By Tusiime Apollo
KAMPALA, UGANDA: 17 MAY 2026-
There is a unique, stomach-churning brand of hypocrisy that thrives within the corridors of Ugandan politics. It is the kind of hypocrisy where truth is treated as treason until it becomes politically convenient to accept it.
Look no further than the current predicament of former Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among. As she finds herself out of favor with the powers that be, the very institutions that once shielded her are now using the exact same evidence brought to light two years ago to dismantle her.
But as we watch the mighty fall, we must not suffer from collective amnesia. We need to talk about how a section of Ugandans, including supposedly honorable Members of Parliament and government officials, shied away, gaslit the nation, and actively demonized the brave souls who first blew the whistle.
The 2024 Parliament Exhibition: When Truth Met a Brick Wall of Defiance
Cast your mind back to 2024. Through a grueling, high-stakes social media campaign dubbed the #ParliamentExhibition, civil society actors laid bare the rot within the August House.
Led by the fiercely bold journalist and lawyer Agather Atuhaire, alongside Godwin Toko, Dr. Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, and the wider Agora Discourse team, Ugandans were presented with undeniable, documented facts. The evidence was glaring: Parliament had been weaponized as a financial deal-house. Millions of taxpayers’ shillings were being siphoned through affiliates and conduits for private gain, turning public service into a lucrative family-and-friends enterprise.
What did our legislators do? Did they call for an internal investigation? Did they demand accountability? Majority of Parliamentarians turned a blind eye, pocketed their per diems, and rallied behind Anita Among. In a desperate bid to deflect from the financial hemorrhage, they deployed the ultimate Ugandan political scapegoat: The Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA). When Hon. Odria Yorke Alioni, Hon. Theodore Sekikuubo demanded that the revelations from the exhibition be debated, they were shut up and business in the house proceeded normally.
With a straight face, government officials and MPs labeled Agather Atuhaire and her colleagues as “agents of foreign homosexual groups” from the US and Europe. We were told these activists weren’t fighting corruption; they were supposedly attacking the Speaker for “defending traditional family values.” It was a masterclass in manipulation. They weaponized a deeply sensitive societal issue to mask blatant theft.
MAY 2026: The Great Exoneration:
Fast forward to May 2026. The political tides have turned, the protective canopy has vanished, and the very same facts presented by Agora Discourse in 2024 are now being cited as gospel truth by authorities. The hypocrisy is staggering:
Today, the “agents of homosexuals” have been completely vindicated. The “foreign-funded saboteurs” were right all along. Every document, every leaked memo, and every transaction exposed by those activists has stood the test of time.
So, where is the shame? Where are the apologies from the MPs who clapped and cheered while the country was being plundered? Where are the apologies from the citizens who swallowed the propaganda hook, line, and sinker and attacked the activists on social media?
A Standing Ovation for Our Heroes:
We owe Agather Atuhaire, Godwin Toko, Dr. Spire Ssentongo, and Agora Discourse more than just a passing nod. We owe them a debt of gratitude. They withstood private and state-sponsored rebuke, cyberbullying, and threats to their personal safety to champion accountability when the rest of the country was cowering in fear.
These are our true national heroes. They refused to be silenced by the intimidating machinery of the state or the overwhelming apathy of the public. We must celebrate them, protect them, and encourage them to do more.
To those Ugandans who joined the choir of abusers back then: Shame on you. You allowed yourselves to be blinded by the crumbs of corruption falling from the high table, choosing to attack the hands trying to clean the house instead of the thieves looting it.
The Moral of the Story: Stop the Hypocrisy
The process to sanitize the Parliament of Uganda and all other government institutions could be long, tedious, and frankly, just beginning. But these baby steps are worth celebrating. Salutations to the CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba who is behind all this.
The ultimate lesson here is loud and clear: Never fear to speak out when things are going wrong. Truth is stubborn; it does not rot, and it outlives political regimes.
I hope those who were cheering for the Sovereignty Bill (Now Act) won’t be the first victims of their own law. Only time will tell.
Let this be a warning to those currently enjoying the warmth of power and the spoils of corruption—the crumbs you protect today will not shield you when the table finally turns. Stop the hypocrisy, stand for the truth, or prepare to be exposed by it.
The Author is a multi-media journalist, Political Reporter and Former Secretary General of the Uganda Parliamentary Press Association (UPPA).
