Dear Honourable Members of Parliament, Public Officials, and Fellow Ugandans,
As we prepare for the swearing-in of the 12th Parliament (2026–2031), I, Hon. Princess Persis Namuganza, Bukono County MP-elect and aspirant for Speaker, write this open letter with deep patriotism and urgency.
Thirty-six years ago, on April 30, 1990, during the state opening of the 4th Session of the National Resistance Council, His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa delivered a timeless warning that still echoes powerfully today:
“I am convinced of the correctness of our handling of the economic, security and political matters in our country. My worry, however, is in connection with the corruption of our public officials. How can we hope to convince anyone of the rightness of our cause if our own people are violating our own stated goals, thereby undermining our programmes? Corruption is a cancer which, if it is not checked, will hinder progress in all sectors of society.”
Mr. President, your words from 1990 remain painfully relevant. Corruption, that deadly cancer continues to eat away at our public institutions, especially within Parliament itself. When a few officials in government systems betray the trust placed in them, they undermine not only the programmes of the NRM but the very image of our nation and the legacy of the liberation struggle.
I have stood firm against this vice for years, even when many Members of Parliament, Ministers, and public officials chose silence or complicity. I have been fought, vilified, and targeted for my unwavering resolve, yet I have never bowed.
Today, I rejoice that the President has once again stepped forward with clarity and determination to confront this cancer head-on.
The time for half-measures is over. As we begin this new parliamentary term, I call upon every Honourable Member, every public official, and every Ugandan, young and old to rise as one and fight this vice with everything we have.
Let the 12th Parliament become the turning point: a House that is clean, disciplined, transparent, and worthy of overseeing all other institutions.
We are not all corrupt. The actions of a few hungry individuals must no longer be allowed to define or tarnish the Government, the NRM, or the President who has sacrificed so much for this nation.
Let us heed the President’s 1990 warning with action in 2026. Let us unite, speak truth, expose wrongdoing, and restore the dignity of Parliament and our beloved motherland.
This is not a personal fight. This is a national duty. Together, hand in hand with our President, we shall defeat corruption and build the Uganda our liberators dreamed of.
God bless Uganda.
God bless His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa.
With unwavering courage and patriotism,
Hon. Princess Persis Namuganza
Bukono County MP-elect & Aspirant for Speaker of the 12th Parliament
