A dramatic scuffle erupted on Friday as Member of Parliament Paul Akamba was rearrested at the premises of the Anti-Corruption Court shortly after being granted bail on corruption charges.

Chief Magistrate Joan Aciro had earlier granted Akamba a cash bail of 13 million shillings, stipulating that he also surrender his passport to the court. However, just as Akamba exited the court, having fulfilled these conditions, he was forcibly apprehended by plainclothes armed personnel.

The unexpected arrest caused a commotion among Akamba’s supporters, who were present to escort him. In the ensuing chaos, several individuals attempting to obstruct the rearrest were kicked and battered.

Pistols were seen falling onto the road amidst the struggle, as the armed personnel swiftly whisked Akamba away in a Noah vehicle, which was followed by another vehicle branded with the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) logo.

Akamba is facing charges alongside Cissy Namujju, the Lwengo District Woman MP, and Yusuf Mutembuli. Unlike Akamba, Namujju and Mutembuli were denied bail due to insufficient sureties.

The prosecution alleges that on May 13, 2024, at Hotel Africana in Kampala, MPs Mutembuli, Akamba, and Namujju solicited a bribe amounting to 20% of the anticipated budget of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) for the financial year 2024/2025.

The bribe was allegedly solicited from Mariam Wangadya, Chairperson of UHRC, under the pretence that they could improperly influence the Budget Committee of Parliament to increase UHRC’s budget in return for the undue advantage.

The case against the MPs gained significant attention last week after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, during his State of the Nation Address, declared that he possessed substantial evidence of corruption involving public officials.

Museveni accused the MPs of colluding with accounting officers, the Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Uganda to misallocate public resources in exchange for kickbacks. He vowed to address the pervasive corruption, which he claimed had been corroborated by the evidence he held.

President Museveni’s revelations have intensified scrutiny on the accused, bringing to light long-standing rumors of corruption within the government, particularly regarding the annual appropriation of taxpayer funds.

Museveni hinted at the possibility of offering amnesty to corrupt MPs but was interrupted by a majority of legislators who attempted to prevent him from publicly naming those implicated.