Open Letter to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Uganda Yoweri Museveni over the Massive Corruption at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit

OPEN LETTER
TO
HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA
YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI TIBUHABURWA OVER THE MASSIVE CORRUPTION AT THE STATE HOUSE ANTI-CORRUPTION UNIT.

19th June 2026

Your Excellency,

We, a broad coalition of concerned citizens, victims of institutional abuse, and defenders of the rule of law, write to you today with profound respect for your office and your historic struggle for a just Uganda, but also with deep anguish and righteous anger. For too long, we have watched in silence as certain officers at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) have abused their positions, interfered with matters already determined by competent courts of law, and operated as untouchable “small gods” hiding behind the prestige of your office. This must end. Enough is enough.

A Disturbing Pattern of Abuse of Power and Contempt of Court
Credible reports from multiple affected citizens across Kira Municipality and Wakiso District reveal a systematic pattern: officers of the SHACU have repeatedly interfered in land disputes and other matters that have been conclusively adjudicated by the High Court and other competent courts. These officers have issued directives or provided protection that directly contradict valid court orders, including Temporary Injunctions, Consent Judgments, and rulings on locus standi. This constitutes nothing less than contempt of court and a dangerous subversion of the judicial process.

This interference has placed the Uganda Police Force the constitutionally mandated enforcer of court orders in an untenable position, often caught between lawful judicial directives and conflicting instructions or protection extended to violators by SHACU elements. The result is paralysis, impunity for land grabbers, and suffering for law-abiding citizens.

Illustrative Cases of Interference

1. The Case of Mr. Obatre Alex Lumumba (Kito, Namugongo – Kira Municipality): A hardworking Clerk to the Parliament of the East African Legislative Assembly who obtained a clear High Court Temporary Injunction (Misc. Appeal No. 059 of 2025) restraining trespass and construction on his lawfully acquired land (Kyadondo Block 185 Plots 11407 & 11408). Multiple directives from the Inspector General of Police, Land Police Protection Unit (LPPU), and Kampala Metropolitan Police commanders ordered peaceful enforcement. Yet reports indicate that officers linked to the SHACU provided security and cover to known habitual land grabbers, including Kayondo Juma and Nyemera Beatrice Winnie (already charged by the DPP with forcible entry and conspiracy to defraud), allowing night-time construction and defying the court order and police directives. This is a direct affront to judicial authority.
2. The Case of Sanyu Edisa (Kitukutwe, Kira Division): An elderly woman and the sole biological child and rightful beneficiary of the late Nassani Ssentamu. Her ownership was affirmed by the Consent Judgment/Decree in High Court Civil Suit No. 613 of 2018 (2nd April 2026), which ordered transfer of all subdivided titles to her. The Deputy RDC Kira Municipality letter (11th September 2025) explicitly protected her possession and prohibited eviction without a cleared court order. The ruling by Hon. Lady Justice Naluzze Aisha Batala in MA No. 2997 of 2024 struck out parallel claims for lack of locus standi, confirming that attempts to manufacture false lineage or beneficiaries (through cohabitation claims or non-biological assertions) had no legal basis. A subsequent review application was dismissed. Despite these clear victories, reports indicate that elements associated with the SHACU and their collaborators have allegedly kidnapped the vulnerable elderly woman and continue to interfere, seeking to coerce outcomes or extract concessions. This is thuggery against the weak.
   These are not isolated incidents. They form part of a broader pattern of interference in court-determined land matters in Kampala Metropolitan area, where SHACU involvement has consistently favoured connected individuals over judicial pronouncements and the rights of bona fide occupants.

The Fundamental Question We Must Ask

Your Excellency, we ask with the utmost respect but with unflinching clarity: What is the legitimate constitutional, legal, or policy role of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in matters that have already been adjudicated, determined, and in many cases protected by court orders and administrative directives from your own government officials (such as RDCs)? If that role is not to respect, support, and facilitate the enforcement of those decisions, then the actions of these officers risk being perceived and increasingly are being perceived as pure corruption, thuggery, and abuse of office. By repeatedly undermining court decisions, these officers insinuate that judges are fraudsters or lack the knowledge to render genuine justice. This is an intolerable assault on the separation of powers and the rule of law.

We respectfully call upon the Hon. Chief Justice of Uganda to issue clear public guidance to all Ugandans on the proper channels for redress and to make a strong public statement condemning any administrative or executive interference in matters conclusively determined by the courts. The judiciary must assert its independence and protect citizens who have lawfully obtained justice from being re-victimised by parallel power structures. Silence or ambiguity only emboldens the wrongdoers.

The Ugandan public is exhausted. We are tired of being “pressed on the walls” by these self-styled small gods. Reports indicate that vulnerable citizens have been kidnapped, coerced into false admissions or fabricated cases they did not commit, and forced to surrender shares of their hard-earned properties to these thugs in exchange for “protection” or to have fabricated cases dropped. This is mafia-like behaviour operating under the cover of an anti-corruption mandate. We firmly state: enough is enough.
We call upon all Ugandans who have faced similar problems , coercion, intimidation, alleged abductions, forced “settlements”, or contempt of their hard-won court victories at the hands of this unit to speak out bravely and publicly. Your silence protects the perpetrators and betrays the next victim. The time for collective voice is now.

Frustration is so deep that citizens are increasingly prepared to exercise their constitutional rights through lawful, peaceful marches and petitions to Parliament and State House demanding urgent action against these elements. We inform you of this growing sentiment not as a threat, but as a warning that the patience of the people has limits.

It is with great sorrow and firm conviction that we state: significant elements within the State House Anti-Corruption Unit have turned what should be a noble institution into a den of thieves and fraudsters preying on vulnerable Ugandans for easy money. They hide behind the authority of your office while breaking the law they are sworn to uphold. This is not anti-corruption; this is predation. It damages the image of Uganda, the very image of stability, justice, and rule of law that Your Excellency has fought so hard to build and project to the world.

Our Urgent and Respectful Requests to Your Excellency

1. Take immediate and decisive action against any officers of the SHACU found to have interfered with court orders, provided cover to known violators, or engaged in coercion, kidnapping, or extortion.
2. Order a comprehensive, transparent review of the operations and personnel of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, with a view to the removal of individuals whose conduct has eroded public trust before it is too late and the institution is irreparably damaged.
3. Issue a clear presidential directive to all security agencies, RDCs, and local authorities reaffirming that court orders must be respected and enforced without exception or parallel interference.
4. Support the call for the Hon. Chief Justice to provide public guidance protecting the integrity of judicial decisions.

Our Hope Remains in the Rule of Law
Your Excellency, all our hopes as citizens rest in the rule of law, the cornerstone of the Uganda you sacrificed so much to create and have worked tirelessly to preserve. The actions of these rogue elements are not only destroying lives and properties in the entirenation; they are damaging the moral and institutional fabric of the nation. They make a mockery of your anti-corruption legacy and your teachings on protecting the vulnerable and upholding justice.
We appeal to your wisdom, your revolutionary commitment, and your love for the people of Uganda. Act now. Cleanse this unit. Restore the supremacy of court orders. Let the small gods know that no one is above the law not even those who claim to fight corruption while practising it.
We remain hopeful that you will hear the cries of your people and act decisively. Justice delayed or subverted is justice denied.

Yours faithfully and in hope for a just Uganda,
Concerned Citizens of Uganda
(Victims and Defenders of the Rule of Law United Against Impunity