Over the past month, Ugandan activists have put the spotlight on the country’s members of parliament through an online campaign on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Using the hashtag #UgandaParliamentExhibition, the initiative has posted leaked documents to publicize the deep-seated corruption and extravagant spending within the legislative body, including lavish foreign trips, exorbitant salaries, nepotistic appointments and arbitrary cash handouts, among other questionable expenditures.
While the campaign has targeted Parliament, it reflects growing discontent with the government of President Yoweri Museveni, discontent that could eventually spell trouble for the long-ruling strongman.
For now, the impact of the campaign appears negligible. Internet access in the country is still limited, and similar social media campaigns in the past have often fizzled out. Moreover, Parliament is in many ways an extension of the regime, with the majority of its over 500 members belonging to Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement, or NRM. As such, it is unlikely that the recent revelations will prompt any serious anti-corruption efforts.