Chris Obore troubled by ‘national thief’ label

• Nyanjura met Obore while visiting Erias Lukwago at Luzira prison.

• She said Obore appeared distressed by the damage to his reputation.

• Obore and six parliamentary officials face embezzlement, financial loss and money laundering charges.

• The Anti-Corruption court remanded them until July 27, 2026.

Former Kampala deputy lord mayor Doreen Nyanjura has said Parliament’s communications director, Chris Obore Ariko, is distressed by the damage to his public image following his arrest on corruption charges.

Nyanjura said she met Obore at Luzira prison while visiting former Kampala lord mayor Erias Lukwago.

“I bumped into my old friend @ChrisObore1 while visiting Salongo @EriasLukwago at Murchison Bay Prison,” she wrote on X.

“Obore is visibly disturbed by his new public image. In utter disbelief, he said he can’t believe that we now think he is a national thief, he repeated the phrase ‘national thief’ three times!”

The Anti-Corruption court recently remanded Obore and six other senior parliamentary officials to Luzira prison following their arrest by the Inspectorate of Government.

They appeared before Grade One magistrate Esther Asiimwe and faced charges of embezzlement, causing the government financial loss of more than Shs70 billion, and money laundering.

The other accused are Parliament’s human resources director Daniel Adilo, executive secretary in the Office of the Speaker Leonard Okema and principal research officer Rajab Kaaya Ssemalulu.

They also include principal protocol officer Emmanuel Emuron Okwi, capacity development officer Vincent Otebata and Parliamentary Sacco chief executive officer Methods Murebe.

The case has renewed debate about accountability at Parliament and changed public perceptions of some of the institution’s most senior officials.

Obore joined Parliament in August 2015 after working as a journalist at Daily Monitor.

He had earned a reputation for speaking against corruption and questioning poor governance.

His appointment as Parliament’s director of communications and public affairs was seen by some as an attempt to bring an independent voice into the institution.

However, his time at Parliament has included periods of influence and isolation.

Parliament sidelined him towards the end of the 11th Parliament under former speaker Rebecca Kadaga. He spent long periods away from his main duties.

His influence returned after the death of speaker Jacob Oulanyah and the election of Anita Annet Among as speaker.

Obore became one of Parliament’s most visible officials and defended the institution during growing public criticism.

As allegations of corruption at Parliament intensified in 2024, his public statements often defended Among and deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa.

Critics said the position contrasted with his earlier comments about corruption and wasteful public spending.

In September 2020, Obore warned that wealth gained through corruption does not last and could harm future generations.

A month earlier, he criticised the sense of entitlement among political leaders. He linked excessive allowances and wasteful spending to corruption.

In 2019, he argued that corruption had become normal despite the presence of several institutions created to fight it.

He also accused members of Uganda’s elite of promoting sectarianism, greed and abuse of power.

Sources at Parliament said the IGG summoned the officials on July 2, 2026, to record statements over the alleged loss of public funds.

Several officials reportedly expected to return to work after the interviews and left their phones and other belongings at Parliament.

Investigators later informed them that they would appear in court.

The officials briefly returned to Parliament to collect their belongings before authorities took them to court.

Some reportedly believed they were helping investigators as witnesses before learning that they were suspects.

The arrests have created anxiety among parliamentary staff.

“Staff are on tenterhooks. There is a sense of uncertainty about who could be next,” a source said.

Another source said earlier meetings with investigators at the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters in Kibuli had not suggested that arrests were near.

“Many believed the matter had been resolved. Obore continued to attend official functions, including the recent MPs’ induction at Munyonyo,” the source said.

The seven officials returned to the Anti-Corruption court on July 13, 2026, for mention of their case.

The court remanded them until July 27, 2026.

The charges remain allegations, and the accused have not been convicted.