Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has directed police to provide security to former Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Secretary and Accounting Officer Margaret Lucy Ejang, following concerns she raised about her safety ahead of her appearing before the committee on Friday.
The directive was issued by COSASE Chairperson Nkunyingi Muwada, who said the committee had received a written request from Ejang asking to testify without officials from the Human Rights Commission present. Muwada, the Kyadondo East MP read Ejang’s letter, dated August 19, 2026, in which the former accounting officer said she was still recovering from what she described as “immense humiliation, abuse, insults, psychological and emotional torture suffered while serving at the commission”.
Ejang, who served at the commission for 24 years said the period covering the second half of the 2024/25 financial year until April 9, 2026, when she handed over office following the termination of her contract, had left her traumatised and feeling insecure.
She therefore asked COSASE to allow her to appear before the committee alone rather than in the company of UHRC officials. Muwada said the committee had initially summoned the former accounting officer after questioning explanations given by the current UHRC accounting officer, who told the committee that he was new in the position.
The committee’s interest was heightened by an audit finding concerning Shs70.41 million, which the Auditor General’s report indicated had been reported by UHRC as completed in its memorandum statement of performance and quarterly performance report despite the activity not having been implemented as reported.
Muwada said the committee needed Ejang’s assistance to establish what happened to the funds and how the expenditure came to be reported. Although the commission reportedly explained that the money had subsequently been used to purchase furniture, the committee said it had not been given sufficient documentary evidence to substantiate the explanation.
During the appearance, Ejang presented messages and documents on her phone which she said supported her account of disputes over the performance of her duties as accounting officer.
The evidence included communications concerning the distribution of responsibilities within the commission, procurement approvals, payments and other financial decisions.
COSASE members expressed concern that the electronic evidence could disappear and directed police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to assist in preserving and retrieving the messages. Muwada instructed a CID officer to remain near Ejang during the proceedings and asked police to provide protection to her until the committee’s investigations were completed or until further direction was given.
The chairperson said COSASE was invoking its witness-protection powers because Ejang had formally complained about insecurity. “I want to ask our CID to offer you protection because you are a witness of a committee,” Muwada told Ejang, urging her to report any security concerns to police.
A CID officer assured the committee that police had the technological capacity and would use available means to retrieve and preserve the messages.
During her testimony, Ejang alleged that before her contract was terminated, responsibilities attached to her office were divided between Commission Planner Mukasa Tebuseke and Pauline Nan Samba. She told the committee that she resisted the arrangement because she considered the delegation of the accounting officer’s responsibilities unlawful.
Ejang said she subsequently sought guidance from the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, who in turn sought an opinion from the Attorney General. According to Ejang, the Attorney General advised that the delegation of her duties had been unlawful.
She also told the committee that she had resisted directives relating to salary enhancements, saying some payments were made under what she described as “duress, coercion and intimidation” because the directives came from the commission. Ejang said she stopped making some of the disputed payments after receiving the Attorney General’s guidance in January 2026-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
