KAMPALA — Parliament has moved swiftly to fill two of its most influential administrative positions, replacing Director of Communications and Public Affairs Chris Obore and Director of Human Resource Daniel Adilo just days after the pair were arrested and charged in a sweeping corruption and money laundering case.
Obore’s duties have been handed to his assistant, Grace Gidudu, who now takes charge of the Communications and Public Affairs Directorate in an acting capacity. Daniel Adilo has meanwhile been replaced by Benson Masereka Oniz, a senior official who had reportedly been sidelined during the tenure of former Speaker Anita Among.
The changes come as investigators intensify one of the biggest corruption probes ever to hit Parliament.
Obore, Adilo and six other senior parliamentary officials were arrested by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) over allegations that they embezzled billions of shillings from public coffers before laundering part of the proceeds.
According to the charges, Obore is accused of embezzling Shs5.253 billion between 2023 and May 2026 by allegedly abusing his position to divert funds intended for official parliamentary activities.
Prosecutors further allege that he participated in a wider scheme involving Shs10.893 billion in which senior Parliament officials allegedly processed, approved and received funds that investigators believe were proceeds of crime.
Adilo faces even larger allegations. The IGG accuses him of embezzling Shs14.608 billion during the same period, claiming he diverted public funds accessed through his office.
He is also charged in connection with the alleged Shs10.893 billion scheme involving senior parliamentary officials accused of processing and approving illicit payments.
Both Obore and Adilo are regarded as close allies of former Speaker Anita Among, who is currently under house arrest as investigations into allegations of corruption and illicit enrichment continue.
Adilo’s rapid rise through Parliament’s ranks has also attracted renewed scrutiny.
He joined Parliament after resigning from the Electoral Commission, where he served as an entry-level officer. Following his transfer, reportedly at the direction of former Speaker Anita Among, Adilo rose to become Director of Human Resource within just three years—the institution’s highest-ranking human resource position.
His appointment also sparked questions because Parliament reportedly retained another serving Human Resource Director, leaving the department with two directors at the same time.
The Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday denied bail to Obore, Adilo and their co-accused, ordering that they remain on remand as investigations continue.
The other officials charged in the case are Leonard Okema, Executive Secretary in the Office of the Speaker, who is accused of embezzling Shs3.4 billion; Rajab Kaaya Ssemalulu, a Principal Research Officer, accused of embezzling Shs2.17 billion; Emmanuel Okwi Emuron, Principal Protocol Officer, accused of embezzling Shs1.1 billion; Vincent Otebata, a Development Officer, accused of embezzling Shs5.2 billion; Methods Murebe, Chief Executive Officer of the Parliamentary SACCO, accused of embezzling Shs10.8 billion; and Stella Itute, a Personal Assistant, who is accused of embezzling Shs75 million.
The latest administrative shake-up signals Parliament’s first major internal response to a scandal that has engulfed some of its most senior officials and intensified public scrutiny over the management of taxpayers’ money.
It should be remembered that in a strange claim, one analyst had claimed that Chris Obore had used witchcraft to plot the fall of Rebecca Kadaga who had thrown him out of his job. Ironically, Kadaga reportedly cried when Museveni played recordings of her allegedly instructing a Witchdoctor to Kill the president, his wife, son and other powerful officials, as reported Here and There.
