Ugandan MP fined $11 for peeing in public
Tuesday October 24 2017
Ibrahim Abiriga, MP for Arua Municipality. PHOTO | MONITOR | NMG
A Ugandan MP has been fined Ush40,000 ($11) for peeing on a wall along a busy street lined with government offices in the capital Kampala.
Ibrahim Abiriga, MP for Arua Municipality, appeared before a Kampala court on Tuesday where he was charged with public nuisance.
The prosecution told the court that on September 25, 2017 on Kyaggwe Road in Kampala City, Mr Abiriga urinated on the fence of the Ministry of Finance in violation of the city’s laws.
The charge attracts a fine of Ush40,000 or a two-month jail term or both.
Pictures of Mr Abiriga peeing in public went viral on social media.
The MP, famous for dressing in bright yellow –the ruling NRM party colour– and driving a similar coloured Volkswagen Beetle, while questioning the fascination with the pictures on a local television, said he had to relieve himself.
“I was badly off. Should I have kept the urine on myself? What is wrong with helping myself solve my problem?” he posed.
The Ministry of Finance building is a stone’s throw away from the Parliament building.
In court, Mr Abiriga pleaded guilty and agreed to pay the fine.