President Yoweri Museveni took to twitter to announce the arrests
It is unusual that the President takes it upon himself to announce news of an arrest, and the choice of Twitter to make the announcement is being viewed as unprecedented.
President Yoweri Museveni took to twitter Tuesday afternoon to announce the arrests of two senior officials at the Ministry of Finance for allegedly taking bribes from investors.
In the tweet, confirmed by senior presidential press secretary Don Wanyama, President Museveni said he had been briefed by the Inspector General of Police about the arrests.
The president tweeted: “I have been briefed by the police on the arrest of two senior officials in the Ministry of Finance who were taking bribes from investors.” A second tweet reads: “I thank the security agencies for acting swiftly. This is Kisanja Hakuna Mchezo and we shall be harsh on public servants guilty of corruption.”
While details of the bribe solicitation are still unclear, the names of a commissioner and an economist at the Finance Ministry have been shared on social media platforms.
It is unusual that the President takes it upon himself to announce news of an arrest, and the choice of Twitter to make the announcement is being viewed as unprecedented.
The IGP Kale Kayihura is said to have personally briefed the president at State House on the arrests.
In a statement, the Ministry of Finance spokesperson Jim Mugunga said security officials raided the headquarters Tuesday afternoon and arrested the two officials. Mr Mugunga said that the Ministry would co-operate with investigators, but declined to give further details.