National Unity Platform president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has urged public servants to protect their integrity following Mariam Wangadya’s resignation as chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission.
Kyagulanyi said government positions and official protection do not last. However, he said the decisions officials make while exercising public authority can permanently shape their reputations.
“Offices are temporary but reputations are permanent. Power expires. Titles disappear. Official protection ends. What remains is your name, your conscience, and the legacy of the choices you made while you had authority,” Kyagulanyi said.
Wangadya informed President Museveni of her resignation in a letter dated July 6. Her departure ended her tenure at Uganda’s constitutional human rights watchdog amid internal disputes within the institution.
She told Nile Post that she stepped down because of what she described as a “toxic work environment” at the Commission.
Her resignation came less than a week after she publicly criticised the process used to appoint commissioners to the UHRC.
During a media briefing, Wangadya accused the appointing authority of treating the Commission as a destination for politicians rejected by voters and individuals facing financial difficulties. She argued that the approach undermined the independence and credibility of the institution.
“You seem to treat the UHRC as a dumping ground for individuals who have been rejected by the electorate, or as a place to reward those who have persistently complained about poverty, financial hardship, or even their inability to afford medical treatment and ARVs,” Wangadya said.
She warned that appointments driven by political patronage rather than merit could weaken the Commission’s ability to carry out its constitutional responsibilities.
“How do you appoint people without credibility and expect them to strengthen this institution?” she asked.
In a statement issued Monday, Kyagulanyi urged public servants to consider the lasting consequences of decisions that undermine the rights and freedoms of Ugandans.
“Before accepting the role of persecuting, silencing, or oppressing fellow Ugandans for political survival or personal gain, ask yourself one question: What will remain when the office and the power are gone?” he said.
The NUP leader also claimed that officials who help sustain the current government should not assume they will receive permanent protection.
Kyagulanyi argued that Wangadya’s resignation reflected a broader pattern in which officials receive appointments to advance political interests but later lose support when those in power no longer consider them useful.
