Abdu Katuntu

Abdu Katuntu
Preceded byMunyagwa Mubarak Sserunga as Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE)
ConstituencyBugweri
Personal details
Born (1965-12-03) December 3, 1965
Butende
PartyIndependent
Alma materMakerere University
ProfessionLawyer

Abdu Katuntu (born 3 December 1965)[1] is a Ugandan politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for Bugweri County[2][3][1][4] in Bugweri District for 25 years.[5] He lost his seat during the 2026 general elections to Sadala Wandera a member of the National Resistance Movement.[6][4]

Early life and education

Katuntu was born and raised in Bugweri district. Katuntu studied at Buyanga Church of Uganda Primary School, Iganga Town Council Primary School, Kiira College Butiki and Busoga College Mwiri.[7] before joining Makerere University for a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Diploma in Law from the Law Development Centre.[5][8]

Work experience and political career

Katuntu is a former member of the Pan-African Parliament representing Uganda[9] and served as the Rapporteur of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights.[1]

Katuntu worked for Kadaga and Company Advocates, a law firm owned by Rebecca Kadaga.[1]

He was a member of the Forum for Democratic Change party until 2021.[10][1] He served as the Shadow Attorney General in the Parliament of Uganda until 2018,[11] when he was replaced by Wilfred Niwagaba.[12]

Katuntu was first elected to the Parliament of Uganda in 2001.[5][10][1]

He lost his parliamentary seat in the 2006 Ugandan general election to Kirunda Kivejinja but challenged the result, citing widespread malpractice.[13] The court found that "during the campaign period and on polling day, there was widespread intimidation and torture in Bugweri Constituency," which biased the result in favor of Kivejinja.[14][1] Katuntu won the resulting by-election.[15][1]

Katuntu was re-elected for another term in Parliament in the 2011 general elections.

Katuntu served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Rules and Discipline.[16] This committee concluded that Francis Zaake was guilty of insulting Anita Among, resulting in his removal from the position of Parliamentary Commissioner.[10][17][18][19]

Katuntu was the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (C)OSASE). He was replaced by Mubarak Munyagwa in 2019.[2][20][21][22]

Katuntu is known for recovering 47 billion Ugandan shillings from rogue Chinese road construction firms in 2016.[1]

Katuntu headed the Parliament of Uganda's task force on COVID-19, assisted by five other members of Parliament. The members were tasked with assessing the role of private health sector players.[23][24][25]

Abdu Katuntu joined NRM in 2024.[26] He lost his MP seat to an independent candidate Sarah Wandera Stella.[27]

Controversies

Katuntu was described by Yoweri Museveni as a "poisonous mushroom" who was out to suffocate government programs, as he addressed a rally in Busesa, Bugweri County.[28]

Julius Galisonga, a candidate for the Forum for Democratic Change in the 2021 general election, filed an election petition against Katuntu at the Jinja High Court. Galisonga accused Katuntu of conspiring with the Uganda Electoral Commission to undermine the fairness of the election process.[29][30] Katuntu had won the election with 17,813 votes, while Galisonga received 9,074 votes.[31]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Abdu Katuntu: Biography, Age, Education, Family and Wife". Flash Uganda Media. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  2. 1 2 "BoU scandals linked to Mutebile succession-Katuntu". The Independent Uganda. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  3. ↑ "Katuntu Abdu – 2021 General Election – Visible Polls". visiblepolls.org. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  4. 1 2 "Opponent explains why Katuntu lost Bugweri MP seat". Monitor. 2026-01-21. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  5. 1 2 3 "Mr. Katantu Abdu". Parliament of Uganda. Archived from the original on August 9, 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  6. ↑ Independent, The (2026-02-10). "When voters say 'enough is enough'". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  7. ↑ Reporter, Vision. "Katuntu gunning for bigger things". New Vision. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  8. ↑ Najib, Mulema (2017-01-25). "Seven things you didn't know about COSASE chairperson Abdul Katuntu". Watchdog Uganda. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  9. ↑ Pan-African Parliament members as of 15 March 2004 Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1 2 3 Katungulu, Amon (2022-04-01). "Museveni appoints Abdu Katuntu minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs". Nile Post. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  11. ↑ "Opposition names new shadow cabinet: Alice Alaso to PAC". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  12. ↑ child (2018-03-07). "Shadow Cabinet". www.parliament.go.ug. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  13. ↑ "Anti-Katuntu Demonstrations Held in Bugweri County". Uganda Radionetwork. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  14. ↑ Katuntu Abdu v Kirunda Kivejinja Ali and Another (Election Petition No. 7 of 2006) (UGHC 31 December 2006), Text.
  15. ↑ "Katuntu wins hotly contested Bugweri byelection". www.newvision.co.ug. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  16. ↑ "How MP stage-managed return of Shs40m 'bribe'". Monitor. 2022-09-09. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  17. ↑ "Zaake protests police raid at his home after retrieving govt car – Kampala Sun". Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  18. ↑ "Zaake petitions Constitutional court to block impeachment". The Independent Uganda. 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  19. ↑ "MP Zaake loses Parliamentary Commission seat". The Independent Uganda. 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  20. ↑ "MP Mawanda secures leave to introduce BoU Amendment Bill". The Independent Uganda. 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  21. ↑ "Munyagwa takes over COSASE leadership". The Independent Uganda. 2019-02-25. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  22. ↑ "MPs grill private hospitals for retaining dead bodies, exorbitant fees". The Independent Uganda. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  23. ↑ "Parliament sets up taskforce to oversee Covid-19 interventions". The Independent Uganda. 2021-06-30. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  24. ↑ "MPs furious as minister fails to announce Covid-19 vaccine delivery date". The Independent Uganda. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  25. ↑ "Auditor General tasked to carry out forensic audit into Covid-19 expenditures". The Independent Uganda. 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  26. ↑ Kakembo, Muhammad (2024-09-11). "It's official: Katuntu, Mapenduzi join NRM". The Observer. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  27. ↑ "Long-Serving MPs and Ministers Lose in Uganda's 2026 Polls". Galaxy fm. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  28. ↑ "Museveni calls MP Abdu Katuntu 'poisonous mushroom'". New Vision. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  29. ↑ "Court rejects Abdul Katuntu's witnesses over inconsistencies". The Independent Uganda. 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  30. ↑ "Court of Appeal upholds Abdu Katuntu's victory". The Independent Uganda. 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  31. ↑ "Galisonga appeals against election petition ruling". The Independent Uganda. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
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