I Lent Money to Over 250 MPs! Thomas Tayebwa Leaves Ugandans in Disbelief With Shocking Revelation

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has surprised Ugandans after revealing that he once operated a thriving money-lending business that saw nearly 60 per cent of Members of Parliament and Cabinet ministers in the 10th Parliament borrow money from him. Tayebwa made the revelation on Friday, October 23, 2026, during an inter-religious thanksgiving service for the 12th Parliament, where he challenged legislators to rethink how they manage their salaries and invest their earnings.

Tayebwa explained that his financial success during his first term in Parliament was partly linked to businesses he had operated in South Sudan before entering elective politics. According to him, money was flowing at the time, allowing him to lend to colleagues who needed financial assistance. He recalled that his lending business became so successful that a significant number of legislators and ministers owed him money.

“In the 10th Parliament I was a money lender. I had a lot of money. Nearly 60% of Parliament and Cabinet owed me money. I was a big money lender doing well. I had just come from South Sudan. Money was flowing,” Tayebwa said, offering a glimpse into his financial activities before becoming Deputy Speaker.

The 10th Parliament served between 2016 and 2021 and had more than 420 legislators. Tayebwa, who entered Parliament in 2016 as the Ruhinda North MP, used his experience to warn current lawmakers against depending entirely on parliamentary salaries and allowances. He argued that elected leaders should use their time in office to build businesses and establish alternative income sources that can sustain them after leaving Parliament.

He also revealed that some former MPs who recently left Parliament were already struggling to meet basic expenses, including school fees and medical bills. Tayebwa said their situation should serve as a warning to serving legislators who fail to plan for life beyond politics. He urged MPs to develop a stronger understanding of investment opportunities and learn to identify profitable ventures while they still have reliable incomes.

The Deputy Speaker further recounted an ambitious property investment proposal he presented to nine fellow MPs during the 11th Parliament. His plan involved each legislator contributing Shs1 billion to establish a company that would purchase land and develop residential apartments. Tayebwa said he had identified an acre of land in Naguru, Kampala, that a friend was willing to sell for $800,000, approximately Shs2.5 billion at the time.

Under the proposed arrangement, the investors would use the remaining Shs7.5 billion to construct 30 apartments. Twenty units would be sold to recover the initial investment, while each of the ten investors would retain one apartment valued at approximately Shs1 billion. Tayebwa envisioned using the proceeds to finance another development and repeating the process several times within a single five-year parliamentary term.

However, the ambitious plan failed to take off after most of the MPs declined to participate. Tayebwa said only about three legislators expressed willingness to contribute, leaving the proposed investment without sufficient support. He attributed the setback to a tendency among Ugandans to prefer owning businesses individually instead of pooling resources to establish larger ventures.

Comparing the situation with Kenya, Tayebwa argued that group investments can make it possible to undertake projects that would be difficult for individuals to finance alone. His message to legislators was clear: political office should also be an opportunity to build sustainable financial futures rather than a period of earning money without adequate planning.