Uganda: Lawmaker Sexts Official Parliament WhatsApp, Claims He Was ‘Hacked’

A Ugandan lawmaker accidentally shared sexually explicit photos of a woman to an official Ugandan government WhatsApp messaging group on Tuesday, Kenya’s KDRTV news site reported Thursday.

Andrew Joseph Koluo, a Ugandan Member of Parliament representing the Toroma Constituency of eastern Uganda’s Katakwi District, accidentally forwarded two nude images of an unidentified woman to a WhatsApp group used by Ugandan legislators for official work purposes on August 17, according to KDTV. Koluo quickly realized his mistake and deleted the photos moments later, but not before his fellow legislators took screenshots of the texts. The screengrabs later surfaced on social media, showing what appears to be a young woman posing naked for sexually explicit photos highlighting her breasts and genitalia.

The leaked screenshots caused Koluo to trend on social media within Uganda, according to KDTV. The disgraced lawmaker responded to the scandal on August 18, claiming his smartphone had been “hacked” and the nude photos leaked by a third party in an effort to tarnish his reputation.

“My account was hacked yesterday and someone posted nude pictures and not me. I have reported the matter to the relevant authorities and should you continue forwarding the same you do it at your own peril. Thanks,” Koluo said in a statement.

The Kenyan news site Kenyanlyrics.co.ke suggested the woman featured in the nude photos was Koluo’s mistress, or “side chick,” as he is married. The website further accused him of “infidelity.”

Kenya’s KDRTV news site described Koluo as a “controversial” figure on Thursday, while the International Business Times (IBT) on the same day suggested he was no stranger to sex scandals. IBT recalled that the Ugandan news site Flash UG News accused Koluo of “impregnating a minor” in 2018.

“Koluo solicited the services of a 17-year-old girl as a maid at his home in Kamala [Uganda], lured her into sex, and got her pregnant,” according to Flash UG News. When Koluo’s wife learned of his relationship with their maid, “she sent the girl back to her village to [live with] her parents.”

Koluo denied that he had impregnated a minor at the time. He claimed the allegation was “politically motivated and an attempt by the opposition to blackmail him,” according to IBT.