Uganda’s Cabinet minister without portfolio, the Honourable Abraham Byandaala, has been disproving a few myths recently. On February 18, he contested and successfully retained his parliamentary seat in a rural constituency, at a time when he was on trial in the anti-corruption court.

He had been carted off to prison on remand after being charged with a few others in a dramatic case where some $10 million took a walk from the Treasury to pay for construction of a road that never was.

His victory was proof that the rural folk know the law quite well, that the man is innocent until proven guilty, so they showered him with their votes.

Then last Wednesday, he was in court over the same corruption charge and again disabused the public of a couple of other misconceptions. There was this TV journalist called Judith Nalugwa, who had set up her camera ready to film the Honourable as he walked out of the courtroom.

Now most people thought that the precincts of court are holy ground from where journalists can report without fear of repercussions. Nalugwa was of the same view. So she never anticipated or knew what hit her.

The honourable minister walked up to her, very close and she must have thought he was coming to give her some exclusive information. The vicious blow he then delivered so stunned her that she did not feel the pain for a few seconds.

Cameras caught her confused look and the microphones also got him breathing a harsh question to her in Luganda, asking what she wanted from him. Seconds later, she doubled up with pain.

The engineer thus disabused the public of two myths at a go. First, that court premises are places where people are on their best behaviour. And second, that journalists should be allowed to collect information in the service of the public.

For a couple of days, Ugandans had a field day on social media trying to interpret what they saw on video happening so fast. On slow motion, Nalugwa’s grimace looks like a smile. Because the case before the court is the theft of millions of dollars and not the assault on Judith, people were discussing it freely without fear of legal implications.

Finally, there is this belief that human beings feel guilty after committing a wrong. The minister instead walked casually off, went and shook hands with some people, as if nothing unusual had happened, and then got into his car and drove off.

So much for myths.

Joachim Buwembo is a social and political commentator based in Kampala. E-mail: [email protected]