“My Bread Was Already Buttered”: ONC’s Hajjat Namyalo Produces Bank Statement to Silence Critics Over Son’s Luxury Car Gift

By Gad Masereka

Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, the Manager of the Office of the National Chairman, found herself at the centre of a fierce online storm this week after gifting her five-year-old son a brand-new Jetour T1 at a lavish birthday party on Sunday, a decision that quickly ignited a public debate about wealth, public office, and the expectations placed on government figures in Uganda.

The backlash spread fast across social media platforms, fuelled partly by the scale of the celebration and partly by the symbolism of a child receiving a motor vehicle as a birthday gift. Critics questioned the source of Namyalo’s wealth, with some drawing a direct line between her position at the ONC and the lifestyle on display. One of her most vocal critics, a user identified as Mwesigye Franks, posted a series of attacks on Sunday evening that appeared to accuse her of accumulating wealth through her government role.

Namyalo’s response was neither subtle nor delayed. By Monday morning, she had taken to her official X handle, @ChiefMuzzukulu, to post what she described as her bank statement from a period predating her appointment to the ONC, offering it as documentary proof that her financial standing was not a product of public office. “I had my bread buttered already. Not a church mouse like most of you. Proof is the child of truth,” she wrote, appending the statement to her post and addressing the criticism head-on in language that was characteristically unfiltered.

The move drew a sharply divided reaction. A section of Ugandans praised her for what they viewed as a rare and courageous willingness to back her words with evidence, arguing that successful women in public life should not be expected to shrink their personal achievements or family celebrations to accommodate public comfort. Supporters noted that gifting a child a car is a personal choice and that no law or ethical standard requires public figures to justify private expenditure when it is not drawn from public funds.

Others, however, questioned the wisdom of posting sensitive financial records on a public platform, warning that doing so opened her to security risks and that it may have escalated rather than settled the controversy. A number of commentators argued that the appropriate response to accusations of financial impropriety would be through formal institutional channels, not a social media exchange.

The episode is the second time in recent weeks that Namyalo’s personal assets have drawn public attention. Late last month, she unveiled a large residential property in Kyanja, which generated its own round of online commentary about the wealth of political figures. The recurrence of such moments has turned her into something of a lightning rod for a broader national conversation about transparency, public accountability, and what Ugandans expect from those who hold influence in the political establishment.

What is clear, from both her bank statement post and her unapologetic tone, is that Namyalo has chosen not to retreat from public scrutiny but to confront it. Whether that approach ultimately builds or complicates her public standing, especially as the country moves deeper into an election season, is a question that her continued visibility will keep answering in real time.