Inside Among’s 48-hour collapse

When Anita Annet Among adjourned Parliament sine die on May 5, few people around her believed they were watching the closing act of one of the most dramatic political rises in recent Ugandan history.

The Speaker of Parliament appeared firmly in command. Inside the chamber, she had just steered through the controversial Protection of Sovereignty Bill, legislation that criminalises receiving foreign funding for political activities without registering as a foreign agent.

The debate had been heated, chaotic and deeply divisive. Critics accused Parliament of rushing the bill through procedural shortcuts, while supporters defended it as necessary to protect Uganda’s sovereignty. But even within that storm, Among projected confidence.

She spoke less like a neutral presiding officer and more like a political combatant defending the ruling National Resistance Movement’s position. At several moments, she personally proposed suspending parliamentary rules instead of allowing government ministers to formally move such motions themselves.

To her critics, it was another example of a Speaker increasingly willing to bend parliamentary procedure in favour of executive priorities. To her allies, it was proof of loyalty and political efficiency.

“She delivered Parliament to Museveni at a fraction of the cost that he had spent on it previously,” journalist Andrew Mwenda reportedly said.

At that moment, Among still believed she would return within weeks as Speaker of the 12th Parliament. Her political machinery appeared intact. The ruling party establishment had endorsed her. Many newly elected MPs owed their campaigns partly to her financial and political support.

Then came the collapse. It unfolded with startling speed. Within less than 48 hours, one of the most powerful political figures in Uganda found herself abandoned by key allies, publicly criticised by powerful state actors and eventually forced to withdraw from the Speakership race, altogether.

The speed of the reversal has shocked even seasoned observers of Ugandan politics. For months, Among had appeared politically unassailable. After the January 15 general elections, NRM MPs openly recorded videos declaring support for her continuation as Speaker.

Many saw her victory as inevitable. The confidence was not misplaced. Among had spent years building one of the most formidable patronage networks inside Parliament. During campaigns, she travelled across the country supporting NRM candidates and reportedly financing political mobilisation efforts in multiple constituencies.

Her influence stretched beyond Parliament itself. In Bukedea, her home district, she cultivated a reputation as a generous political benefactor. Nationally, she became a visible and highly interventionist Speaker, frequently inserting herself into labour disputes, public grievances and national debates.

At the height of her influence, she represented something unusual within Uganda’s political system: a politician outside the Museveni family who had accumulated significant independent power.

That may also have become part of the problem. However, there was growing unease around Among within sections of Uganda’s overlapping power structure. While President Museveni reportedly remained personally supportive of her for a long time, other influential centres of power allegedly viewed her far more cautiously.

The relations between Among and figures such as Gen. Salim Saleh, First Lady Janet Museveni and CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba had long been cold. In Uganda’s political system, such tensions matter enormously.

Formal institutions exist, but real political authority often operates through layered networks of military influence, family relationships, patronage systems and informal alliances. Public endorsements can signal strength.

But they do not always reveal where power is actually consolidating. Some warning signs had already begun appearing. At the NRM retreat for newly elected MPs at Kyankwanzi, President Museveni suggested the Speakership question was not fully settled despite earlier endorsements from party organs.

To outsiders, the remarks may have sounded procedural. But politically, they hinted that Among’s position remained vulnerable. Still, her camp appeared unconcerned. Around the same period, Among intensified public declarations of loyalty to both Museveni and Muhoozi.

Speaking during Muhoozi’s birthday celebrations in April, she dismissed rumours that she harboured presidential ambitions.

“I want to tell Ugandans that even where I’m as Speaker, I have overachieved,” Among said, adding that suggestions she wanted the presidency were “total nonsense.”

Behind the scenes, however, the political atmosphere around her appears to have been deteriorating rapidly. The trigger for the final rupture came from an unlikely but politically explosive combination: luxury, optics and timing.

On May 9, the Daily Monitor published a front-page story alleging that Among had acquired a Rolls-Royce worth more than Shs 3 billion.

The report landed during growing public anger over corruption, inequality and extravagant spending by political elites. Social media campaigns had increasingly targeted Parliament over allegations of profligacy and misuse of public resources.

Then came another symbolic flashpoint. At President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony at Kololo on May 12, Among appeared wearing a designer dress that social media critics estimated cost around Shs 40 million.

In another political environment, such symbolism might have passed quietly. But in Uganda’s current economic climate, marked by unemployment, rising living costs and public frustration, it became politically combustible.

The backlash intensified quickly. Even before the swearing-in ceremony ended, Patriotic League of Uganda Secretary General David Kabanda announced that Gen. Muhoozi’s political outfit had withdrawn support for both Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.

The announcement carried extraordinary political weight. Muhoozi had already criticised Among publicly on X over corruption allegations and the Rolls-Royce controversy. Muhoozi said that even as Museveni’s son for 52 years, he had never bought or driven a Rolls-Royce.

Kabanda’s role made the situation even more dramatic. For years, he had been regarded as one of Among’s closest allies. MPs described him as deeply embedded within her inner political circle.

His public break with her signalled that political alliances around Among were collapsing rapidly. Soon after, Museveni reportedly summoned Among to State House. According to MPs familiar with the meeting, the President asked her to withdraw from the Speakership race, arguing that key figures around him no longer supported her continuation in office.

Insiders claim Museveni even proposed appointing her Vice President if she stepped aside voluntarily. She asked for a little time to think about the president’s proposal. But the crisis escalated further when Among allegedly continued contacting MPs after the meeting, reassuring supporters and discouraging them from aligning with potential rivals such as Jacob Oboth Oboth.

According to sources, this angered powerful actors within the establishment who feared she still possessed enough support among MPs to win an open contest. What followed exposed how quickly political fortunes can reverse in highly centralised systems. Searches were conducted at properties linked to Among in Kampala, Bukedea and Buyende.

The developments have since evolved into corruption and money laundering investigations, after an unspecified amount of money and more, were reportedly found in her homes.

Money laundering allegations are especially serious because they extend beyond political controversy into financial crime investigations involving how wealth is acquired, transferred or concealed. Still, not everyone sees the developments primarily as an anti-corruption campaign.

“We are witnessing politics masquerading as law enforcement,” political analyst Dr Yusuf Serunkuma reportedly said. His comments reflect a broader national debate now unfolding.

ENTER KABANDA AND TAYEBWA

According to Among’s close confidants, it had long been clear that Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa was interested in becoming Speaker of the 12th Parliament. For nearly three years, a quiet cold war had reportedly simmered between the two camps.

In public, Among and Tayebwa projected camaraderie and institutional unity. Behind the scenes, however, Among increasingly believed Tayebwa was undermining her to position himself as her successor.

Among’s allies suspect that Tayebwa’s camp was behind a series of media leaks exposing allegations of corruption and extravagance linked to her. They questioned why damaging information consistently targeted Among while little scrutiny focused on Tayebwa, despite claims that he too benefited from Parliament’s financial largesse.

“Tayebwa has also been using the PLU people to undermine Among. They liked him and at first, they thought he would be the natural replacement,” an MP familiar with the internal manoeuvres said.

But according to political insiders, removing Among while leaving Tayebwa untouched would have created difficult political optics. Among comes from Teso, while Tayebwa hails from Ankole, President Museveni’s home region.

Some feared that targeting one while sparing the other could fuel perceptions of regional bias within the ruling establishment. Nonetheless, yesterday CDF cum PLU Chairperson Muhoozi Kainerugaba endorsed Tayebwa to retain his position of Deputy Speaker, a position initially thought would be ringfenced for a female MP.

David Kabanda’s role in the unfolding crisis has also attracted intense attention. Several MPs close to Among describe Kabanda as perhaps her closest political confidant. According to them, he enjoyed unusual access to both her political and personal life.

“He has been like her page boy. You would find him at her house every day. While there, he had access to every room, including her bedroom. I think Kabanda knows things about Anita that even Magogo does not know. If they want to bring her down, they have everything they need because Kabanda knows everything. That’s how close they have been,” one MP said.

The same MP claimed Among believed Kabanda’s closeness to Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba could help secure support from powerful actors around the First Family.

“She thought that because he is close to Muhoozi, she would be able to use him to buy his support. But come to think of it, maybe all along he has been a spy sent by these people,” the MP added.

What remains unclear is whether President Museveni, who has often reconciled with former allies after political fallout, could still appoint her to the new cabinet. It is also uncertain what the future holds for her political career, or whether criminal charges will eventually be brought against her.

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