Speaker Anita Among interacts with her deputy Thomas Tayebwa after the commisioning of St Karoli Lwanga Kigarama Catholic Church in Bitereko Sub-county, Mitooma District on July 28, 2024. PHOTO | JULIUS BYAMUKAMA
The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, at church and a follow-up political rally addressed by President Museveni, yesterday renewed her innocence despite double sanctions by foreign governments on corruption claims.
The renewed war on corruption through which the Ombudsman says Uganda loses nearly Shs10 trillion a year, gained public traction last week in the wake of demonstrations by anti-graft crusaders.
Heavily armed security forces arrested nearly 100 of the participants in the ‘March to Parliament’ and they remain on remand in prison on charges of being common nuisance, and idle and disorderly.
Organisers of the demonstrations planned to resume this week, among others, demand the unconditional resignation of Ms Among and four parliamentary commissioners named in taking Shs1.7b in personal-to-holder service awards.
“You move around trying to destroy the country and saying Anita must resign. Resign and go where?” Ms Among asked yesterday, disclosing that her eyes were already set on re-election as a Member of Parliament and Speaker of the 12th Parliament
She added: “I am still around, when you see the demonstrations that are in town (Kampala) … they are demonstrating because they are self-seekers, these are people who don’t want us to respect values of our country.”
In a defence mirroring her first rejoinder when the British government sanctioned her on April 30, Ms Among said the gathering opposition against her – both online and nascent street protests - is masterminded by homosexuals.
London accused Uganda’s third most important citizen, alongside former ministers Goretti Kitutu and Agness Nandutu, of “stealing from the poorest communities in Uganda” in relation to the mismanagement of iron sheets procured by the government for vulnerable Karimojong.
“The actions of these individuals, in taking aid from those who need it most, and keeping the proceeds, is corruption at its worst and has no place in society,” Mr Andrew Mitchell, the then UK deputy foreign secretary, noted.
A month later, on May 30, the United States government, citing corruption and human rights violations, slapped five current and former Ugandan officials, including the Speaker, with travel and asset restrictions.
Ms Among, just like the other Ugandan notables, said the allegations mask retaliation by Britain and America for her shepherding of the 11th Parliament to enact the Anti-Homosexuality Act in May 2023, despite a pushback by Western capitals.
Uganda came under intense international scrutiny and pressure ahead of the legislation which, among others, provides for the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, with the World Bank halting new lending to the country on grounds the provisions violated the bank’s values.
London said it acted on the basis of the iron sheet scandal of last March while Washington pointed to allegations of financial mismanagement, abuse of office and nepotism by Parliament’s leadership disclosed in online exhibitions led by activists at Agora Discourse, a civil society organisation.
Ms Among has dismissed those claims as well, describing them as machinations of disgruntled individuals hired to smudge her reputation and that of the August House.
At yesterday’s church service and rally in Mitooma, both convened by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, Ms Among said she plans to serve another term as Speaker and hand over the seat to Mr Tayebwa.
“I want to thank the people of Mitooma for giving us a leader in Hon Thomas Tayebwa; he is a very disciplined leader, he is Deputy Speaker who knows what his role is. He is down to earth and very social,” she said.
The Speaker added: “I want to request that kindly bring back Right Hon Tayebwa [as Ruhinda North MP]. When I finish serving my five years in the next term [2026-2031], then I will give it [speakership] to my young brother Thomas.”
Ms Among said she did not want to “cling” onto power, although she did not explain how she intended to hand a seat she did not own, and one for which any elected lawmaker is eligible to compete, to another person.
The Bukedea District Woman Representative, then a deputy speaker, was elected Speaker after Jacob Oulanyah died on March 20, 2022, after being steward of the 11th Parliament for only 10 months.
In his address at a post-church service rally at Rwakitandara Playground in Mitooma, President Museveni, who has back-to-back renewed his offensive against graft at the heart of government, put accounting officers on notice.
“Accounting officers, you should be very strict, don’t let anyone mislead you, if anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible,” he said in reference to permanent secretaries, chief administrative officers, town clerks, and sub-county chiefs who are custodians of public finances and other assets.
Earlier, an ensemble of Uganda’s political and wealthy A-listers converged at St Karoli Lwanga Kigarama Catholic Church in Bitereko Sub-county for the commissioning of a new church building whose construction, at Shs2.7 billion, Deputy Speaker Tayebwa bankrolled to posthumously honour his grandmother Julita Kaijarubi Tiruhongyerwa.
He praised her for taking care of and loving him from age 6.
“It was so authentic, it’s hard to put it in words,” he said, according to a statement issued by State House press team.
Mr Tayebwa said his grandmother, a strong believer, groomed him into a God-fearing person from a young age.
“The holistic make-up of spirituality, hard work and education are the life-important disciplines she instilled in me that have shaped me into the man that I am today,” he said.
Addressing himself to questions mainly on social media about the source of funding for the new church, Mr Tayebwa said his rich friends donated to the cause generously.
“This church will cost a total of Shs2.7 billion. I have seen some people say ‘you get government money, [how do] you build such a church?’ I can assure you [that when I put out my intention to build the church], in just less than an hour, some of my friends passed by [my] home, and … they gave me Shs1.7billion,” he said.
The Archbishop of Mbarara Archdiocese, His Grace Lambert Bainomugisha, appealed to people not to wait for the government to support community projects.
“Let’s not look at the government for all services, but cooperate with the government even among ourselves to serve and develop our communities,” he said.
The prelate challenged leaders and citizens to be responsible with the resources that God has given them.
“In our families, communities and offices, God has given us resources. I call all of us to be responsible with these resources [that] God has put in our hands,” he added.
At Rwakitandaro Primary School rally, which followed the church service, Mr Museveni cautioned Ugandans against the practice of land fragmentation, saying this has negatively impacted government efforts to improve household incomes.
“Stop subdividing your land to give to your children, you will not get any income from these small pieces of land,” he said, adding, “I advise you to instead keep these lands intact and form family companies and let members have shares there.”
Citing the government’s new poverty alleviation initiative, the Parish Development Model or PDM, the President said he is working hard to ensure all Ugandans join the money economy and become prosperous.
He echoed his message of the four-acre farming model: one acre to grow coffee, another for fruits, a third applied to grazing, and the last for producing food crops.
“At the back [of the house], do poultry and piggery for those who are not Muslims. If you are near the swamps, do fish farming,” Mr Museveni said.
Earlier in the day, he visited Mr Tayebwa’s father Daudi Bangirana, who was celebrating his 80th birthday and 48th year in marriage and gifted him five Friesian cows.
State House said the President cautioned residents there against the politics of identity-based on religion and tribe, saying it undermines the prosperity of Ugandans.
