Anita Among’s statement is short. “I will not be offering myself for the Speakership race of the 12th Parliament.”
The words read like a voluntary withdrawal. The context says otherwise. Over the last 18 months, the former Speaker has gone from one of NRM’s most visible faces to a figure at the center of public scrutiny, international sanctions, and internal party recalibration.
To understand why this matters, you have to separate the politics from the public mood, and both from the legal process still underway.
The Rise and the Backlash
Among became Speaker in 2022 after Jacob Oulanyah’s death. She had the backing of State House and NRM’s Central Executive Committee. For the first year, she delivered on the party’s legislative agenda. Bills moved fast. Parliament looked orderly on TV.
Then the public conversation shifted. Questions about Parliament’s budget, allowances, and procurement started circulating widely. In a country where youth unemployment is high and service delivery gaps are visible, the optics of a wealthy political class became a liability.
Among, as Speaker, became the face of that perception. It didn’t matter that many of the budget lines were set before her tenure. In politics, the person holding the gavel owns the institution’s reputation.
Allegations, Properties, and the Public Eye
From late 2023 onward, allegations about unexplained wealth began to dominate online and offline debate. Names of properties in Kampala, Wakiso, Bukedea, and other areas entered public discussion. Luxury vehicles, including the recent one ‘Rolls Royce, were linked to her in viral posts.
None of these claims have been tested and concluded in court. But in Uganda’s current political climate, perception often moves faster than legal process.
What matters here is not whether every allegation is proven. What matters is that the allegations stuck. For the ordinary Ugandan struggling with school fees and clinic stockouts, the contrast was jarring. For the elite, it raised a governance question: how does a political system manage the line between private accumulation and public trust?
Sanctions and International Pressure
In May 2024, the UK sanctioned Among and two former ministers over the Karamoja iron sheets case. The US followed with its own measures in June 2024, citing significant corruption and gross violations of human rights.
Sanctions are political tools. They don’t require a criminal conviction. But they change the calculus inside NRM. A Speaker under international sanctions creates diplomatic friction. It complicates travel, inter-parliamentary engagements, and the image Uganda projects abroad.
For a party that prepared for the 2026 general election, that wasn’t liability, according to international analysts. It explains why State House and NRM’s leadership began distancing the party’s official messaging from Among’s personal political ambitions.
The “Stay Home” Narrative and Party Realignment
Reports of Among being asked to “stay home” began circulating days back. Whether it was formal house arrest or political containment, the effect was the same: she was removed from the daily political stage.
That move coincided with NRM’s search for a Speaker candidate who could run without carrying the same baggage into 2026 to 2031. For weeks, both Among and Thomas Tayebwa received NRM endorsements, and the President’s Son Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Days later, the party signaled a preference for Oboth Oboth.
In Ugandan politics, endorsements shift quickly when the center of power shifts. Among’s statement this week confirms she read that shift.
Why This Isn’t Just About One Person
Focusing only on Among misses the bigger point. Parliament’s credibility is at stake.
The 11th Parliament will be remembered for two things: passing key legislation quickly, and losing public trust faster. If the 12th Parliament starts with the same perception problem, NRM loses a key platform to defend its record.
Among’s exit gives the party a chance to reset that narrative. It allows NRM to present the Speaker’s election as a move toward “harmony and clarity,” as her statement put it. It also gives Museveni room to install a candidate who can rebuild bridges with a skeptical public.
What Happens to Accountability
The most consequential line in Among’s statement is this: “I pledge to continue cooperating with all ongoing investigations.”
Ugandans are tired of scandals that disappear after a news cycle. The test for the state now is whether investigations into Parliament’s finances and individual conduct will reach a conclusion that the public can see and understand.
If they do, it strengthens institutions. If they don’t, the perception of selective justice grows, and no change in Speaker will fix it.
Where This Leaves Among
She remains an elected MP for Bukedea District Women’s seat and a senior NRM figure. Her political capital isn’t gone, but its use has changed.
Three paths are open: return to constituency work and rebuild locally, take a less visible party or government role, or wait out for legal process.
Which path she takes will depend on how the investigations conclude and whether NRM sees value in rehabilitating her image later.
The Lesson for Uganda’s Political Class
The Among episode is a warning. In the social media era, political capital is volatile. You can rise fast with State House backing. You can fall fast when public perception turns.
For MPs and ministers, the lesson is simple: process matters as much as power. Clean books, transparent procurement, and visible service delivery are no longer optional. They are survival tools.
For NRM, the lesson is about managing succession and scandal. Containing one person is not a strategy. Fixing the systems that allow scandals to fester is.
Conclusion: A Forced Recalibration
Anita Among’s withdrawal wasn’t likely made in isolation. It came after sanctions, after public backlash, and after a clear signal from the party’s center that a different candidate was needed for 2026 to 2031.
Calling it “willing” misses the pressure. Calling it the end of her political career misses her base and her position in NRM.
What it is, is a recalibration. For Among personally, for Parliament’s image, and for NRM’s election strategy.
Whether that recalibration leads to real institutional reform will be decided in the next 12 months. Until then, Parliament remains on trial in the court of public opinions.
