Details About Speaker Anita Among’s Multi-Billion Property In UK Emerge!! Closed Meeting Between UK Officials And Uganda Foreign Ministry Tables ‘Evidence’

Two high-level meetings between Ugandan officials and British diplomats in Kampala have ended in stalemate, with no evidence forthcoming regarding Speaker Anita Among’s alleged UK assets.

The UK imposed sanctions on Among, including travel and asset restrictions, on April 30, citing her role in the iron sheets scandal. Alongside two former Karamoja ministers, Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, Among was sanctioned under the Global Anti-Corruption regime, accused of “serious corruption” during her tenure as Speaker and MP for Bukedea District.

The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation listed Among alongside 42 individuals from 13 countries, including Bulgaria, Kosovo, and Colombia, for their involvement in corruption. Despite Uganda’s efforts to clear Among’s name, the UK has refused to provide evidence or lift the sanctions.

The matter has sparked a diplomatic standoff, with Uganda seeking transparency and the UK maintaining its stance.In response, Speaker Among described the sanctions as “politically motivated” due to her stance on homosexuality, particularly the Anti-Homosexuality law, and vowed not to back down.

Following President Museveni’s May 11 directive to Foreign Affairs Minister Jeje Odongo to engage UK authorities on the matter, there have been ongoing discussions.

Museveni noted, “I have received a letter from Dr Patricia Achan Okiria, Deputy Inspector General of Government, of May 9, 2024, informing me that the Rt Hon Anita Annet Among never revealed that she had a house in the United Kingdom. Rt Hon Anita Among has told me that she does not own a house or houses in the UK.”

He instructed Minister Odongo to demand the source of the UK’s information, asserting, “They cannot falsely accuse any of our people and we just let it pass.”

Last week, Minister Odongo convened a closed-door meeting with Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka and British High Commissioner Kate Airey to discuss the sanctions imposed on Speaker Anita Among.

According to diplomatic sources, Airey was asked to present evidence supporting the sanctions on Uganda’s third most important citizen, but she declined. The meeting ended without resolution, although both sides agreed “to de-escalate” the sanctions conversation.

Mr. Vincent Bagiire, Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, confirmed the meeting and stated that another meeting is scheduled for this Friday.

“For now, no evidence has been provided. But we continue to engage,” Bagiire said.

Diplomatic sources suggest it is “highly unlikely” the UK government will reveal any evidence to Ugandan authorities or reverse the decision to sanction Among. Consequently, the Speaker will likely remain entangled in unilateral coercive measures—economic sanctions taken by one state to compel a policy change in another.

The British High Commission in Kampala referred all media inquiries to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London.

The United Nations defines unilateral coercive measures as economic sanctions, including trade embargoes and financial flow interruptions, used by states to compel policy changes in other states. These measures are frequently employed by Washington, the EU, and the UK in response to human rights violations, governance deficits, and economic crimes.

Developing and poor countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America are often affected, and typically, when sanctioned by one power, others follow suit.

In a meeting on May 10 between President Museveni and US Ambassador William Popp at State House, Entebbe, the sanctions on Speaker Anita Among were briefly discussed. Museveni inquired whether Among was also on Washington’s blacklist, but US diplomats did not provide a direct response. Ellen Masi, US embassy public affairs counsellor, stated, “We do not have any announcements about sanctions at this time.”

Among was implicated in a social media exhibition of alleged corruption in Parliament, involving iron sheets bought for the Karamoja sub-region. She denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged by local courts.