From FDC Activist to Museveni’s Right-Hand Woman: The Rise of Speaker Anita Among And Why She Dumped Besigye For Museveni – Her Previous Relationships

Gen YK Museveni’s government is currently being run by people who until a few years ago were strong opponents of the indefatigable relentless man from Rwakitura. Previously, these vigorously opposed and demanded for the departure of Museveni from the Presidency on grounds that he had done his part and deserved to retire.

But through relentless engagement, Gen Museveni gradually wooed them over and are now his diehard supporters who are currently holding powerful positions. Among these people is Speaker Anita Among.

Anita Among’s Political Journey

Anita Among, the Bukedea Woman MP, doesn’t require much introduction. The Speaker position makes her Uganda’s undisputed number 3, only coming after Museveni and VP Jessica Alupo. But less than 10 years ago, she was a conspicuous activist for political change under FDC, where she served as Deputy Treasurer under the mentorship of Jack Sabiiti and Nandala Mafabi.

From Opposition to NRM

In 2008, two years after FDC had just swept the Teso vote in 2006, Among (who had previously served as Lira branch manager for Centenary Bank) stood in the newly created Bukedea district for Woman MP on the FDC ticket but lost to Rose Akol. She was allegedly rigged out but didn’t give up.

In 2011, she was back once again carrying the FDC flag but was narrowly defeated like in 2008 (even when she had clandestine support of NRMs like Hassan Basajjabalaba and Alupo who resented Akol). By 2016, Among had become wiser and realised that standing as an FDC-leaning independent was the only way to overcome Akol, who had the backing of many powerful people in NRM, including several UPDF generals.

A Strategic Move

Among had already secured support of many insiders in NRM, including Hassan Basajjabalaba, but who feared to embrace her openly as long as she carried the FDC flag. In 2016, even when she associated with the Besigye bid in her Bukedea backyard, Among running as independent carried the day. A defeated Akol coiled her tail and ate a humble pie.

Rise to Prominence

But at some point, in what manifested last kicks of the dying horse, Akol tried working with Daily Monitor’s Ivan Okuda to run demonising stories against Among but didn’t go far because the day the newspaper began the Bukedea electoral violence series is the day AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi was assassinated, and that became the big story for several months, thereby crowding out any other.

There was also a defamation civil suit which scared the Monitor editors off the Bukedea series. From then on, Anita Among (a 5th columnist through whom Gen Museveni obliterated the FDC 2016-2021) grew from strength to strength. Even when she was a backbencher, Among had direct access to Museveni and distinguished herself as more powerful than even Ministers in the 2016-2022 Cabinet.

The Power Behind the Throne

Leveraging on her old connections inside the then cracking FDC, Among was able to clandestinely frustrate many of the post-2016 demonstrations and protests which Dr Kizza Besigye, who had just declared himself the People’s President, would organise against the regime. By 2021 (with the once formidable FDC clearly becoming a shadow of its former self), a grateful Museveni was more than prepared to reciprocate by giving Anita Among anything she asked for.

And that’s how she became his favourite for the position of Deputy Speaker from which she was accelerated to Speakership in March 2022 to fill the vacuum that resulted from Jacob Oulanyah’s death.

Consolidating Power

There had been Thormas Tayebwa, backed by key members of the 1st Family, who Gen Museveni persuaded out of the Deputy Speaker race to ensure his newly found blue-eyed girl Among carries the day. Tayebwa was consoled with the position of Government Chief Whip, effectively replacing Ruth Nankabirwa. Drawing on his excellent mobilisation credentials, Tayebwa did a good job as GCW from which he was made Deputy Speaker following Oulanyah’s death.

Now as Speaker, Among wields enormous powers, including vetting and ratifying almost all Presidential appointments, besides heading the Legislature, which has the last word on who gets allocated what under the country’s budget. She can save whoever she chooses to save, as we saw in the case of Uganda Airline’s Jennifer Bamuturaki on one hand and Trade PS Geraldine Ssali’s case on the other! Even in the national hierarchy, Among (just 50) is above all the other officials in government with exception of only Museveni and VP Alupo.

As Joel Senyonyi as COSASE Chairman, Francis Zzake as Parliamentary Commissioner, Minister  Parsis Namuganza and Bukoto South MP Twaha Kagabo and a few others have lately discovered, Anita Among can effectively crash whoever she chooses to. As was recently profiled by the Observer newspaper, Among has also had many of her critics severely sanctioned and persecuted including NUP activists Habib Buwembo, Moses Bigirwa, Francis Matovu Butto and others.

Much earlier on, acting on the same Anita Among’s behalf, the Kira Division Police decisively crashed the Busoga Kingdom tourism Minister Hellen Namutamba after she took to social media and posted uncharitable stuff about the Bukedea Woman MP. More recently, Radio One journalist Judy Mutawe endured almost similar fate at the hands of the Kampala CPS Police.

Years earlier, Kisoro-hailing Mufumbira Pidson Kareire of the Drone Media endured the same wrath for using his online platform to disparage Anita Among.