How Wealth That Destroyed Anita Among Is Fuelling a Record-Breaking Wild Scramble for Uganda Parliament’s Top Seats

By Charles Onyango Obbo

The race for leadership of Uganda’s 12th Parliament has turned into an unprecedented political free-for-all, with a record-breaking number of candidates chasing the Speaker and Deputy Speaker seats—despite the dramatic downfall of former Speaker Anita Among.

At least eight candidates are vying for the office of Speaker, while a historic surge of 16 contenders has flooded the contest for Deputy Speaker.

Leading the pack for Speaker is Defence Minister Jacob Oboth-Oboth, the heavily backed military and National Resistance Movement (NRM) frontrunner. He faces stiff competition from Justice Minister Norbert Mao of the Democratic Party, opposition National Unity Platform’s Paul Mwiru, and independent or NRM-leaning figures including Fox Odoi and Persis Namuganza.

Meanwhile, incumbent Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa faces a fierce challenge from a fractured NRM and independent field that includes Edward Makmot Otto, Jackson Kafuuzi, and Lydia Wanyoto.

Strangely, the humiliating financial and political downfall of the grotesquely opulent former Speaker Anita Among has failed to deter any of these contenders. On the contrary, the public exposure of her massive service awards and inflated allowances appears to have inadvertently advertised the supreme, unchecked feeding opportunities and multi-billion-shilling patronage power that the office commands.

Rather than fear the risk of future dramatic falls, ambitious politicians see a lucrative power vacuum. Many likely believe that by maintaining strict loyalty to the Executive, being less threatening, and more discreet than the flamboyant Among, they can enjoy the same extreme financial rewards without repeating her political mistakes.

The race now sets the stage for a fierce battle for control over one of Uganda’s most financially potent political offices.