BETRAYAL EXPOSED: How Anita Among Used Persis Namuganza to Reach Museveni, Then Turned Against Her

As the race for Speaker of the 12th Parliament gathers pace, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among is facing scrutiny again over the path that took her from a mere independent Woman MP for Bukedea District into the inner circles of State House, becoming one of president Museveni’s darlings, and the fallout that has since defined her relationship with the very person who helped her, with many describing her as traitor.

Sources familiar with Among’s path trace her rise to the bitter 2026 succession contest between former Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and her Deputy Jacob Oulanyah (rip), a contest that split Parliament and drew in President Museveni.

At the time, Museveni is said to have advised that both Kadaga and Oulanyah retain their positions to preserve stability, a decision which was overtaken by events as rival camps intensified mobilization within the ruling NRM caucus and Parliament in general.

Hon. Kadaga, according to sources, backed Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko for Deputy Speaker, fully funding his bid, further triggering a parallel campaign against the late Jacob Oulanyah.

Hon. Among, then an independent Bukedea Woman MP, fresh from Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), is said to have initially aligned with the Nsereko camp and actively leading the mobilization efforts in his favour since she was a core Kadaga admirer and appologist. However, the turning point came when Bukono County MP Persis Namuganza broke ranks with Hon. Kadaga’s camp and raised concerns within State House about the direction of that mobilization.

Sources say Hon. Namuganza proposed bringing the Bukedea District woman MP into the camp backing the late Oulanyah, arguing that she could influence MPs and shift the numbers.

At the time, Hon. Among had reportedly made several unsuccessful attempts to meet the President including during his 2016 campaign visits in Bukedea, where she was unable to secure an audience. Her political links had also previously placed her at odds with sections of the NRM including during her contest against former internal affairs minister Rose Akol.

According to insiders, Hon. Namuganza’s intervention opened the door for Rt. Hon. Anita Among’s eventual meeting with the President.

When the meeting finally happened, sources describe it as a defining moment. Hon. Among is said to have knelt before the President, expressed admiration, and pledged to work with the ruling party. She is also said to have embraced him during the engagement, signalling what insiders interpret as her formal entry into State House political networks.

Sources further claim that she requested facilitation of Shs 500 million to support mobilization efforts ahead of the vote which was just a few hours away (the following day), aimed at shifting MPs away from Hon. Muhammad Nsereko and consolidating support for Oulanyah.

The discussions are also said to have involved State House-linked structures, including Gen. Marry Gorret Nalweyiso.

In the final stages of the vote, parliamentary alignments reportedly shifted, weakening the Kadaga-backed Muhammad Nsereko’s bid and enabling Oulanyah to secure the Deputy Speakership.

From there, Hon. Among’s rise was swift. When the late Oulanyah became Speaker in 2021, she was elected Deputy Speaker. Following his death in March 2022, she assumed the Speakership through a by-election.

But it is her later fallout with the Bukono County MP Namuganza that is now drawing the most attention.

In 2023, Speaker Among bit the hand that had previously fed her, when she presided over the censure of Persis Namuganza over allegations of misconduct and contempt of Parliament, the same person credited for facilitating her entry into rhe NRM circles, a move which exposed a clear rift between the two.

Although Parliament adopted the censure, Namuganza retained her ministerial position after intervention by President Museveni, highlighting a divergence between Parliament and the Executive.

Political insiders now say the episode marked a turning point, with earlier alliances giving way to open institutional confrontation.

Now, as the contest for Speaker of the 12th Parliament intensifies, both Among and Namuganza are again central figures in the political equation, with sources indicating that past alliances, introductions and fallout are shaping current calculations.

For Speaker Among, the scrutiny is not just about her leadership today, but also about the path she took to get there, and how those who once backed her rise now fit into the unfolding political contest.