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The election of Jacob Markson Oboth-Oboth as the Speaker of the 12th Parliament climaxed the spectacular collapse of Anita Annet Among.
Until two weeks ago, Among was very sure she would be the speaker of Parliament after securing the endorsement of the Central Executive Committee of the ruling National Resistance Movement, the second highest decision-making organ of the party.
Ever since her ascendency to the office of the deputy speaker in 2021, and later speaker in 2022 after the death of Jacob Oulanyah, Among has been one of the most powerful persons in Uganda.
Her humiliating collapse has left many wondering what next for her. Practically, there are not many choices that are available to her. Even these few choices hinge around what President Yoweri Museveni does next.
Museveni has not yet spoken out publicly about Among’s saga. Last week, we reported that the reason Museveni decided to activate state agencies to move against Among was after she declined to state that she had withdrawn from the speakership race.
A source familiar with the conversation that Among had with the President told us that she had been promised a cabinet position, had she heeded the president’s call to withdraw from the race.
Andrew Mwenda, the spokesperson of the Patriotic League of Uganda, the civic organization led by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba who was instrumental in the downfall of Among, said Museveni is not known to be vindictive.
Once he has achieved his political mission of bringing down potential opponents, he moves fast to rehabilitate them.
“I think he can still appoint her to cabinet,” Mwenda said on a podcast he shares with Robert Kabushenga, the former Chief Executive Officer of Vision Group and Charles Onyango-Obbo, a former editor of the Daily Monitor.
Museveni appointed a new cabinet without Among included. On Monday after his swearing in, Oboth-Oboth said they are waiting for the opposition parties to nominate members of the Appointments Committee to be able to vet the President’s nominees.
After being excluded from cabinet, Among will now remain a backbench woman member of Parliament, representing Bukedea district. But even this position is still in jeopardy because using her influence, Among allegedly stopped competitors from challenging her.
She was elected unopposed. If the state is serious about pursuing her to the end, there is a possibility that she can lose even this parliamentary seat. Talking about pursuit, Among faces a real possibility of being charged in the Anti-corruption court for corruption and abuse of office.
It is not yet known how far the government is willing to go in pursuing these corruption cases. A former MP who was one of Among’s close confidants, said at this time anything is possible.
“I don’t want to think that Museveni is capable of sending her to prison. But as we have seen, there is a new kid on the block. It looks like Museveni is no longer a lone actor,” the MP said, referring to Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces who doubles as the president’s son.
But whichever direction Among takes from now on, there is no doubt that her bubble has been burst.
“This was a massacre not only for her, but for us. We thought we would use her influence to be accommodated in some way, but things span so fast out of control. It is hard to recover from something like this,” the MP, who was granted anonymity to speak freely on the matter, said.
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
The newly elected Speaker Oboth-Oboth, has pledged to lead a corruption-free 12th Parliament, promising tougher accountability, stricter discipline and a more open House at a time when public confidence in Parliament remains under intense scrutiny.
At Kololo Independence Grounds, the West Budama Central legislator secured 441 votes out of 518 cast, comfortably defeating National Unity Platform’s Paul Mwiru, who received 60 votes, and Democratic Party president general Norbert Mao, who polled 15.
Three ballots were invalid. Soon after the result was announced by Chief Justice Flavian Zeija, legislators broke into applause and ululation as Oboth-Oboth was formally sworn in and handed the symbols of office, including the mace, the Speaker’s robes, the Rules of Procedure and the Constitution.
“In the next five years, we will hold the Executive and other government bodies accountable, but we must start with ourselves,” Oboth-Oboth said in his inaugural remarks.
“We cannot demand accountability from others if we are not accountable in the use of public resources.”
For ordinary Ugandans, that message carries particular weight. Parliament approves national budgets, oversees government spending and debates laws that shape everything from taxes and healthcare to roads, education and public services.
Oboth-Oboth said restoring that trust would require visible change. He pledged zero tolerance for corruption and called on Members of Parliament to hold themselves to the same standards they expect from ministries and public institutions. He also signalled a shift in tone on how debate inside Parliament should be conducted.
“The floor of Parliament will not be a theatre for hearsay or grandstanding,” he said. “Our debates must be grounded in facts, data, and sound research.”
Oboth-Oboth said he wants Parliament to move from reacting after money has already been lost to identifying risks earlier.
“Oversight should not be a postmortem,” he said. “We must act in real time to prevent the loss of public funds.”
In practical terms, that points to stronger committee work and earlier scrutiny of government expenditure before problems escalate. The new Speaker also sought to reassure the media, describing journalists as essential to public accountability.
“We must maintain a transparent, decent and open Parliament,” he said.
“The media are not our enemies, but the public’s eyes and ears. If we are doing the right thing, there is no reason to hide.”
Oboth-Oboth steps into office after a closely watched race that changed rapidly. Among had initially appeared positioned to seek another term after taking oath as Member of Parliament on May 13.
But her standing weakened amid ongoing investigations and increasing political pressure. Her tenure also attracted criticism from opponents who argued she had increasingly blurred the line between neutral parliamentary leadership and active political defence of the ruling party.
At several points, critics accused her of bending procedure to advance executive priorities. Supporters, however, viewed that as political discipline and efficient leadership. Oboth-Oboth now inherits that debate, and expectations that Parliament’s leadership style could shift.
A lawyer by training, he brings an extensive parliamentary and legal background to the role. He has served as Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs since April 2024 after previously serving as State Minister for Defence.
Before that, he chaired several influential parliamentary committees, including Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Rules, Discipline and Privileges, and Natural Resources. He first entered Parliament in 2011 as an independent candidate before later joining the NRM.
Before elective politics, he worked as a State Attorney under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Mbale and later served as Deputy Attorney General of the Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution.
His academic background includes a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University, a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre and a Master of Laws in Election and Cyber Law from the University of Minnesota. The immediate challenge ahead will be turning promises into institutional practice.
“I promise to treat each one of us with fairness as we work to rebuild public trust,” he told the House. “We must embrace visible and structural changes.” Whether those changes materialise will be closely watched both inside Parliament and beyond it.
Related
, https://observer.ug/news/what-next-for-anita-among/
