Hon Annet Anita Among
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I After 100 days of incanceration and uncertainty, President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the release of former Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among from house arrest and halted pending criminal proceedings against her, with the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba saying the President had decided to forgive her for what he described as past mistakes.
The dramatic turn in the long-running saga was announced by Gen Kainerugaba on social media, bringing to an end a period in which security personnel had been stationed at Among’s residences and had restricted access to her.
The CDF said Museveni had personally instructed him to lift the house arrest imposed on Among, who is also the Bukedea District Woman MP and National Resistance Movement vice-chairperson.
“Mzee [President Museveni] has also instructed me to release Among from house arrest. We shall do that as well,” Gen Kainerugaba posted.
In a subsequent message, he made it clear that the President’s intervention went beyond simply freeing the former Speaker from confinement.
“We shall not prosecute AAA. She made mistakes but Mzee [President] has decided to forgive her,” he said.
The decision effectively brings to a close, at least for Among herself, a security and anti-corruption investigation that had placed one of the country’s most powerful political figures under unprecedented scrutiny.
Four Months Behind Closed Doors
Among had been under house arrest since May, following a pre-dawn security operation at her residences in Nakasero, Kigo in Kajjansi Town Council, Wakiso and Bukedea districts.
The operation began on May 16 when armed Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldiers reportedly disarmed her security guards before joint security agencies searched the properties.
The following day, Gen Kainerugaba announced that the security forces were implementing what he described as “Operation Maliza Ufisadi”, an anti-corruption campaign targeting suspected corruption and illicit accumulation of wealth.
“We shall expand this operation and apprehend all culprits. No one will be spared,” he posted at the time.
The operation subsequently turned into months of confinement for Among.
Military personnel were deployed at her residences, while visitors were reportedly subjected to clearance and security checks before being allowed access.
Her prolonged confinement generated considerable uncertainty over whether she would eventually be charged, prosecuted or released.
That uncertainty has now been resolved through the President’s pardon.
Why Museveni Ordered Her Release
According to Gen Kainerugaba, the reason for the President’s decision was forgiveness.
The CDF said Among had made mistakes but that Museveni had chosen to forgive her and direct that she should not be prosecuted.
The announcement did not provide details of the specific mistakes the President referred to, nor did it set out whether the investigations into her financial affairs had established particular offences.
However, the security operation had followed a presidential directive for anti-corruption agencies to examine Among’s wealth, financial dealings and business interests.
Museveni had ordered investigations into the accumulation of movable and immovable assets directly linked to Among and her associates.
The investigations were also expected to examine domestic and foreign bank accounts, financial transfers, offshore entities, trusts and shell companies allegedly connected to her or her associates.
Other areas under scrutiny included procurement and parliamentary expenditure, inflated contracts and commissions, as well as the acquisition, financing, importation, transportation, registration and ownership of luxury vehicles linked to Among and her associates.
The investigations were further widened to allegations of abuse of office, conflict of interest, tax evasion, money laundering and sanctions evasion.
Graft agencies were also reportedly instructed to investigate public officials, legislators, accounting officers, contractors, businesspeople, relatives, associates and lawyers who may have facilitated concealment of beneficial ownership or interfered with investigations.
Parliament Investigation Expanded
The investigation surrounding Among also spilled into Parliament, resulting in the arrest and prosecution of several senior parliamentary officials.
Seven Parliament staff were arrested and charged in connection with allegations involving corporate social responsibility funds and other financial transactions.
Among those charged were Parliament’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs Chris Obore, Director of Human Resources Daniel Adilo, Executive Secretary in the Office of the Speaker Leonard Okema, Principal Research Officer Rajab Kaaya Ssemalulu, Principal Protocol Officer Emmanuel Emuron Okwi, Capacity Development Officer Vincent Otebata and Uganda Parliamentary SACCO chief executive officer Methods Murebe.
Office supervisor Stella Itute was also charged in absentia.
The Inspectorate of Government alleges that the accused embezzled billions of shillings from Parliament and caused a financial loss of more than Sh27.2 billion through funds earmarked for donations and corporate social responsibility programmes.
Six of the accused, including Obore, Okema, Adilo, Murebe and Otebata, also face money laundering charges involving Sh10.89 billion, which prosecutors allege were proceeds of crime.
The wider investigation therefore became one of the most consequential corruption probes involving Parliament in recent years.
Lawyer Confirms Permanent Release
Among’s lead lawyer, Caleb Alaka, confirmed that his client would be released following the President’s directive.
When asked whether the release was temporary and intended to allow Among to seek medical treatment, Alaka dismissed the suggestion.
“No, no, permanently,” he said.
The lawyer welcomed Museveni’s decision and said Among’s legal team was grateful for the intervention.
However, Alaka declined to say whether assets and bank accounts that had been seized or frozen during the investigations would also be returned following the President’s directive.
“Well, let’s wait and see,” he said.
That leaves open questions about the status of property and financial restrictions imposed during the investigation.
The presidential directive has clearly addressed Among’s freedom and prosecution, but the precise administrative and legal implications for seized assets and frozen accounts were not immediately clear.
Security Personnel Withdraw
The presidential decision was followed by the withdrawal of Special Forces Command soldiers who had been stationed at Among’s homes.
Sources confirmed that the soldiers left the residences in the morning following the directive, effectively restoring Among’s freedom of movement after more than three months of confinement.
However, SFC spokesperson Capt Julius Kabandize said he had not received official communication confirming the withdrawal when contacted.
“I don’t have any official communication to that effect, but I am going to find out. I am personally not aware of the deployment at Among’s residences,” he said.
Senior Presidential Press Secretary Sandor Walusimbi similarly said he had not yet been briefed about the President’s orders but promised to follow up.
The absence of immediate formal confirmation from some institutions contrasted with Gen Kainerugaba’s public announcement and the actions of the security personnel at Among’s residences.
What Happens to the Investigations?
The President’s decision to halt prosecution of Among raises questions about the fate of the wider investigations and the files already prepared by investigators.
A senior officer in the Criminal Investigations Directorate who participated in the raids said investigators had completed their work and forwarded the files to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for further management.
“We did our job. The files were forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions [ODPP] for further management. So, I am not privy to what actions would be taken on them,” the officer said.
This suggests that, while Among herself has received a presidential pardon and will not be prosecuted according to Gen Kainerugaba, the broader investigation files may still contain information relating to other individuals.
The presidential directive specifically referred to the decision not to prosecute Among, leaving uncertainty over whether other people implicated in the wider investigations will continue to face legal action.
A Dramatic Political Turn
Among’s release marks a dramatic reversal in a case that had placed a senior NRM political figure under intense security and legal scrutiny.
She had risen to become one of the most influential figures in Parliament before her tenure as Speaker came under increasing controversy. Her subsequent house arrest represented a remarkable fall from one of the highest offices in the country to confinement under heavy security protection.
Yet the decision by Museveni to forgive her now places the episode in a different political context.
Gen Kainerugaba’s explanation suggests that the President has chosen reconciliation and forgiveness rather than prosecution.
For Among, the decision restores her freedom and removes the immediate threat of criminal prosecution arising from the investigation.
She can now return to her political and parliamentary responsibilities, although questions remain about her assets, the status of the broader corruption investigations and whether the controversy surrounding her tenure will have lasting political consequences.
For the moment, however, the long period of uncertainty has ended.
