Nambooze Fires Back as Speaker Among Drags Her Medical Treatment Into Museveni Rally

Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Betty Nambooze has strongly pushed back against remarks made by the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, who recently publicly commended President Yoweri Museveni for allegedly approving substantial funds to cover Nambooze’s medical treatment in the United States.

The remarks by Speaker Among were made during President Museveni’s campaign rally held in Mukono District, an event that quickly took on a political edge as the Speaker used the platform to criticize Nambooze, a long-time and vocal critic of the President and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Addressing the crowd, Among accused Nambooze of showing ingratitude toward a leader who, according to her, supported her during one of the most difficult moments of her life. The Speaker claimed that President Museveni personally approved close to Shs 1 billion to facilitate Nambooze’s treatment abroad.

“Your Excellency, out of your good heart, I want to thank you so much for giving me permission to give Honorable Nambooze money for treatment,” Among said.

“When Honorable Nambooze said she was sick, you allowed me to give her almost a billion shillings, and you sent her to New York for treatment with her husband and her house girl. Nobody can ever have that heart, even after Honorable Nambooze abusing you day in, day out on radio and television.”

The Speaker’s comments, delivered in a campaign setting and broadcast widely, immediately sparked debate, with many observers questioning the propriety of discussing a legislator’s medical treatment in such a public and politically charged forum.

Nambooze did not hold back in her response. She dismissed Among’s statements and openly questioned the Speaker’s role and visibility in Mukono during the President’s visit, suggesting that her presence was politically unusual and telling.

“Initially, Mukono had people who would welcome Mr Museveni in this area. How come it had to be someone from as far as Bukedea to welcome Museveni in Mukono? Where did the Mukono people go?” Nambooze asked.

She went further to challenge Among’s political credentials within the ruling party, pointing out that the Speaker only recently crossed from the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to the NRM. According to Nambooze, this raised questions about Among’s authority to lecture long-time political actors in the region.

“You have not even spent five years in the NRM. The people of Mukono who cheered him, who hid during the war, who campaigned for him in the 1990s—where did those people go?” Nambooze added.

The controversy has also revived discussion around the medical benefits accorded to Members of Parliament. MPs are entitled to a comprehensive medical insurance policy that covers treatment costs both locally and abroad. Allies of Nambooze argue that this fact makes the Speaker’s public remarks not only inappropriate but also politically motivated, aimed at portraying the President as personally benevolent while undermining an opposition legislator.

Meanwhile, Speaker Among’s own political standing has drawn increasing scrutiny. She was recently declared unopposed as Woman Member of Parliament for Bukedea District after all her challengers either withdrew from the race or were eliminated through the nomination process, a development that itself raised eyebrows among political commentators.

In recent months, Among has become a familiar presence at President Museveni’s campaign rallies across the Buganda region, where she has openly criticized opposition politicians. Many of those she has targeted have, in turn, accused her of corruption and of abandoning the neutral role traditionally expected of the Speaker of Parliament.

Critics argue that her conduct has steadily eroded the independence and dignity of Parliament, an institution meant to serve as a check on executive power. Opposition leaders contend that under Among’s leadership, Parliament increasingly appears to operate at the direction and convenience of President Museveni rather than as an independent arm of government.

As political tensions continue to rise ahead of the elections, the exchange between Nambooze and Among has become emblematic of the broader struggle over power, loyalty, and the separation of roles between Uganda’s Executive and Legislature.