Do Everything But Allow Me Attend Parliamentary Sittings!! Anita Among Pleads To M7

A delegation of political, religious and cultural leaders from Uganda’s Teso sub-region reportedly held a closed-door meeting with Gen. Salim Saleh in Nakaseke District over the weekend, appealing for his intervention in the situation surrounding former Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.

The leaders, who included Members of Parliament, clergy and cultural representatives, travelled to Kapeeka in Nakaseke, where they spent several hours meeting with the influential military veteran and presidential adviser. According to accounts from those familiar with the discussions, the delegation urged Gen. Saleh to use his influence to have restrictions allegedly affecting Among relaxed, enabling her to occasionally attend parliamentary sittings and travel to her home district of Bukedea.

The visit came after the same group reportedly met Among at her residence in Nakasero, where she is said to have requested them to seek assistance from anyone capable of influencing her situation. The delegation reportedly informed Gen. Saleh that efforts by Among to reach President Yoweri Museveni directly had so far not yielded the outcome she desired.

Leading the delegation was Bukedea County MP David Okweere Bechaam, who reportedly explained that the former Speaker fears losing her parliamentary seat if she continues missing House business.

According to those present, the leaders informed Gen. Saleh that Among was worried about the constitutional and parliamentary requirement regarding prolonged absenteeism from parliamentary sittings.

They reportedly told him that Among was requesting to be allowed to make occasional appearances in Parliament to avoid violating the rule requiring legislators not to miss 15 consecutive plenary sittings, a situation they said could ultimately jeopardize her position as Bukedea Woman Member of Parliament.

Sources familiar with the meeting said Gen. Saleh responded by stating that he personally held no grudge against Among.

According to the account, Saleh described Among as a personal friend who frequently visited him and had been generous to him during her time in public office. However, he reportedly indicated that his personal relationship with her did not place him in a position to alter the prevailing circumstances.

Investigative journalist Dean Lubowa, who says he attended the meeting after reportedly being allowed in by members of Gen. Saleh’s staff so that aspects of the discussions could become public, later shared additional details about what transpired.

According to Lubowa’s account, members of the delegation painted a grim picture of Among’s current circumstances.

They reportedly told Gen. Saleh that Anita Among was struggling financially because all her bank accounts had allegedly been frozen, leaving her unable to access even her salary as the Bukedea Woman MP.

The delegation further claimed that Among was facing severe hardship and lacked adequate food supplies at her residence in Nakasero.

According to the version presented during the meeting, the leaders even claimed that Among feared starving because she could not access her finances, and requested permission to travel to Bukedea to obtain food and other basic necessities before returning to Kampala.

However, Gen. Saleh reportedly maintained that he could not intervene.

Sources said he explained that his hands were tied and that he was unwilling to antagonize individuals he described as highly influential figures who remain determined to see Among face the consequences of the issues surrounding her.

According to participants, Saleh is said to have remarked that emotions among some powerful decision-makers remained intense and that those supporting Among should allow time for those feelings to subside.

He reportedly joked that the anger could take “seven years or more” before easing, suggesting that immediate intervention was unlikely.

Political commentator Saava, who discussed the meeting after it concluded, said Gen. Saleh’s overall message was that the delegation should refrain from pushing further on Among’s matter and instead focus their energies elsewhere.

According to Saava, Saleh encouraged the leaders to support President Museveni’s broader socio-economic transformation agenda, whose objective is to expand Uganda’s economy from an estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $65 billion to $500 billion by 2040.

The commentator said Saleh implied that the government’s current priority is achieving long-term economic transformation rather than revisiting cases involving individuals facing corruption-related investigations, including Anita Among.

Neither Gen. Saleh nor Anita Among had publicly commented on the reported meeting by the time of publication, and the claims made by participants regarding Among’s circumstances had not been independently verified. Likewise, government authorities had not issued an official statement addressing the alleged requests presented during the Kapeeka meeting.