In a candid moment during Speaker Anita Among’s first public statement on the United Kingdom government issuing sanctions against her, she expressed lack of concern regarding the sanctions.
“I am devoid of any assets within the confines of the UK, not even a pussycat,” she remarked casually on Friday. Adding that, “Let them freeze whatever they wish; my silence will echo louder than their actions.”
The UK government’s announcement on April 30th of sanctions targeting Speaker Among and two former ministers for Karamoja affairs, Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, was met with firm resolve from the Speaker.
Citing their alleged involvement in corruption, the UK imposed travel bans and asset freezes under its Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime.
Allegations of embezzlement from a government-funded housing project in Karamoja were levied against Kitutu and Nandutu, with Among purportedly benefiting from the ill-gotten gains, according to a statement from London.
Deputy Foreign Minister Andrew Mitchell emphasized the UK’s stance on corruption, declaring, “Benefiting at the expense of others is not acceptable. Corruption has consequences, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
Yet, Speaker Among, accustomed to deflecting accusations of corruption, attributed her predicament once again to the antigay legislation passed the previous year.
She asserted that her persecution was a direct consequence of her opposition to what she termed “negative Western influence” infiltrating Uganda.
“We shall staunchly resist the intrusion of undesirable elements into our society,” she proclaimed to the Parliament, defending her stance against what she deemed as the encroachment of foreign values.
However, President Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform dismissed the Speaker’s assertions, refuting any connection between the sanctions and the antigay law. “Such claims are baseless,” he declared, urging the public to disregard the Speaker’s attempts to conflate the issues.
Members of Parliament, incensed by the sanctions and the Speaker’s handling of the situation, have demanded a formal debate on the matter.
Threatening to withdraw from the Commonwealth Speakers Conference, chaired by Uganda, they seek to express their discontent with the punitive measures imposed by the UK government.