Kampala, Uganda: The Uganda Law Society (ULS) President, Isaac Ssemakadde, has lashed out at the State House authorities for weaponising anti-corruption investigations to politically weaken the former Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, amid a heated battle for the Speakership of the 12th Parliament.
In a statement released on Saturday, May 16, Ssemakadde, who is currently in self-exile over a judicial witchhunt, claimed the recent actions targeting Among were not about accountability but part of a wider political power struggle within the ruling establishment.
“Speaker Among is not a saint. But the Executive’s reaction to her second term bid is not about accountability or reform,” Ssemakadde said in the statement.
“By launching corruption probes at the exact moment Speaker Among seeks re-election, the Museveni regime exposes its true aim: entrenching one-man rule, dismantling rival power centres, and recycling patronage networks,” he added.
Ssemakadde’s remarks come at a time when Among’s bid for another term as Speaker is facing mounting resistance from influential political and security actors.
Earlier this week, Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba publicly endorsed Defence Minister Jacob Oboth-Oboth for the Speakership race, signaling a major shift within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) power structure.
Gen Kainerugaba also announced that the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), which he heads, had withdrawn its earlier support for Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
The unfolding political drama has been further fueled by reports of corruption investigations and intense internal consultations at State House over the future leadership of Parliament ahead of the first sitting of the 12th Parliament on May 25.
But Ssemakadde argues that recent events surrounding Among reflected deeper concerns about concentration of power and weakening institutional independence. “The televised raid on her home further compounds this abuse by weaponizing state power to violate privacy and stage public humiliation in lieu of due process,” he said.
The ULS President urged Ugandans to separate personal opinions about Among from broader constitutional concerns. “Ugandans must rise above personal hatred and partisan animosity towards Speaker Among, and firmly reject the dangerous normalization of one-man rule,” he stated.
Ssemakadde’s statement also linked the current political developments to wider governance concerns raised by the Uganda Law Society in recent months, including criticism of heavy military deployment in Kampala ahead of President Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Independence Grounds earlier this week.
The Radical New Bar boss described Kololo as “the biggest symbol of the presence of illegitimate rule over Ugandans,” accusing the government of relying on militarisation and intimidation to maintain authority.
“The same heavy military lockdown now choking Kololo mirrors the regime’s persistent record of political detentions, enforced disappearances, and alleged extrajudicial executions,” he wrote.
He further warned that anti-corruption efforts risk losing legitimacy if they are selectively applied for political purposes. “If we truly desire a constitutional republic governed by law rather than one man’s whims, we cannot stay silent as the fight against corruption is weaponized to manipulate public anger for political ends,” he said.
The Uganda Law Society has recently taken an increasingly confrontational stance on governance and constitutional issues, including challenging the legality of Judicial Service Commission appointments and launching a Shs2.3 billion “Sovereignty Defence Fund” to oppose what it describes as shrinking civic space under the newly enacted Protection of Sovereignty law.
Meanwhile, political lobbying for the Speakership continues quietly within the NRM and among newly sworn-in MPs ahead of the official election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker later this month.
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