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Anita Among

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The Right Honourable Speaker
Anita Among
Official portrait, 2021
Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda
Incumbent
Assumed office
25 March 2022
PresidentYoweri Museveni
Preceded byJacob Oulanyah
Personal details
Born (1973-11-23) 23 November 1973 (age 50)
Bukedea District, Uganda
CitizenshipUganda
Political partyNational Resistance Movement
Spouse
​
(m. 2022)​
Children3
Alma mater
OccupationAccountant, Politician, Lawyer
Known forPolitics
Speaker of the 11th Parliament of Uganda

Anita Annet Among (born 23 November 1973) is a Ugandan accountant, lawyer and politician who is the Speaker of the 11th Parliament of Uganda since 2022.[1][2] She also concurrently serves as the elected member of parliament for the Bukedea District Women Constituency, the same position she held in the 10th Parliament (2016–2021).[3] She was in FDC party before she joined the ruling NRM where she was voted as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th Parliament. She is named in the torture complaint against the Ugandan government that was submitted with the International Criminal Court.[4]

She is the proprietor of Bukedea Comprehensive Academy, a co-educational boarding school founded in 2018. The academy, located in Bukedea District,[5] also offers vocational training alongside its academic programs[6]

Early life and education

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Among was born in Bukedea District on 23 November 1973. She attended local schools for her elementary and secondary education. She graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, from Makerere University, in 2005. In 2008, she was awarded a Master of Business Administration degree, also by Makerere University.[7]

In 2018, Among graduated from Kampala International University, with a Bachelor of Laws degree.[8] At that time she was in the process of attaining qualification as a Chartered Certified Accountant.[7]

Career

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From 1998 to 2006, Among worked at Centenary Bank, one of the large commercial banks in the country. At the time she left in 2006, she had risen to the rank of branch manager. For the ten years prior to her election to Parliament, she served as a lecturer in accounting, at Makerere University Business School and Kampala International University.[7]

Politics

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For two parliamentary election cycles in 2007, when Bukedea District was created, and in 2011, Among lost the District Woman Representative seat to Rose Akol of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) political party.[3]

Among, a long-time member of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party, ran in 2016 as an independent candidate. She won and is the incumbent MP.[3]

In 2020, she joined the National Resistance Movement (NRM) after falling out with her party FDC[9][10] and won the party primaries. In the 2021 general elections, Among was one of the few legislators who was elected unopposed to join the 11th Parliament though her victory was contentious because the electoral commission blocked some of her competitors from nomination.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Among declared her bid for the Deputy Speakership of the 11th parliament of Uganda.[18][19][20][21]

Among was elected as the new Speaker of the parliament of Uganda on the March 25, 2022[1] replacing Jacob Oulanyah, the former Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, who died in Seattle, Washington.[22][23][24]

In 2023, she urged members of the Ugandan National Assembly to support a new bill that would make the mere fact of identifying oneself as LGBT illegal and risk up to ten years of incarceration.[25]

In the 10th Parliament, Among served as the Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE).[3][7][26]

International Sanctions

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On 30 April 2024, the UK's Foreign Office announced personal sanctions against Anita Among and two other high Ugandan officials under its Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime for their involvement in significant corruption, making her a subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban.[27][28] On 30 May, Among and several other Ugandan officials were sanctioned by the US State Department on charges of corruption.[29]

Personal life

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Among and her husband Moses Magogo Hassim have a pair of twins. Earning her the title of Nnalongo in Uganda. She introduced him to her parents in a traditional marriage ceremony. She also is rumored to have a son with one of Forum for Democratic Change's officials in western Uganda, Patrick Baguma Atenyi.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "NRM's Anita Among beats Opposition's Basalirwa to become Speaker,after gathering a total number of 401 valid votes against 66 votes scored by her opponent Asuman Basalirwa in a speaker election held on 25th March 2022 at Kololo independence grounds Kampala". Monitor. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Speaker of Parliament | Parliament of Uganda". www.parliament.go.ug. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Kiggundu, Edris (21 September 2016). "MP Among's rise, connections leave key questions unanswered". The Observer. Kampala.
  4. ^ "Speaker Among named in fresh ICC torture petition". Monitor. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Museveni: Anita Among is a 'Good Independent' MP". ChimpReports. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  6. ^ Betsy, Norah (8 November 2021). "Bukedea Comprehensive Academy, New Curriculum Implementation, Teaching and Learning Resources, ICT Club, Staff Professional Development". KAWA Uganda. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Parliament of Uganda (2022). "Parliament of Uganda: office of the speaker [Anita Among]". Kampala: Parliament of Uganda. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
    "Parliament of Uganda Members of the 10th Parliament: Among Anita Annet: Bukedea District Woman Representative". Parliament of Uganda. 2019. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019.
  8. ^ Mujuni, David (23 June 2018). "MP Anita Among Graduates From KIU". Kampala: Campusbee Uganda. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  9. ^ FDC plots to throw MP Anita Among off statutory authorities committee over 'relationship' with NRM, NTV Uganda, 31 January 2018, retrieved 16 August 2022
  10. ^ FDC Reshuffle; MP Anita Among says she won't leave COSASE post, NTV Uganda, 16 August 2022, retrieved 3 April 2021
  11. ^ "Voters petition EC over Bukedea MP's academic papers". Daily Monitor. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  12. ^ George Okello (1 November 2020). "Bukedea Woman MP Anita Among unopposed as EC cancels nomination of her six rivals". PML Daily News. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Two Women Aspirants Blocked from Nomination in Bukedea". Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Anita Among's Unopposed Victory Hanging On Thin Thread As Court Of Appeal Decides". East News. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  15. ^ The Independent Uganda (24 March 2021). "Court declines to order EC to degazette MP Anita Among". The Independent (Uganda). Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  16. ^ "MP Anita Among's opponent cries foul after she is declared unopposed in Bukedea". Nile Post. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  17. ^ Daily, OUR REPORTER | PML (23 March 2021). "BREAKING! Court upholds EC's decision to Gazette MP Anita Among as "unopposed"". PML Daily News. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  18. ^ "MP Anita Among Declares Bid for Deputy Speaker Slot | The Kampala Post". kampalapost.com. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Battle for Deputy Speaker job heats up as minister joins race". Daily Monitor. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  20. ^ Independent, The (18 March 2021). "Deputy speaker's race: Bukedi MPs ask Oboth Oboth to do more consultions". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Seven Eyeing Deputy Speakers Job in Parliament". Uganda Radionetwork. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  22. ^ Wamala, Maria (16 August 2022). "Oulanyah died before accessing treatment – Aceng". New Vision. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  23. ^ "Museveni explains why he delayed Oulanyah death announcement". New Vision. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Speaker Oulanyah dead". New Vision. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  25. ^ "L'Ouganda Débat d'un Projet de Loi Rendant Illégale l'Identification LGBTQ". 10 March 2023.
  26. ^ Dicta Asiimwe, and Halima Abdallah (5 January 2019). "'Let us do our job,' opposition tells Uganda's Speaker". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  27. ^ "UK sanctions corrupt politicians in Uganda who stole from vulnerable communities". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Financial Sanctions Notice 30/04/2024" (PDF).
  29. ^ "US sanctions Uganda's parliament speaker and others over corruption and rights abuses". Associated Press. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  30. ^ Stephen Kalema (20 September 2019). "PROFILE: All eyes on Anita Among as Bukedea MP becomes most powerful woman politician". Watchdog Uganda. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
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Parliament of Uganda
Preceded by Deputy Speaker of Parliament
24 May 2021 – 25 March 2022 		Succeeded by
Speaker of Parliament
25 March 2022 – present 		Incumbent
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