{UAH} IS MUSEVENI’S TAYEBWA ABOUT TO REPLACE SPEAKER ANITA AMONGI?

Written by CHANGE OF GUARDS

Museveni's Speaker of Parliament, Anita Amongi and the Deputy Speaker, Tomas Tayebwa are both former members of the opposition party, the FDC.  They both crossed to the Museveni regime in search of greener pastures.  During Museveni's May 2021 selection of Speaker, the two sought to fill the position of Deputy Speaker. Museveni had reserved the position of Speaker for Jacob Oulanya against Rebecca Kadaga.  Anita Amongi allied with the former while Tomas Tayebwa allied with the latter. When Museveni selected Oulanya and Amongi as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, Kadaga and Tayebwa vowed to go independent.  Museveni had to make a telephone call to Tayebwa's father in order for the son to back off.  In return, Museveni appointed him as government Chief Whip in parliament.  

When the then Speaker, Jacob Oulanya died in March 2022, Museveni selected Anita Among and Tomas Tayebwa as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively. The family of Jacob Oulanya persistently told mourners that their son had been poisoned. The regime responded by threatening to arrest anyone who promoted that narrative. In October 2022, the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Amongi told the house that there was a group of unnamed  people who had been plotting to assassinate her. The Museveni regime simply enhanced her security detail and the matter was pushed under the carpet. The head of her security detail, ASP Aggrey Ariho defected to the USA after he stealthy left the country in the company of the Deputy Speaker's official delegation to the same destination. The Deputy Speaker's Personal Assistant who processed the said police officer's travel was simply suspended and the matter was swept under the carpet.  

Museveni had earnestly fought the former Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga whom he feared that she was creating a power base in order to run for the presidency. The fear was on account of her growing popularity not only in parliament but amongst the general population. Desperate members of the public craving for justice in service delivery, gross human rights violations, plunder of public resources and others had found a sanctuary in the position of the Speaker. The current Speaker, Amongi seems not to have learnt anything from what befell Rebecca Kadaga. With the vast resources at her disposal, she has been dishing out substantial amounts of cash not only in local currency but even in foreign currency. She is fairly managing the legislature thus gaining popularity amongst the legislators across the political divide. Worst of all, she has not effectively stifled opposition voices in parliament. She has also been accused by cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister of harassment and humiliation. She recently gained more prominence when she spearheaded the emotional passing of the Anti-homosexuality Bill. That is why Museveni is reluctant to giving that bill credit by assenting to it but is instead going around to discuss it with the Parliamentary Caucus.  

Museveni is preoccupied by the scheme to have his son, Gen. Muhoozi inherit the presidency of Uganda. Every public engagement and undertaking is premised on the same scheme dubbed the Muhoozi Project. While her Deputy, Tomas Tayebwa expressly came out to embrace the same scheme, Speaker Amongi has kept a distance from the same scheme. Obviously, under the circumstances, Museveni would wish to have Tomas Tayebwa as the Speaker. Museveni has always been craving for the total control of the legislature and in Tomas Tayebwa, Museveni hopes to achieve his dream. In December 2021, Parliament passed a Shillings 39 billion supplementary budget for humanitarian and developmental undertakings for Karamoja region. Out of this, Shillings 7 billion was earmarked for the procurement of 100,000 pieces of iron sheets. The Minister for Karamoja Affairs dished out a total of 14.500 pieces of iron sheets to different regime officials. These include the Vice President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliament, and cabinet Ministers.  

When the scandal came to the public domain, the Museveni regime initially maintained a blind eye. Even the police or other so-called anti-corruption agencies did not pick interest in the matter. At the insistence of the legislators from Karamoja region, a parliamentary committee was tasked to look into the matter. On March 3, the Speaker, Anita Among informed the house that she had decided to refund the 500 pieces of iron sheets she had earlier received and donated to government aided schools in her constituency. Museveni thought that the Speaker was trying to outsmart him. He declared that the parliamentary probe into the matter was a waste of time. Instead, he directed his DPP, the police, and the so-called State House Anti-corruption Unit to carry out criminal investigations. He plans to use this probe to crack the whip on his regime officials including the Speaker who have not expressed support for his Muhoozi Project.  

In this regard, he went ahead to deliver his April 3 'judgement' into the matter. He ruled that those who had taken the said iron sheets and given them to people and institutions in their constituencies had committed political corruption. He argued this was the case because they had bribed voters so as to get political favours. He went ahead to accuse them of subversion and undermining national security in exchange for cheap popularity. He declared them guilty of theft. He concluded his judgement with orders for the return or reimbursement of the said iron sheets. Nonetheless, he directed the criminal justice sector to go ahead with proceedings before promising to take "political action" thereafter. Immediately after, the police embarked on arrests of some implicated cabinet ministers. So far, three cabinet Ministers have been arrested and charged with possession of suspect iron sheets. In the meantime, the said 'convicts' are busy returning and reimbursing the said iron sheets which are received by the police as exhibits.  

From the trend of events, chances are high that the Speaker, Anita Amongi will be arrested and charged. No matter whether she will be convicted or not, Museveni will use his influence to influence parliament to initiate her impeachment. Thereafter, he will place his preferred, Tomas Tayebwa at the helm of the legislature. Much as Anita Amongi has Mafia tendencies, Tomas Tayebwa will be a very dangerous substitute. Otherwise, it's not about iron sheets because out of 100,000, it's only 14,500 pieces that were allegedly diverted. They are worth just less than half a billion Shillings out of the seven billion Shillings budget. If it's a matter of fighting corruption, what about the USD 500m for Lubowa Hospital, the UGX 318b for Kiira Motors, the UGX 274b for the non existent Atiak Sugar, UGX 68b for Sudhir's hotel, UGX 32b for goats and relief food for Karamoja, UGX 26b for Musenero's laboratory rats, the UGX 3.8tn Covid-19 relief, the Naguru land saga, the trillions from NSSF, and the list is endless.  

Watch the space.  

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Allaah gives the best to those who leave the choice to Him."And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things." (6:17)

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