Embattled outgoing Speaker of Parliament Anita Among sought the advice of President Museveni when she received an offer of a Rolls-Royce gift, journalist Andrew Mwenda has said.
The Shs3.5 billion Rolls-Royce Cullinan became the symbol of the political storm that has engulfed Among after revelations about the luxury vehicle triggered investigations into alleged corruption, abuse of office, and accumulation of illicit wealth.
Speaking to Daily Monitor in an earlier interview for the article that first broke the story of the luxury vehicle, Among had indicated that President Museveni was aware of its acquisition.
However, after security agencies raided her plush homes in and around Kampala, the detail was overshadowed by the scale of her wealth and dramatic political fall until it resurfaced on Thursday night.
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Speaking on the Frontline talk show on NBS Television, Mwenda, who is considered close to First Son and Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, confirmed that the vehicle was a gift.
"It turns out that when someone gave Anita Among that Rolls-Royce, she asked Museveni if she should accept it and he gave the go-ahead," Mwenda said, although he did not reveal the identity of the person who gifted her the luxury vehicle.
Since the revelations emerged in the media two weeks ago, details surrounding the transaction have remained unclear, with the public awaiting answers from ongoing investigations.
Security agencies have so far not conducted a public briefing on the investigations, despite the matter attracting national attention. The absence of official updates became a point of discussion during the NBS Media Roundtable on Friday morning, where panellists questioned why security agencies had remained silent.
"Since they have decided to play to the public gallery, I want the people leading the investigations against Anita Among to give us daily updates," former government spokesperson and newly elected MP for the elderly in Eastern Uganda, Ofwono Opondo, said during the programme.
The investigations saw security agencies raid Among's homes in Nakasero, Kigo, and Ntinda, where up to at least six luxury vehicles were seized, including the Rolls-Royce, a Range Rover, Mercedes-Maybach, Lexus, and two Toyota Land Cruisers.
Together with her upscale residences, the display of satiated opulence has become central to the political pressure surrounding Among, who earlier this week announced that she would not seek re-election when legislators convenes on May 25 to elect leadership for the 12th Parliament.
However, in remarks that appeared to differ from views widely associated with Gen Muhoozi's camp, Mwenda argued that Among had been using resources from Parliament to help Museveni strengthen political mobilisation.
"If you talk about corruption, how many people have stolen money in Uganda? There are people who have taken out of Uganda much more money and they haven't been attacked," Mwenda said.
Mwenda has previously made similar arguments defending certain forms of corruption, saying leaders who use stolen public funds to invest locally and create jobs should not be judged the same way as those who transfer wealth abroad.
Opposition politician and People's Front for Freedom leader Salamu Musumba also questioned the seriousness of the investigations, arguing that state institutions had for years ignored calls to investigate allegations surrounding Among's wealth.
"People have bigger properties we know of. Talking about a Rolls-Royce that can't even run on a marram road to Bukedea is just peanuts," Musumba said.
"The entire episode is shabby. What is it that they are doing to this nation? They have messed up the whole institution of Parliament. They can't cast the net wider. They have weaponised the word corruption. It's a tool they use on who they want."
Speaking on the Media Roundtable, former Red Pepper director Arinaitwe Rugyendo said the unfolding events were very much textbook renditions from previous anti-corruption campaigns that ultimately produced little accountability.
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"The NRM has been talking about corruption ever since they went to the bush. Almost every five years, there is always one fall guy for corruption and the country gets hoodwinked," he said.
Journalist Raymond Mujuni suggested the developments appeared designed to pressure Among into abandoning the Speakership race.
"This was to demobilise her," Mujuni said. "It's difficult to tame human ambition."
According to Gen Muhoozi, President Museveni is expected to chair a meeting of the ruling party's top decision-making organ, the Central Executive Committee, which has reportedly endorsed West Budama South MP and outgoing Defence Minister Jacob Oboth-Oboth for Speaker, with Thomas Tayebwa retained as Deputy Speaker.
Earlier indications had suggested Tayebwa could be dropped as Gen Muhoozi's Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) reportedly pushed for a female candidate for the deputy speaker position.
