The Inspectorate of Government (IGG) is reportedly investigating former Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among over allegations of illicit enrichment, abuse of office and irregular expenditure of public funds during her tenure at Parliament.
According to sources familiar with the investigations, the Inspector General of Government, Justice Aisha Nalule Batala, has submitted a report highlighting several issues that investigators believe require further scrutiny and possible legal action.
The investigations reportedly stem from a wider anti-corruption probe that intensified following a security raid on Among’s residence in Nakasero on May 16.
Sources indicate that the report raises concerns about Among’s asset declarations, recruitment processes at Parliament, suspicious foreign travel expenditures and alleged misuse of public resources.
Among the properties reportedly under scrutiny are a house in the United Kingdom, two farms in northern Uganda and the controversial Walusimbi’s Garage property in Kampala, which investigators believe may not have been fully declared.
Under Uganda’s Leadership Code Act, public officials are required to declare their assets and liabilities. Failure to do so, or under-declaring wealth, can attract sanctions ranging from fines and dismissal from office to forfeiture of assets deemed illegally acquired.
The former Speaker has previously denied owning property in the UK after she and several other Ugandan officials were sanctioned by both the United Kingdom and the United States in 2024 over corruption and human rights allegations. At the time, Among dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and linked them to her support for Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act.
Investigators are also reportedly examining whether Among accumulated wealth disproportionate to her known income and official earnings while serving as Speaker.
According to sources, the report was submitted to President Yoweri Museveni before the election of Jacob Oulanyah Oboth-Oboth as Speaker of the 12th Parliament on May 25.
The Inspectorate of Government is said to be awaiting guidance on the next course of action.
The probe has also reportedly focused on recruitment practices within Parliament. Investigators are said to be examining the hiring of hundreds of staff allegedly recruited through non-advertised positions. Some recruits are reportedly linked to prominent judges, ministers and close political associates.
Sources further allege that Among used her office to influence recruitment processes and authorize payments that bypassed established financial procedures.
Investigators are also examining claims that public funds were withdrawn through parliamentary staff accounts and later handed over to the former Speaker without proper accountability mechanisms.
Additional concerns reportedly involve money withdrawn under corporate social responsibility activities but allegedly diverted for personal use.
As part of the investigations, IG detectives reportedly requested Hansard records to verify whether Among was physically present during certain parliamentary sittings. Investigators are also said to have sought access to her phone call records to establish whether she was in the country during periods when official travel allowances were claimed.
One of the key areas under scrutiny is the sharp increase in parliamentary per diem allowances during Among’s tenure. Sources claim the Speaker’s allowance allegedly rose from about $900 to $5,000 per trip, while the Deputy Speaker’s was reportedly increased to $4,500.
Investigators are also probing several alleged “ghost trips” in which billions of shillings were reportedly paid out for official travel that may never have occurred.
According to sources, investigators identified at least seven suspicious trips undertaken between September 2023 and January 2024, during which Among allegedly received approximately sh2.6 billion in allowances.
Among the trips being questioned is a reported 30-day official leave for which she allegedly received sh499 million, another 30-day bi-annual leave allegedly costing sh494 million, and a seven-day trip to Kigali that reportedly attracted sh106 million in allowances.
Other trips under review reportedly include travel to Italy, Kenya and South Africa, with investigators questioning both the duration and financial costs attached to the journeys.
Sources within the Inspectorate say several staff members from the Speaker’s office have already been interrogated and that investigators reportedly secured Among’s passport to support the inquiry.
The investigations have also extended to senior parliamentary officials, including Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige and Director of Finance and Administration Patrick Kunobwa, who are alleged to have failed to effectively scrutinize financial requests due to fear of the former Speaker.
When contacted, IG spokesperson Ali Munira declined to comment on the ongoing investigations.
Among herself has largely remained silent since news of the investigations emerged. However, her lawyer, Caleb Alaka, recently dismissed the allegations, describing them as false.
The probe has further widened to include scrutiny of procurement and controversial service awards previously granted to parliamentary commissioners.
Former Leader of Opposition and Parliament Commissioner Mathias Mpuuga reportedly appeared before investigators to answer questions regarding the controversial sh1.7 billion service award shared among parliamentary commissioners.
Other commissioners reportedly summoned include Solomon Silwany, Esther Afoyochan and Prossy Akampurira.
The payments triggered public criticism after reports emerged that the beneficiaries participated in approving the awards themselves.
Court records indicate that Mpuuga received sh500 million while the other commissioners each received sh400 million.
Although the payments were later challenged in court, the High Court in August 2024 ruled that the awards were lawful because they had been budgeted for and approved by Parliament as part of the national budget.
In his ruling, Justice Douglas Singiza held that the payments had followed parliamentary approval processes. However, the court faulted Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige for failing to exercise his powers as accounting officer to prevent procedurally questionable payments.
The latest investigations add to mounting public pressure for accountability and transparency in Uganda’s management of public resources, particularly within Parliament, which has faced repeated criticism over spending, service awards and allegations of corruption in recent years.
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