By Political Desk
Kampala, Uganda
KAMPALA — With the 12th Parliament set to be sworn in after the January 2026 general elections, a high-stakes political question is echoing through the corridors of power: Is President Yoweri Museveni preparing to sideline Speaker Anita Among to repair relations with Western donors and “promoters of sexual minorities” alienated by the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023?
Multiple sources in the corridors of power say the President is weighing a political reset following the January elections. At the center of that calculation is Among, the face of the AHA, 2023, and the target of sustained U.S. and EU sanctions since the law’s enactment.
“Museveni is a pragmatist. He knows the AHA cost Uganda billions in aid and World Bank funding,” said one senior NRM cadre who declined to be named. “The donors have made it clear: Among is the problem. To win them back, he is determined to crash her bid for Speakership in the 12th Parliament.”
FROM FLAGBEARER TO LIGHTNING ROD
Speaker Among championed the AHA, 2023, framing it as a defence of “family values and sovereignty.” The move made her a hero among religious leaders and social conservatives, but turned her into a diplomatic pariah. The U.S. revoked her visa, the UK imposed sanctions, and key development partners froze budget support.
For two years, State House stood by her. Now, insiders say, the cost is too high. With debt servicing pressures mounting and the FY2026/27 budget leaning heavily on external financing, Museveni is said to be courting the very “promoters of sexual minorities” that Among vowed to defy.
“The President didn’t sign the Anti-Homosexuality Law to end his 40-year relationship with the West,” a diplomat familiar with recent talks told this newspaper. “He signed it to survive politically in 2023. Now he needs to survive economically after the 2026 elections. Someone has to be the sacrificial lamb.”
SIGNALS OF A SHIFT
The signals have been subtle but steady. First, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa’s hardline comments last week that the NRM “will bring the next Speaker and Deputy Speaker” were interpreted by analysts as a warning shot — not to the opposition, but to Among’s camp. Tayebwa made no mention of endorsing the incumbent Speaker.
Second, Justice Minister Norbert Mao, a key architect of the NRM-DP cooperation agreement, has been increasingly vocal about “hospitality” and “guests lecturing hosts,” in what many read as pushback against NRM hardliners. Mao’s DP has historically taken a less confrontational stance on Western concerns.
Third, State House has been unusually quiet on recent threats by the U.S. Congress to expand AHA-related sanctions. In 2023, the President’s response was defiant. In April 2026, it is silence.
AMONG’S COUNTER MOVE
Among is not retreating. At a women’s conference in Bukedea on Sunday, she doubled down: “I would rather lose the Speaker’s chair than betray Ugandans on homosexuality. I did not come to Parliament to please foreigners.”
Her allies in the House are mobilizing MPs-elect, arguing that abandoning her would signal that “Uganda’s Parliament can be bought by donors.” A bloc of over 180 MPs-elect is said to have signed a private pledge to back her, Anti-Homosexuality Act sanctions or not.
But Museveni controls the NRM caucus, and the NRM controls the numbers. Under Article 82(4), the Speaker is elected by MPs-elect at the first sitting in May. If the President signals a new preference, history shows the caucus follows.
THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB?
Political analyst Godber Tumushabe says the logic is brutal but familiar. “Every regime needs a lightning rod. When the storm passes, the rod is discarded. Among absorbed the West’s anger over AHA. Now that Museveni wants the money to flow again, he may decide he no longer needs the rod.”
If Among is dropped, the President can tell Western capitals he has “listened to concerns” without repealing the law itself — a compromise that restores aid while keeping the Anti-Homosexuality Law on the books. He wins back the “promoters of sexual minorities” financially, while telling his base that Uganda’s values remain intact.
The risk? Creating a powerful martyr. Among commands a personal political machine in Teso and Busoga and has deep ties to Parliament’s finance committees. A public falling-out could fracture the NRM after the January elections.
For now, State House is not commenting. When asked Tuesday whether the President still backs Among for Speaker, Press Secretary Sandor Walusimbi said: “The President will speak at the right time.”
Until then, Kampala watches to see if the woman who became the face of defiance will become the price of reconciliation.