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President Yoweri Museveni has directed foreign affairs minister Gen. Jeje Odongo and the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka to immediately write a letter to the relevant authorities in UK demanding their source of information that Speaker of Parliament Anita Among had a house in the UK.

Museveni, who was responding to a letter from the deputy Inspector General of Government Dr Patricia Okiria who said Among never revealed she had a house in the UK in her wealth declaration forms, noted that the UK cannot falsely accuse any official and the Government lets it pass.

“I have received a letter from Dr OKiria, the Deputy Inspector General of Government (D/IGG) of May 9, 2024, informing me that Speaker Among never revealed that she had a house in the United Kingdom (UK). Among has told me she does not own a house in the UK,” Museveni said.

“Therefore, working with the Attorney General, write an appropriate letter to the relevant authorities in the UK to demand the source of their information. They cannot falsely accuse any of our people and we let it pass,” Museveni added.

On Monday evening, Faruk Kirunda, the Deputy Press Secretary of the President, confirmed that Museveni had written the letter. 

“I have been contacted by many of you wanting to clarify on a May 11, 2024, letter signed by the President and addressed to Gen. Odongo the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the subject of sanctions slapped by the UK government against Among and two former Ministers Gorreti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu. I wish to confirm that this letter is authentic,” Kirunda said.

On Monday, the Inspectorate Government (IG) also presented a detailed report to President Museveni which indicated the detailed list of the properties Among had indicated in her wealth declaration forms.

Museveni’s letter comes in the wake of another letter dated May 2, 2024, to the foreign affairs minister in which he directed IG and the ethics minister to look into allegations Among has property in UK.

Museveni, however, faulted the UK government for rushing ahead with the sanctions and yet the ministers accused were facing court cases. He also wondered why the UK had proceeded and included Among, among officials to be sanctioned and yet she had not been charged in court.

"I request the IGG and the minister of Integrity to inform me if the Among declared in her forms of the leadership code the ownership of a house in the UK. The issue of bank accounts, I told the High Commissioner, may not be a serious issue if she sent legitimately earned money to support the children who are legitimately studying there."

In his letter President Museveni noted that, on Tuesday April 30, 2024, he met the British High Commissioner for an urgent meeting.

"The meeting was at Nakasero but I was on my way to Entebbe for other meetings. I therefore did not have time to discuss with anybody the issue."

President Museveni in his letter revealed that the, "High Commissioner told me that they intended to sanction Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu for their roles on the mabaati (iron sheets). I would like by the copy of the letter to ask the Attorney General the legality of this action since this is purely an internal matter for Uganda.  The alleged theft was discovered by our agencies and the Uganda courts are handling the case".

Museveni also wondered why the UK court was rushing the matter and why they had rushed to sanction Speaker Among.

"The accused are not yet convicted. How do other countries come into the matter? Attorney General advice. She told me about sanctioning Among. I said why?  She said Among has got a house or houses in the UK and has got bank accounts from which she pays school fees for her children who study there. I told her that the issue of houses would be very interesting if, especially Among does not declare them in her Leadership Documents," Museveni noted.

Museveni further said, "If she declared them, then the next issue would be how she got the money to build them. If these two are answered correctly and showing no mistake, the remaining issue would be political, ideological judgement."

Museveni wondered, "why would Uganda leaders build or buy houses in the UK or anywhere else abroad, when Uganda, the still an under-developed country where she would have earned the money, still needs those investments? It would definitely be a moral and ideological mistake".

Museveni said he told the High Commissioner that, "the Uganda Government would demand from the UK government more information about this. Attorney General and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to advise on how this can be done and the appropriate authority to go ahead and do it".

The sanctions 

On April 30, 2024, the UK issued sanctions against Among, Kitutu and Nandutu over allegations that they benefited from the Karamoja iron sheets that were meant for the reformed warriors.

Among, was among the several government officials who received iron sheets donations from the Office of the Prime Minister.

However, she was never sanctioned neither charged after it emerged that she donated the same iron sheets to government schools in Bukedea for the construction of classes.