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“Uganda has regulatory, investigatory, and disciplinary institutions that deal with corruption and so far, none of them have found the speaker culpable or even called out the speaker.

Therefore, the corruption allegations are as political and vendetta driven," says Chris Obore the Director of Communication and Public Affairs at Parliament.

His comments come hours after the United Kingdom issued sanctions on Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among plus two former ministers  Mary Goretti Kitutu (former Minister Karamoja Affairs)  and Agnes Nandutu (former State Minister Karamoja).

Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, on Tuesday announced sanctions on high profile Uganda's high-profile politicians including the two ministers recently dropped from cabinet.  The ministers have been charged with corruption at Uganda’s Anti-Corruption Court.

In an interview with the New Vision, Obore claimed the Speaker  Among had been targeted because of her stand on Anti-Homosexuality Law and that the sanctions had nothing to do with the iron sheets saga.

“The Anti-Homosexuality Law was not the initiative of the Speaker but an overwhelming demand of Ugandan citizens who believe that Ugandans have a right to preserve and promote their own sexual or marriage norms. Uganda is no longer a British protectorate to wait for orders from Buckingham Palace,” Obore noted.

He said, “The actions of the UK could imply that they are active participants in Uganda’s local politics, thus targeting high-ranking national leaders at the urging of their foreign agents.”

UK’s Deputy Foreign Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, while announcing the sanctions noted that,  and the two ministers  " will be subject to travel bans and asset freezes”.

On Tuesday evening Obore issued a detailed statement responding to the UK and condemning Mitchell's announcement. 

“A statement issued on the UK Government website announced sanctions on Speaker Among, apparently based on her alleged involvement in corruption, particularly the iron sheets distributed by the Office of the Prime Minister. The statement claims the sanctions are due to charges purportedly faced by the Speaker and two other ministers in the Anti-Corruption Court, which is a false premise because the Speaker has never been charged with corruption in any court of law, contrary to the insinuation in the statement,” Obore said.

Obore noted that “The iron sheets have been used as a ruse to conceal the real, unstated but obvious reason for the sanctions, which is, the Speakers stance on the recently enacted Anti-Homosexuality Act.”

He accused the UK of hiding behind the iron sheets to issue sanctions targeting the speaker.

“The truth is that the iron sheets were distributed to public schools, and Mitchel who was vocal in condemning the Speaker, for enacting the Anti-Homosexuality Act, did not in his statement indicate how exactly Among, derived personal benefit from them. It is important that foreign partners, including the United Kingdom, respect the sovereignty of Uganda and avoid the temptation to meddle into our local politics, including arm twist decision makers to align with their value system, especially on homosexuality,” he added.