Electoral Commission put on standby as Among probe widens

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As security agencies tighten their grip on the unfolding investigation into outgoing Speaker Annet Anita Among, the Electoral Commission (EC) has also been placed on standby, New Vision has learnt.

The development signals that political and institutional ramifications of the probe are already extending well beyond Among's impounded vehicles and search of her residences.

Sources at the EC confirmed to New Vision Online that the commission had been put on standby specifically on matters regarding Bukedea district elections, amid investigations that have gripped the country since Saturday.

The sources, however, remained guarded on specifics. "We are still waiting for guidance," they said. The emerging details follow the swearing in of 529 members of the 12th Parliament of Uganda, which started on May 13 and ended on May 15.

The home raids

On Saturday afternoon, security personnel raided the home of Among in the quiet leafy city suburbs of Nakasero along MacKinnon Road.

More than 15 Police vehicles, vans, and minibuses delivered investigators, who searched Among’s home in what security sources described as a coordinated tactical operation.

It began at 2:30 pm on Saturday. A truck blocked the road leading to the home. Three uniformed officers stood at the gate while plain-clothed operatives fanned out across the road, watching, waiting, cataloguing.

Before dusk settled over the capital, some black suitcases were seen being loaded into a white police van and driven away from the scene. It is not clear what exactly was picked from the Nakasero home.

And the operation did not end there. By Sunday afternoon, the security net had widened considerably. Investigators reportedly picked interest in Among’s other properties in Kigo in Wakiso district and Ntinda in Nakawa division.

Among is being probed over allegations including corruption, money laundering, and abuse of office.

Sources privy to the probe confirmed that several Members of Parliament and parliament staff, including officials linked to Among’s office, have been lined up for questioning as investigators widen the scope of their inquiries.