Sawt Falasteen - Uganda president's son moves against senior politician for corruption

The sudden fall from grace of the once-powerful parliament speaker Anita Annet Among is being seen as part of the military's increasing hold on power in the east African country.

The Rolls -- worth hundreds of thousands of dollars -- was just the latest of Among's ostentatious purchases. After the raids, it was paraded through the streets on the back of a lorry.

It was Museveni's son, army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who announced the corruption crackdown.

He said on X that he had been empowered by his father "to arrest anybody in Uganda except the President and First Lady".

"We captured the Rolls-Royce," Muhoozi, as he is popularly known, posted on X, in a move lauded on social media by many of his 1.2 million followers.

"It's under our control. We shall auction it and recover the funds of the state."

Museveni has ruled for 40 years and won another election in January, but many say real authority now lies with the 81-year-old's son.

Among, 52, who took over as parliament speaker in March 2022, was long considered untouchable as a member of Museveni's inner circle.

But she had faced allegations of corruption for years, leading to international sanctions by Britain and the United States.

- 'Clip her wings' -

Agora, a Ugandan rights organisation, highlighted that the budget of the speaker's office had risen from 4 billion to 19 billion Ugandan shillings per year ($1.1 million to $5 million) under her tenure between 2022 and 2026. On top of that, allowances had reached $4,500 per day.

In 2023, she was accused of stealing corrugated iron sheets intended for low-cost housing, which she eventually returned.

All this in a country where half the population live on less than $3 a day, according to UN figures.

So far, Among is the only target of the army crackdown -- labelled Operation Maliza Ufisadi ("End Corruption" in Swahili).

While she has not been arrested, her multiple homes in Kampala and her parliamentary office were raided on Saturday.

On Sunday, she declared in a post on X that she would no longer be standing for speaker in the new parliament "after wide consultations and deep introspection, and to maintain harmony and clarity in my beloved party".

AFP was unable to reach Among for comment.

"Her corruption became so massive that it threatened the dynasty," Agather Atuhaire, founder of rights group Agora, told AFP.

"She ran a patronage circuit that worried Museveni," she added.

"They realised if she becomes speaker a second time, she will become too powerful. They wanted to clip her wings."

- 'King-maker' -

The opposition has welcomed the investigation but says many others are being left untouched.

"We have always said Among is corrupt and a thief," Joel Ssenyonyi, a senior member of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), said in a recent speech.

"But many thieves are still out there and must be investigated," he added.

And critics regret that it was Uganda's military -- rather than civilian institutions such as the police or anti-corruption agency -- that brought her down.

"Military influence is increasingly shaping political decisions and power relations in the country," Timothy Chemonges, head of the Center for Policy Analysis, a Ugandan think tank, told AFP.

"General Muhoozi is no longer acting only as a military commander," he added.

"He has become a major political force and one of the key centres of power in Uganda today."

The corruption probe is a move by the president to boost his son's image, said Gerald Walulya, a professor of communication at the Makarere University in Kampala.

"This appears to be a strategic move aimed at allowing Muhoozi to become a household name among Ugandans, and to project himself as a pro-people and able leader," he added.

Even members of the ruling party "must align with Muhoozi," said Walulya. "He has become the king-maker."

V.Said--SF-PST