Speaker Among Denies Claims of Travel Ban for Commonwealth Summit

(Kampala) – Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among has dismissed recent rumors alleging she was barred from attending a Commonwealth event. Uganda’s Vice-President Jessica Alupo is currently attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, from October 21 to 26, representing President Yoweri Museveni alongside a Ugandan delegation.

CHOGM serves as a biennial gathering for Commonwealth leaders to discuss global and Commonwealth-specific issues, while the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), which Speaker Among is attending, focuses on parliamentary leaders. Uganda’s delegation at CHOGM includes High Commissioner to the UK Nimisha Madhvani, Foreign Affairs Minister Okello Oryem, and Ambassador John Mugerwa.

Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo raised the alleged travel restriction during a parliamentary session on Thursday, October 23, questioning why there was no parliamentary representation in Samoa. He cited reports suggesting that Speaker Among was barred from attending.

In response, Speaker Among clarified that the Samoa event is exclusively for heads of state, not parliamentary leaders, emphasizing that her scheduled attendance is for CSPOC. “I am actually going to a Commonwealth meeting tonight,” she said, explaining that the CSPOC meeting, distinct from CHOGM, is set to take place in India. As a gesture, she invited MP Ssekikubo to accompany her, though he declined, citing commitments in Uganda.

Rumors of a travel ban targeting Speaker Among first emerged in May after the United Kingdom issued travel sanctions on her over allegations of corruption. Among, alongside former Karamoja ministers Mary Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, faced accusations related to the misuse of iron sheets intended for relief in the Karamoja region. Critics, including former Leader of Opposition Phillip Wafula Oguttu, warned that these allegations could harm Uganda’s standing in the Commonwealth and suggested her resignation. “Basically, it’s a vote of no confidence in her,” Oguttu stated in May.

Speaker Among currently holds the position of chairperson on the CSPOC Standing Committee, which oversees conference activities and comprises 15 members, with a quorum of five. The committee, chaired by the Speaker of the lower House of the current host jurisdiction, is responsible for promoting parliamentary democracy and cooperation among Commonwealth member parliaments.

Parliament spokesperson Chris Obore criticized the UK’s actions, accusing the British government of mishandling diplomatic matters through media releases. He called the public release of the alleged travel ban “a serious diplomatic breach,” noting that Uganda’s Speaker holds a high position in the national hierarchy. “The UK government went so low, and I simply offered them bilateral reciprocity,” Obore said. “Do the British still understand the presumption of innocence until proven guilty?”

Obore also aimed remarks at former opposition leaders, saying, “As for our former Leaders of the Opposition, they love to speak on each and everything, but if their views were that important, they would have changed government long ago.”