I have come across several calls by religious leaders in Teso calling upon Christians to spend some hours praying for the current former Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among.
This is quite laughable. Why would Ugandans waste their prayers on leaders who have caused their suffering? In fact, what is happening to the former Speaker of Parliament is God’s punishment for what she did to the people of Teso, Kakumiro, and Hoima.
In Teso, the former Speaker allegedly jailed people, robbed many of their electoral victories, used Bukedea Police to displace hundreds of families from their land claiming it was the President’s land. She also imposed unwanted candidates on the people of Kakumiro and Hoima City, among many other actions that hurt local communities.
The person who needs prayers from Ugandans is the current Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Jacob Oboth Oboth, who has caused a lot of reforms in the broken Parliament.
In less than one month, Hon Oboth has reduced the Speaker’s budget from Shs 29 billion during Anita Among’s tenure to Shs 3.4 billion. The rest of the money has been reallocated to parliamentary committees.
He has also written to the police to reduce deployment in Parliament, which previously stood at 400 officers, each earning about Shs 1.2 million per month—amounting to about Shs 480 million per month. This has now been reduced to 200 officers, significantly lowering the cost.
I would like to appeal to Ugandans that our prayers should be directed to Hon Oboth so that he is protected by the Holy Spirit as he continues resetting Parliament.
My appeal to Hon Oboth is that, as you have started stepping on the accelerator, do not remove your foot from it. Do not increase or reduce the speed—maintain the same pace, do not look sideways, but stay focused on what lies ahead.
We also want to thank Hon Mao for accepting to position himself as a champion in confronting the former Speaker, who believed she was untouchable.
My thanks also go to our “Badman General” Muhoozi Kainerugaba for his efforts in ensuring that the former Speaker faces consequences for alleged illegal and illicit wealth. Long live Gen Muhoozi—you are a man. Ugandans are now truly determined to rid public offices of corrupt officials.
The writer is a senior veteran journalist.
