The name Anita Among used to send tongues wagging at the beginning of the 10th parliament for her closeness with the ruling party, National Resistance Movement, despite being known as a member of the Forum for Democratic Change, the biggest political group in Uganda.
The woman MP for Bukedea district came to parliament as an FDC learning independent, but, one can conclude, she has served the interests of NRM in this term, and accomplished more assignments for President Yoweri Museveni than her party and its leader Patrick Oboi Amuriat. No wonder, she has become Museveni’s blue-eyed girl and a trusted handler for a number of sensitive politics jobs.
The fruits of her labour, are actually evident.
An accountant by training, Among worked in Centenary bank for 10 years before she resigned in 2007 to contest for the Bukedea seat. After she lost the election, she got a teaching job at Makerere University Business School (Mubs) and later Kampala International University (KIU).
In July last year, Museveni made a statement when he included Anita in the high profile delegation blockering peace for South Sudan, where she took part in meetings of Presidents of South Sudan, Sudan Khartoum and Ugandan super ministers and top military generals.
Currently, she is one of the opposition legislators that might cross to NRM and likely to be included on President Museveni’s ministerial list in the next reshuffle.
“She is a go-getter. When she sets her sight on something, she will do anything to achieve it,” said one opposition legislator, who preferred to speak anonymously in order not to antagonize his relationship with her.
The legislator described Among as a “political merchant” who has perfected the skill of dealing with the opposition and the NRM at the same time.
Early, this year, due to his good working relationship with her, President Museveni described Anita as a good independent MP thus asking other legislators to emulate her.
“Honorable Anita Among came as an independent and has turned out to be a good independent. She has developed her area. I have been to schools that she has built using her personal money. I have also supported her. She is a bit like me when i went to the bush because i did not know where the guns would come from but i started,” Museveni said during a public rally in Bukedea district in April.
She was the Vice-Chairperson, Public Accounts Committee (Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises) during the investigation of Bank of Uganda (from 2016 to February 2019).
In Parliament she features on two committees; Committee on Rules, Privileges and discipline and committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Who is Anita Among?
She was born on 23 November, 1973 in Bukedea District. Among went to Paliisa girls Primary school (1979-1986).
From 1986-1990 she was at Mbale High school where she attained her Uganda Certificate of Education.
She finished her Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education at Masaka A level Academy (1991-1992).
In 1998 she began working at Centenary Bank and in 2005,she graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Makerere University.
In 2006, she attained a post-graduate Diploma in Banking from Uganda Martyrs University, two years later was awarded a Master’s degree in Business Administration degree from Makerere University.
From 1998 until 2006, Among worked at Centenary Bank, one of the large commercial banks in the country. At the time she left in 2006, she had risen to the rank of branch manager. For the ten years prior to her election to parliament, she served as a lecturer in accounting, at Kampala International University (a job she still holds).
For two parliamentary election cycles in 2007, when Bukedea District was created, and 2011, Among lost the District Woman Representative seat to Rose Akol of the National Resistance Movement political party.
Among, a long-time member of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change political party, run in 2016 as an independent candidate. She won and is the incumbent MP.
In 2012, she defeated Salaamu Musumba, and a host of other senior party officials during primaries for the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) however her victory was embedded in controversy after allegations came out that she had bribed delegates.
In 2016, Among left FDC baffled when she refused their ticket and chose to stand as an independent candidate, fortunately, she defeated Akol who had defeated her two consecutive times.
In 2018 she attained Bachelor of Laws degree Kampala International University, with a degree. In the same year, she also got another job in Makerere Business school up to date.
Among is single. However she has a son with Patrick Baguma Atyenyi one of the FDC’s top figures in western Uganda.
Some FDC officials now observe Among as an enemy of their party due to her hobnobbing with President Museveni.
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