President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Inspectorate of Government to investigate circumstances under which Speaker of Parliament Rt Hon Anita Among acquired houses in the United Kingdom.
In a May 2 addressed to Foreign Affairs minister Jeje Odongo, Museveni revealed he held an emergency meeting with British High Commissioner Ms Kate Airey, at State House Nakasero shortly before United Kingdom announced sanctions against Among and former Karamoja ministers Mary Gorreti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu.
In the letter Museveni dismissed the decision to sanction the high-profile politicians over the iron sheets scandal noting that the incident of alleged theft of the commodities for the vulnerable happened in Uganda and is also before court.
Ms Airey also informed Museveni that the United Kingdom decided to sanction Among because she owns houses in the UK and has fat bank accounts, she is using to educate her children in the UK.
“I told her the issue of houses would be very interesting if, especially, Anita Among did not declare them in her leadership code documents,” he said.
Museveni explained that it would be a moral and ideological mistake for Among to buy houses abroad, yet Uganda is still underdeveloped.
He directed the Inspectorate of Government and Ministry of Integrity to inform him whether Among indeed declared in her forms the alleged property in the UK.
“Why would a Ugandan leader build or buy houses in UK or anywhere else abroad, when Uganda, the still underdeveloped country where she would have earned the money, still needs those investments,” he pondered.
“It would definitely be a moral and ideological mistake.”
Museveni further requested the UK to furnish him with details about Among’s alleged properties in the UK.
In the wake of the UK sanctions, Among claimed she was not bothered and does not own “even a pussycat” in the UK.
She noted that she was being targeted over her strong stance against homosexuality.
