Anita Annet Among (born 23 November 1973) is a Ugandan accountant, lawyer and politician who is the

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the 11th

Parliament of Uganda The Parliament of Uganda is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Uganda. One of its primary functions is to pass laws that support effective governance in the country. Government ministers are required to answer to the people's represe ...

since 2022. She also concurrently serves as the elected member of parliament for the

Bukedea District Bukedea District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Region of Uganda. The town of Bukedea is the site of the district headquarters. Location Bukedea District is bordered by Kumi District to the west and nort ...

Women Constituency, the same position she held in the 10th Parliament (2016–2021). She was in FDC party before she joined the ruling NRM where she was voted as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th Parliament. She is also the second female deputy speaker in the history of Uganda's parliament after Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga. She is named in the torture complaint against the Ugandan government that was submitted with the International Criminal Court. She is the proprietor of Bukedea Comprehensive Academy, a co-educational boarding school founded in 2018. The academy, located in

, also offers vocational training alongside its academic programs

Early life and education

Among was born in Bukedea County,

Kumi District Kumi District is a district in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The district is named after its main town, Kumi, which also hosts the district headquarters. Location Kumi District is bordered by Katakwi District to the north, Nakapiripirit Distri ...

, (now

) on 23 November 1973. She attended local schools for her elementary and secondary education. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Business Administration A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is an undergraduate degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of four years and typically 120 credits of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of busine ...

degree from

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

in 2005. In 2008, she was awarded a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

degree, also by Makerere University.
In 2018, Among graduated from

Kampala International University Kampala International University (KIU) is a private, not-for-profit institution based in Uganda. It was established in 2001 and assumed chartered status in 2009. In pursuit of the dream to raise the next generation of problem solvers for the Ea ...

, with a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree. At that time she was in the process of attaining qualification as a

Chartered Certified Accountant The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (CCA). Founded in 1904, It is now the fourth-largest professional accounting body ...

Career

From 1998 to 2006, Among worked at

Centenary Bank Centenary Bank, also Centenary Rural Development Bank Limited (CRDBL), is a commercial bank in Uganda licensed by the Bank of Uganda, the central bank and national banking regulator. History The bank was founded in 1983 as a credit trust, Cen ...

, one of the large

commercial bank A commercial bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make a profit. It can also refer to a bank or a division of a larger bank that deals with whol ...

s 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 Makerere University Business School and Kampala International University.

Politics

For two parliamentary election cycles in 2007, when

was created, and in 2011, Among lost the District Woman Representative seat to Rose Akol of the

National Resistance Movement The National Resistance Movement (; abbr. NRM) has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986. History The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was founded as a liberation movement that waged a guerrilla war through its rebel wing National ...

(NRM) political party. Among, a long-time member of the opposition

Forum for Democratic Change The Forum for Democratic Change (; FDC), founded on 16 December 2004, is one of the main opposition parties in Uganda. The FDC was founded as an umbrella body called Reform Agenda, mostly for disenchanted former members and followers of Preside ...

(FDC) political party, ran in 2016 as an independent candidate. She won and is the incumbent MP. In 2020, she joined the National Resistance Movement (NRM) after falling out with her party FDC and won the party primaries. In the 2021 general elections, Among was one of the few legislators who was elected unopposed to join the 11th Parliament though her victory was contentious because the electoral commission blocked some of her competitors from nomination. Among declared her bid for the Deputy Speakership of the 11th parliament of Uganda. Among was elected as the new Speaker of the parliament of Uganda on the March 25, 2022 replacing Jacob Oulanyah, who died in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. In 2023, she urged members of the Ugandan National Assembly to support a new bill that would make the mere fact of identifying oneself as LGBT illegal and risk up to ten years of incarceration. In the 10th Parliament, Among served as the Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE).

International Sanctions

On 30 April 2024, the UK's

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

announced personal sanctions against Anita Among and two other high Ugandan officials under its Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime for their involvement in significant corruption, making her a subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban. On 30 May 2024, Among and several other Ugandan officials were sanctioned by the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

on charges of corruption.

Personal life

Among and her husband

Moses Magogo Hassim Moses Magogo Hassim (born November 8, 1976) is a Ugandan sports administrator and politician. He is the current president of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), and Former Executive member of Confederation of African Football ( ...

have a pair of twins, earning her the title of Nnalongo in Uganda. She introduced him to her parents in a traditional marriage ceremony. She is also rumored to have a son with one of

's officials in western Uganda, Patrick Baguma Atenyi.

References

External links

Website of the Parliament of UgandaAnita Annet Among on TwitterAnita Annet Among on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Among, Anita 1973 births Living people Ugandan accountants Ugandan women accountants Members of the 11th Parliament of Uganda Members of the 10th Parliament of Uganda Speakers of the Parliament of Uganda People from Bukedea District Makerere University alumni Kampala International University alumni Women members of the Parliament of Uganda Independent politicians in Uganda 21st-century Ugandan women politicians Teso people Women legislative speakers Teso women