Speaker Anita Among Announces Bid for NRM National Women’s Chairperson Seat, Challenging Rebecca Kadaga
In a bold move that is set to shake up the political landscape within Uganda’s ruling party, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has declared her intention to contest for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Women’s Chairperson position, currently held by her political rival, Rebecca Kadaga.
Among, who rose to the Speakership in 2022 after the sudden death of her predecessor Jacob Oulanyah, revealed her plans during a meeting with 20 urban council speakers, where they discussed concerns over poor remuneration and transportation challenges. The NRM Women’s Chairperson seat, which is a gateway to the party’s Central Executive Committee, has long been a powerful position, and Among made it clear that she is not merely seeking to represent the eastern region, but the entire nation.
“I’m also going to stand as NRM National Women’s Chairperson,” Among announced, adding that she would not be contesting for the position on behalf of the eastern region but as a candidate for National Vice-Chairperson Female. “I’m for the whole country, not only the eastern region,” she emphasized.
The move sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown between Among and Kadaga, two influential figures within the NRM, both with strong political roots in the eastern region of Uganda. Kadaga, a political heavyweight from Busoga, has held the Women’s Chairperson position for years. However, her tenure has been marred by tensions with Among, who has at times publicly challenged Kadaga’s leadership. Among has previously made pointed remarks about the “old woman from Kamuli,” referring to Kadaga, and suggested that her leadership was partly to blame for the poverty in Busoga.
Kadaga, who has built a strong political base in Busoga and is revered as “Mama Busoga,” has largely avoided direct confrontation with Among, but the relationship between the two has been fraught with political rivalry and public jabs. This rivalry reached a new peak when Kadaga, in a recent audio recording, claimed that unnamed enemies were plotting to harm her through a staged road accident. However, she did not provide any evidence to substantiate the allegations.
Among’s influence within the NRM has grown significantly in recent years, and her power base now extends beyond her Teso sub-region to the heart of Kadaga’s stronghold in Busoga. Through her strategic investments in Kadaga’s backyard of Kamuli, and by using her marital home district of Buyende as a base, Among has made significant inroads into the region traditionally dominated by her rival.
The NRM primaries for the Women’s Chairperson seat are expected to be fiercely contested. Among’s candidacy signals a fresh challenge to Kadaga’s long-standing leadership, and the outcome of this battle will likely have significant implications for the future direction of the NRM. Both women are powerful figures in Ugandan politics, and their contest for the influential position will be one of the most closely watched in the run-up to the next party elections.
As the political landscape shifts, all eyes will be on the NRM’s internal contest, with both Among and Kadaga positioning themselves as the future leaders of the party’s women’s wing and, potentially, the wider political arena.
