Former Minister and senior advocate Asuman Kiyingi has offered a detailed political reading of the growing tensions surrounding former Speaker Anita Among, framing her situation as part of a broader and recurring pattern within Uganda’s governance structure rather than an isolated political fallout.
Kiyingi argues that Among’s rise and eventual political vulnerability reflect the complex and often unstable nature of Uganda’s elite political environment, where institutional power and patronage networks frequently intersect.
He notes that although she was originally associated with the opposition FDC, she later became a key mobiliser within the ruling establishment, particularly strengthening political influence in the Teso sub-region and inside Parliament.
According to him, the transformation of Parliament into a powerful patronage centre has been central to understanding such political trajectories.
Control over key parliamentary instruments—including budgets, the Parliamentary Commission, committee leadership, allocations, and institutional networks—has, in his view, turned the Speakership into a strategic hub capable of building cross-party loyalties and influence.
Kiyingi warns that the deeper issue extends beyond allegations or internal party disputes. Instead, he points to what he describes as a structural contradiction in the political system, where competing centres of political and financial influence cannot be sustainably accommodated.
This, he argues, often leads to sudden reversals in political fortunes, where once-powerful figures quickly find themselves politically isolated.
“This is why political actors who once appeared untouchable suddenly find themselves isolated almost overnight,” he notes, describing the pattern as part of a wider cycle of elite insecurity that weakens state institutions over time.
He further argues that Uganda’s political stability cannot be achieved through personality management or shifting alliances alone.
Instead, he calls for a gradual transition toward stronger, impersonal institutions that are insulated from individual control and factional competition.
Kiyingi stresses the need for deeper constitutional reforms, including the restoration of meaningful presidential term limits, which he says would help prevent political competition from becoming existential.
In his view, the absence of such safeguards fuels a political culture where power struggles are treated as matters of survival rather than democratic contestation.
He also highlights what he terms a “dangerous fusion” between political authority and economic survival. In this system, access to state power often determines access to wealth and opportunity, making political exclusion economically devastating for those out of office.
To address this, Kiyingi advocates for strengthening the private sector, protecting property rights, and expanding independent economic opportunities. He argues that reducing dependence on state power would lower political desperation and ease tensions that often accompany leadership transitions.