Just days ago, they were lining up before cameras, chest out, loudly declaring loyalty to former Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and backing her Speakership comeback bid.
Today, many of those same MPs are reportedly in panic mode.
Following the dramatic widening of corruption and money laundering investigations against Among, including raids on her homes and the reported seizure of laptops, satellite phones, and sensitive electronic devices, political temperatures inside the ruling NRM have suddenly shot through the roof.
Sources within political circles say several lawmakers who had earlier recorded video clips endorsing Among are now quietly contemplating recording fresh statements distancing themselves from the embattled former Speaker.
Others are said to be frantically deleting social media posts, rethinking alliances, and testing new political loyalties as fear spreads across camps previously seen as firmly pro-Among.
“It has become radioactive,” one insider reportedly whispered.
The speed of the political shift has reminded observers of how quickly allies abandon powerful figures once they appear vulnerable.
When former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein fell in 2003, ministers and commanders who once praised him publicly rushed to deny close ties.
During the final days of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi regime in 2011, senior officials dramatically defected one after another as the tide turned.
In Zimbabwe, longtime allies of Robert Mugabe quickly switched sides during the military-backed transition that ended his decades-long rule.
Even in the Soviet Union, senior Communist figures who once fiercely defended Joseph Stalin later publicly condemned him after political winds changed.
Ugandan politics, analysts say, is no different.
“In politics, support is usually strongest when power looks secure,” one political observer noted. “The moment survival instincts kick in, people begin repositioning.”
The growing uncertainty around Among’s future comes as powerful figures within NRM increasingly appear to be rallying behind West Budama MP Jacob Oboth-Oboth, whose political momentum has surged in recent days.
With investigations intensifying and alliances rapidly shifting, the once-confident Among camp now finds itself facing a harsh political reality: in power politics, loyalty can disappear faster than campaign posters after elections.
