A seemingly simple congratulatory message from First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga has triggered fresh political talk within NRM power circles amid the dramatic collapse of former Speaker Anita Among’s political fortunes.
“Congratulations to Hon Oboth on taking new oath, grateful to Owek. Helen Olga Namutamba, Minister for Tourism and Heritage for effectively representing me,” Kadaga posted following the swearing-in of West Budama MP Jacob Oboth-Oboth.
But in Uganda’s high-stakes political chessboard, insiders say the message was anything but ordinary.
The development comes at a politically explosive moment, just hours after security agencies widened corruption and money laundering investigations against Among, raiding multiple homes and reportedly recovering laptops, satellite phones, and sensitive electronic devices.
At the same time, Among’s once-powerful Speakership comeback bid appears to have collapsed, with top NRM figures increasingly rallying behind Oboth-Oboth as the emerging consensus candidate.
Political observers were quick to connect the dots: Kadaga and Among have long been fierce rivals, especially after their bruising showdown for the influential NRM National Vice Chairperson (Female) seat, a battle Among won in one of the ruling party’s most bitter internal contests.
Now, with Among politically cornered and reportedly dropped from the Speakership race, Kadaga’s public praise of Oboth-Oboth is being interpreted by some insiders as a subtle but calculated political dagger.
The timing has only intensified speculation, especially after Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba recently endorsed Oboth-Oboth for Speaker, while dozens of newly sworn-in MPs flocked to his Mukono home in what critics jokingly dubbed the “first parliamentary sitting.”
Inside NRM corridors, whispers are growing louder that the ruling party may already have settled on its preferred Speaker candidate, and that the shifting alliances now unfolding could permanently reshape the balance of power within the party.
