Deputy Speaker Anitah Among will be a hard nut to crack going by her early days conducting Parliament business.

Speaker Anitah kicked off business in the house after receiving overwhelmingly backing from her party members when she presented herself to them for the position of deputy speaker.

Anitah Among has been thrown into the frying pan with the absence of Speaker Jacob Oulanyah who she claims was out of the country on a vacation.

The deputy speaker has a history of first getting her political career started with Forum for Democratic Change FDC which until the 11th Parliament has been the biggest opposition party in Parliament and the country.

As it has already shaped itself, the most vocal legislators still are from the FDC despite National Unity Platform having a lion’s share of the numbers in the house.

Ibrahim Ssemujju, Gilbert Olanyah, Cecilia Ogwal joined by DP leaning NUP MP Joseph Ssewungu and independent Muhammad Nsereko and Jeema’s Asuman Basalirwa have already established themselves as the naughty boys and girl in the house.

These are familiar voices to Among who has worked with them back in FDC and opposition circles. She has already set the right tone to them that it is business and nothing less or more than that.

Ssemujju v Tayebwa

Among has had a situation where Ssemujju is involved in an exchange with NRM party chief whip Thomas Tayebwa over the name calling where the FDC politician referred to first lady Janet Kataha Museveni as super MP on procedural matter he raised.

Tayebwa, a former FDC breed, takes to the podium to demand Ssemujju withdraws the statement, to which he admits mistake and says sorry. However, the NRM chief whip insists Ssemujju wholly withdraws his statement.

As a rookie speaker, Anitah Among did brilliantly dealing with the impasse, asking Tayebwa to step back since the FDC politician had said sorry. She goes ahead to let the Kiira Municipality know the first lady was following the Parliamentary proceedings virtually.

Deputy Speaker Anitah then had a one on one with Ssemujju again when she asked his submission that “the President has failed to manage #COVID19” be expunged from #Parliament record (Hansard).

This was when she told MPs the “House will consider a motion to thank the President for the clear and precise exposition of gov’t policy contained in Address on the State of the Nation By H.E President to Parliament on Friday 4th June, 2021.”

However, Anita finds some energy to lighten things when she hailed the Kiira Municipality MP: I was very impressed when Hon. @SsemujjuIbrahim said that @MulagoHospital is the best Hospital.”

Olanya

Then the Deputy Speaker has to deal with another former colleague Olanya who rose up to claim some ministers cannot make personal decisions he runs to them for help.

He submitted: “We are ever running to Minister of Health and when you tell them your problem, they refer you to either the Prime Minister or the President.”

Speaker Anitah comes with a sharp crisp charge to him: “Our Ministers are in-Charge. Do NOT belittle out Ministers like that.”

Deputy Speaker in response, says that the Minister of Education is attending #PlenaryUg sittings virtually.

Speaker absence

The Speaker Jacob Olanyah’s rumours were widespread and there were concerns in the house about his absence and health. MPs like Ssewungu took to the floor to demand for answers.

Anitah, however, took them head on and one of her responses were: “We agreed with the Speaker that each of us should work for two months and I started. After my two months I’ll also go and rest and the Speaker will come.”

Ssewungu was at it again when he appealed to the Speaker to allow half of the #UPDF representatives in Parliament to sit on the Opposition Side in Parliament and the other half sits on the #NRM side.

In response to him, Anita dismissed: “Let’s not politicize the fight against #COVID-19.”

Anita has had MPs hit the road to their constituencies, an alarm that it is not going to be all about Kampala.

Basalirwa on muslims

When Asuman Basalirwa, Bugiri Municipality MP raised a matter of national concern at the recent shooting of Minister of Works and Transport:

Basalirwa stated: “Of recent, Muslims have been arrested allegedly for attempting to kill Gen. Katumba. Those Muslims have been tortured. The Media has shown the torture marks.”

Among had this to say: “I am not sure if the suspects were arrested as Muslims. Let’s leave out religion in this.”

Covid-19 Task Force

The Health report that has raised dust in the media emerged from the works of MPs who traveled the countryside to report on the works of the Task Force on #COVID19.

On the findings from the field, Dickson Kateshumbwa, a member of of the Parliamentary Taskforce, submitted: “Gov’t should submit detailed accountability for shs22.18 billion appropriated to facilitate the establishment of 20 isolation centres per district indicating the location in each district where such facilities are established.”

Katesumbwa invited: “The Auditor General should institute a forensic audit into all #COVID19 expenditures to ascertain value for money spent.”

Emyooga

The Deputy Speaker informed the Members that House will take a short break from 5th to 17th August 2021 to allow the MPs to ascertain the use Emyooga funds and report back to Parliament.

The Deputy Speaker @AnitahAmong directed the Ministry of Finance to furnish the house with details of emyooga funds disbursed throughout the country. These details should include the beneficiaries of the funds and how much each beneficiary received.

@AnitahAmong insisted: “We cannot start the implementation of the Parish Development Model before we know how the emyooga funds were used.”

NUSAF

The Deputy Speaker @AnitahAmong instructed the government chief whip @Thomas_Tayebwa to bring a statement to the house explaining the fate of NUSAF that is currently been phased out.