SUCCESSION HEAT! Speaker Among named among possible M7 successors in House minority report
BY RED PEPPER INTELLIGENCE UNIT
A minority report presented to Parliament by Erute South MP Jonathan Odur during debate on the UPDF Amendment Bill, 2025 has stirred political debate after it openly listed potential future presidents of Uganda — including Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
Odur noted that Uganda will inevitably have a new President after Yoweri Museveni, and urged the House to reflect carefully on possible successors whose names are already being discussed in the public domain ahead of 2026 and beyond on how they will use the powers granted by the Bill.
Among the list were political heavyweights and opposition figures such as Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), Patrick Amuriat, Norbert Mao, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Dr. Kizza Besigye, and Gen. Mugisha Muntu, alongside first son Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Strikingly, the report also mentioned Rt. Hon. Anita Among Annet, the current Speaker of Parliament, positioning her within a circle of potential contenders for Uganda’s highest office.
Odur urged MPs and the public to reflect on the listed individuals’ “soberness, fidelity to the law, ideology, actions, sentiments, service record, and capabilities” when imagining the country’s future leadership.
The reports partly reads: “Let it also sink in our minds, that at any one point soon in our lifetime, Uganda will have another President other than H.E Museveni. The next President as per the law shall be the Commander in Chief (Boss of the Court Martial). This House may have already noticed the following names, in no particular order of chances being discussed in the public domain as potential future Presidents starting 2026 and beyond; Hon. Akena Jimmy James Michael Obote, Hon. Kyagulanyi Sentamu Robert, Hon. Amuriat Oboi Patrick, Gen. Kainerugaba Muhoozi, Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu Greggory, Hon. Nobert Mao, Rt. Hon Anita Among Annet, Col (Rtd) Dr. Warren Kizza Besigye, Hon. Nandala Mafabi Nathan, etc.?
Please reflect carefully on each one of them; their soberness, fidelity to the law, ideology, actions, sentiments, service record etc. and imagine what each one of them is capable of, using such provisions proposed in the Bill.”
The inclusion of Speaker Among is likely to fuel further speculation about her political trajectory, given her rising influence at the helm of Parliament and her increasing visibility in national politics.
As Uganda edges closer to the 2026 general elections, the report adds to growing chatter about succession, bringing new names — including Among’s — into the presidential conversation.
WIDER PICTURE
Highly placed sources also tell Redpepper intelligence unit that a cloud of uncertainty has started hanging over a possible future without President Museveni at the helm of the NRM party in the post-2031 period.
While the President is almost certain of winning the next election given the chaos that has engulfed the opposition ranks of late, NRM insiders believe by 2031, Museveni, 80, will have clocked 85 years and probably unable to effectively hold sway over the party that shall have ruled Uganda for 45 years.
At that point, some NRM members are not sure if President Museveni will also be able to bounce back, and this may have opened the door for “young Turks” like Among to consolidate support in Parliament, NRM’s Central Executive Committee, community networks, and regional blocs.
Insiders anticipate huge sweeping changes within the party between 2026 and 2031 as Museveni paves the way for a likely successor and many will be affected.
While the NRM policy is that a Speaker of Parliament who usually comes from the majority NRM membership is allowed to serve two terms, Among is not sure she will be Speaker in the next term.
And given Museveni’s plan to redirect the party, he might rescind this policy, Among’s tacticians reveal through our sources.
“Thus the fear is that some changes may affect Among chances to bounce back for Speaker beyond 2026,” the source adds.
We recently revealed how a splinter group is emerging within the NRM.
Highly placed sources inside the party have confided in this publication that this breakaway group largely consists of NRM honchos from East.
And in the grand scheme of things, they are said to be laying ground for a wider Eastern power base, betting that it is time for the region to produce a president after Buganda, the North, and the West have had their turn.
They anticipate this new political group to swallow the whole of North, Teso, Bugisu and Busoga sub regions.
Clandestine plans are underway to make sure it will have gained momentum by 2031.
This move is alive inside NRM by people who feel incumbent President Museveni will be a spent force by 2031.
This splinter group efforts are reportedly led by Speaker Anita Among and Capt.Mike Mukula allies.
Intelligence gathered shows that they have a huge following among opposition MPs and former opposition MPs who have crossed to NRM.
The NRM Succession Puzzle
Highly placed sources hint that huge sweeping changes inside NRM are expected between 2026 and 2031 as Museveni inevitably begins paving the way for a successor. But the party’s track record shows how treacherous succession politics can be.
In 2015, then-PM Amama Mbabazi, once seen as Museveni’s heir-apparent, was ruthlessly sidelined after daring to challenge for the presidency. He was stripped of his powerful posts and isolated until his bid collapsed. The message was clear: anyone within NRM who eyes the seat too early risks political annihilation.
Speaker Among’s rising profile has therefore attracted both admiration and suspicion. Sympathizers argue she has the charisma, networks, and momentum to lead; detractors warn that her ambition could draw the same backlash that felled Mbabazi.
Kadaga Denies Ambition, Among Keeps Silent
Interestingly, Among’s case is drawing comparisons to another powerful woman from the East—Rebecca Kadaga. Recently, Kadaga issued a statement firmly denying rumors that she would run for president, calling them “misinformation by unscrupulous individuals.”
Analysts note that Kadaga has likely learned from history: in NRM, anyone suspected of harboring presidential ambition risks being “treated like an Ebola patient—isolated and crushed.”
The question now is whether Among will keep her cards close to her chest like Kadaga—or whether her growing clout will inevitably thrust her into Uganda’s most dangerous political conversation: succession.
With Museveni almost certain to contest and win in 2026 given the opposition’s current disarray, the real battle appears to lie beyond—in the uncertain terrain of 2031 and after.
And in that wider picture, Speaker Anita Among’s name, now formally echoed in Parliament, will likely remain at the heart of Uganda’s succession debate.
About Post Author
