U.S sanctions speaker of Ugandan Parliament, but not for anti-gay moves. Yet.
‘She single-handedly turned the lives of LGBTQ Ugandans into living hell.’
The United States government has imposed sanctions on Anita Among, the embattled Ugandan speaker of parliament, accusing her of corruption.
Among is the face of homophobia in Uganda because of her pivotal role in the enactment of last year’s draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which calls for the death penalty for types of consensual same-sex intimacy. But the U.S. did not cite her anti-LGBT actions as a reason for the sanctions. Not yet, anyway.
The U.S government is threatening visa restrictions on multiple Ugandan officials for allegedly undermining the democratic process and repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations in Uganda.
“Anita Among is most likely to top this list because she single-handedly turned the lives of LGBTQ Ugandans into living hell when she facilitated the ‘Kll the Gays Law of 2023” said Sarah Mutiga, a human rights activist.
Among was hit with a travel ban alongside three other senior Ugandan officials who also were accused of corruption: the former Minister of Karamoja Affairs Mary Goretti Kitutu, former Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs Agnes Nandutu, and the Minister of State for Finance Amos Lugolobi.
They misused public resources and diverted materials from Uganda’s neediest communities, the U.S. says.
“All four officials abused their public positions for their personal benefit at the expense of Ugandans,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement issued May 30.
Peter Elwelu, former deputy chief of the Ugandan Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF), was sanctioned for gross violations of human rights, including extrajudicial killings that were committed by members of the UPDF in Kasese.
The sanctions render the five officials ineligible to travel to the United States.
To many Ugandans, the sanctions on Among come as no surprise. A number of media reports have previously stated that the U.S. planned the sanctions following the enactment of the AHA a year ago.
“Today’s U.S government announcement and the recent UK government announcement of sanctions against Anita Among are merely a confirmation of what we already knew. It is now official”, said Cyrus Magombe, a Ugandan political analyst.
If Among’s past actions are any guide, she will once again allege that she is being targeted for her strong stand against homosexuality. She used that line after being sanctioned by the UK government early this month.
In response to those sanctions, she posted on X/Twitter:
“Fellow Ugandans, while this matter is exciting to some because of our own internal political contradictions and intrigue, I insist and wish to alert all, soundly, that the issue is not the alleged corruption or ownership in the UK. The attempts to forge and claim that I own property when their own records show the contrary tell it all.
“The real crux of the matter is about targeting Anita Among for being vocal against homosexuality. The rest is a cover-up.”
Unlike the U.K. sanctions, which are directed specifically at Among and former ministers Gorreti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu, the U.S government says its sanctions are also directed at the spouses of the accused officials.
“The Department is also designating Among’s spouse, Moses Magogo Hassim; Kitutu’s spouse, Michael George Kitutu; and Lugolobi’s spouse, Evelyne Nakimera; they also are generally ineligible for entry into the United States,” Matthew Miller noted in his statement.
