In a resounding display of political strength and grassroots confidence, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among, was on Tuesday night proclaimed the National Resistance Movement (NRM) 2nd National Vice Chairperson (Female), sweeping aside her long-time rival and former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, in what has now been branded a defining moment in the party’s contemporary history.
The announcement, made by Dr. Tanga Odoi, Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, at exactly 11:14 pm, crowned Hon. Among with an emphatic 11,680 votes, towering over Kadaga’s 902 votes, from a total of 12,582 delegates who cast their choice under the NRM’s celebrated lining-up method.
Presiding silently yet powerfully over the proceedings was the NRM National Chairman, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who watched with keen interest as delegates endured scorching heat, unrelenting chants, and hours of solidarity displays. For many observers, his presence underscored the magnitude of the contest, given that the Central Executive Committee (CEC) remains the epicenter of policy direction and strategic continuity within the Movement.
The outcome has been heralded by party loyalists as more than just a numerical victory; it is a consolidation of Among’s rising political star and a renewed affirmation of discipline and cohesion within the Movement. Her landslide win decisively redefines the balance of power among the NRM’s top female leaders, signaling that a new era of confidence and unity is unfolding within the Party’s ranks.
While Hon. Kadaga, in a late-night statement, alleged voter intimidation and irregularities, her sentiments were overshadowed by the scale of Among’s triumph. Her warning that “oppression” might force her to reconsider her membership in the NRM was viewed by analysts as a retreating voice against an unstoppable tide of renewal within the Party.
For Hon. Among, the victory is not merely personal, it is institutional, a reflection of the trust reposed in her stewardship and vision. For the Movement, it is another glorious chapter in its enduring story of resilience, internal democracy, and the protection of the political gains that have carried Uganda from instability to national transformation.
