This week, something occurred in parliament at around lunchtime. One of the top officials in the institution held a meeting with a senior politician from Lango sub-region. At the center of their alleged discussion, was the bitter fight between the minister for gender, labour and social development Betty Amongi Akena and minister for health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng!
The meeting indeed dissected the two ladies and their chances of defeating each other in the upcoming Lira City woman MP seat.
This seat is currently in the hands of Aceng although Amongi has now shifted her guns from Oyam South to Lira City seeking to uproot the doctor. The details of this meeting are already with us Inspectors and soon, we shall unleash them here!
WHY AMONGI WANTS THIS SEAT
In the corridors of power, Amongi is said to have an eye on two top positions in government. Whereas some claim to have an eye on becoming speaker of parliament, others suggest she wants to become deputy speaker. This is on top of joining NRM CEC as NRM vice chairperson-Northern replacing the late Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah!
As such, inspectors said her recent running battles with speaker Anita Among over NSSF saga weren’t in vain. It nearly took her until she went on the floor and ‘deflated’ speaker Among especially when she threatened to play an audio recording featuring the speaker in a plot to have her [Amongi] censured. To properly nail the Bukedea woman MP, Amongi said she had secretly recorded the speaker and asked for a chance to play it on the floor of parliament or in the presence of LOP Mathias Mpuuga, Prime Minister Robinnah Nabbanja and the speaker herself. Somehow, the ‘trick’/threat [to expose the speaker] worked and she softened!
In the ensuing battle, a cease fire [behind the scenes] ‘was declared’ between the two powerful ladies.
Amidst her NSSF squabbles, Amongi allegedly got intel that Dr. Aceng was the one being used to not only cause her downfall in Lango, but also even her hubby Akena had been targetted. In the calculation, inspectors stated that Aceng was allegedly promised that in case she leaves Amongi in the bushes of Oyam and Akena in the political dustbin in 2026, she would be seconded for a fat job in the presidency currently being held by one of the female ministers from Eastern.
This intel [whether true or false], infuriated Amongi who tactfully declared an all-out war with Dr. Aceng and decided to uproot her from Lira City woman MP seat come 2026.
“She is being used. How can she target my family? Now let’s see who has real stamina between me and her. I had no intentions of going to Lira, but now that she has accepted to fight me and Jimmy [Akena], its no longer business as usual” an inspector quoted a furious Amongi as stating.
Indeed, in September Amongi is said to have launched her political bid for LIRA City Woman MP seat with lots of pomp!
Unfortunately, on this same day, while President Museveni was tactfully engaging Hon. Aceng in Moscow on official duty, Amongi was busy in Lira delivering 100 sets of saloon kits to jubilant youth donated by her Ministry to youths and woman groups in Lira City. This was on top of her allegedly dishing out Shs300million cash in addition to Shs500million as loans to women groups through her ARROVA Cooperative Society Ltd.
Amongi is said to be among the wealthiest legislators having spent years in parliament and been occupying lucrative ministries including that of Lands, KCCA and now Gender. She’s also a known traditional money lender in Parliament and a billionaire with other proceeds coming from her side incomes such as Labour export.
Dr. Aceng too, according to inspectors has some ‘kawogo’ having been in the lucrative ministry for health in key technical positions but she allegedly lacks political acumen and sophistication to match Amongi!
To prove her determination to send Dr. Aceng alias ‘Mama Covid’ packing, Amongi has now organized a huge run in Lira City on Independence Day where she’s going to be the Chief runner. The run is in honor of her Father-in-Law Dr. Milton Obote whose name is like a cult among Langis in Lira. Obote’s son and hubby to Amongi, Jimmy Akena represents one of the divisions in parliament.
The run which is the first of it’s kind in Lira City, is said to be attracting a lot of support for the UPC First Lady [Amongi] whom they know as Akena’s wife.
“The local UPC supporters are happy with her action and consider this as bringing hope to their lost glory and history about Obote-and independence (Uhuru) day. There is talk that Akena besides being UPC President and MP for Lira City East, has not lived to the expectations of the believers in UPC in Lango in maintaining the Obote’s greatest legacy. They now believe that Amongi’s decision to cross to Lira City is a blessing in disguise” explained an inspector.
Inspectors said Amongi’s run has sent shockwaves in the spines of Dr. Aceng who is said to be known for her principled and conservative politics which unfortunately seem not very appealing to the local population of Lango. However, inspectors said while many believe Amongi will successfully dustbin Aceng, they at the same time view her with mixed opinion with some describing her as a ‘dangerous opportunist’ determined to grab anything for her personal political millage as opposed to the professional Aceng whom they claim is more developmental with a record of working for the common good of the community as Minister and MP for Lira City.
Aceng’s supporters cited her efforts to improve Lira Regional Referral Hospital and many developments in the health sector besides her accredited records for putting Uganda ahead in the fights against Corona (COVID-19).
She’s also credited for taking several other community targeted health outreach programs like her recent multi- million Surgical camp which benefited over 1000 people of Lango.
AMONGI AND POLITICS
Amongi’s alleged political aggressiveness is traced back to Apac District, where she cornered the UPC-Adhoc leaders of Lango from Dr. Okullu- Epak, Ben Wacha, Cecilia Ogwal and also never spared Beatrice Amongi Lagada (a known sister to Dr. Aceng).
This was followed by her strategic penetration of UPC through Obote’s son, Jimmy Akena whom she hooked and later married him in a colorful traditional ceremony attended by even Gen. Museveni. Her marriage to Akena, effectively paved her way deeply into UPC and or, Obote’s family that remains a determinant factor in Lango’s politics and a big bargaining chip on the side of NRM government.
Inspectors said this made it very easy for Amongi to defeat the mortar mouthed and no-nonsense UPC MP Ishaa Otto Amiza from Oyam South parliamentary seat in 2011 and has kept him on the streets to date!
Inspectors said, following Amongi’s political records, it’s now feared that that Minister Aceng is up for a rough game with Amongi likely to give her a technical knockout and a humiliating political defeat in case she insists unless Museveni intervenes, which is most unlikely.
It is reported that amidst all the heavy fights between the two political giants, Gen. Museveni seems to have turned a blind eye and deaf ears on the fiasco the same way he has done to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and her nemesis Justine Kasule Lumumba who are tearing themselves up over a recent UN trip and ebigenderako!
But as Museveni concentrates on sipping his favorite Kashera, his young brother Gen. Salim Saleh is said to be close to Amongi and might be drawn into this fight as Amongi advances to politically crash Aceng like a Samosa!
ENTER JACOB OULANYAH
Besides rumors that she wants one of the positions of speakership, there is also rumor that Amongi has an eye on the top position of NRM Vice Chair for northern Uganda, a position that fell vacant following the sudden demise of Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah (the former Speaker of Parliament). Yes, she’s a UPC, but inspectors said the delay to fill this position is tactfully meant to wait for Amongi’s open crossing from the disguised UPC to NRM party. Although some NRM leaders prefer former EALA speaker Dan Kidega [Acholi] to replace Oulanyah in NRM CEC, Amongi needs the position because when she touches base to NRM CEC, the lady from Lango will effectively have a chance to put her bid for any speakership position the same way Oulanyah fought as he sought to dislodge then speaker and CEC member Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga. This very idea according to inspectors, is rumored to be on the agenda for speaker Anita Among who allegedly is considering either to dislodge Mike Mukula as NRM vice chairman-Eastern or Kadaga as Second National Vice Chairperson. By taking any of the two, this will effectively make Among and Amongi have direct access to NRM CEC deliberations and also ease lobbying chances for 2026 speakership/deputy speakership position!
Amongi is said to have already hinted on her intended defection to a congregation of UPC and NRM while meeting them in her Gate Way Hotel at Kamdini along Gulu Highway.
Now, inspectors said with both speaker and deputy speaker not clear on who is her intended target for dislodging, one of them recently reached out to her for ‘peace talks’ but another one according to inspectors even this week, held a meeting where Amongi was allegedly the subject matter!
“That woman doesn’t like me even” an inspector quoted the principal [names withheld] as saying during that meeting.
Several ‘projects’ are said to have been discussed to bring Amongi to ‘order’ and soon, some of the projects may begin to unfold in parliament [watch out for details]!
Inspectors suggest Amongi recently told one of the principals of parliament that she wasn’t actually interested in her/his job as it was being peddled. Amongi also allegedly grilled her caller as to why she/he was sponsoring Dr. Aceng to fight her family in Lango the reason she was forced to cross over to Lira city to permanent seal Aceng’s fate politically.
“Its true I talk to Aceng but I am not involved. In fact, she wanted me to get a petition but I tactfully refused. So, I am not fighting you honorable minister and I am not about to do that” the caller assured Amongi, to which she also responded saying ‘I am also not going to stand against you. I am not interested in that position at all”
Following that alleged phone call, the two principals allegedly opened a chapter for each to mind own business whether in parliament or in the constituency, leaving Aceng in the cold.
But as the Baganda say ‘ekkumi telikyaawa omu’ [not all people can hate an individual], even Aceng seems to have finally secured the confidence of another principal in the house who is said to have held a meeting this week and received a hair-raising dossier against the Gender minister.
FINANCIAL MUSCLE
Amongi runs a real estate company AMOBET, also deals in labour export, gives out small loans to vulnerable groups and also has long history of money lending in Parliament.
Her sector also boasts of lucrative projects like the incoming multi- billion World Bank grant- GROW PROJECT being implemented by Commissioner, Alex Asiimwe. With such a cash basket, Amongi according to inspectors may be well placed to use money muscle to outwit the respected Doctor and Minister for Heath, Hon. Aceng, who may only survive from her meager earnings and or unless she kept part of the multi-billion COVID-19 funds that went to her docket!
Watch this space!!
