Outspoken human rights lawyer Isaac Kimeze Ssemakadde has described the United Kingdom’s recent sanctions against Speaker Anita Among as a move devoid of any “consequence to our struggle for freedom, justice, and prosperity.” Ssemakadde alluded to the waning political and economic power of the United Kingdom and therefore its inability to wield any significant influence on the politics of its former colonies such as Uganda.
Describing the sanctions as “grandstanding,” the litigator wondered why the UK did not “give a hoot” when Speaker Among ”unlawfully selected a UK company for the ‘emergency purchase’ of 2 luxury cars breach of our PPDA Law.” “We should…expose the double standard inherent in Andrew Mitchell’s democracy-damaging use of the UK Sanctions Act 2018 to conduct hypocritical virtue-signaling in Africa,” Ssemakadde said.
Speaker Anita Among expressed her defiance in the face of sanctions imposed on her by the United Kingdom government over corruption allegations.
On Tuesday, the UK government imposed sanctions on Speaker Anita Among, as well as former Karamoja Affairs Ministers Agnes Nandutu and Mary Goretti Kitutu, over their involvement in the Karamoja iron sheets scandal.
While addressing parliament today, Among said the sanctions have nothing to do with the scandal but rather with her move to get the house to pass the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
Among says the sanctions will not impact her in any way as she does not have any property in the UK, adding that she does not have immediate or future plans to travel to that country.
