Speaker Anita Annet Among has found herself at the centre of a social media firestorm after appearing at President Yoweri Museveni’s seventh swearing-in ceremony.
The 81-year-old president, who has governed for 40 years, hosted the event where the Speaker wore a luxury outfit reportedly valued at over UGX 42 million ($11,480). 
According to online investigators, the Speaker wore a light yellow porcelain flower-embroidered tweed dress and a matching jacket from the luxury brand Oscar de la Renta. The dress and jacket are listed at $6,490 and $4,990, respectively, bringing the estimated total to approximately $11,480 before taxes, roughly UGX 42 million.
In a country where nearly 41% of the population lives in poverty and the infrastructure is under constant strain from flooding, poor roads, and power outages, many viewed the outfit as a tone-deaf display of wealth.
One X (formerly Twitter) user noted:
“This thing looks common and stupid in a context where roads are in tatters and the people are poor… The sheer contempt for people when you supposedly represent them is disgusting.”
The speaker has also been embroiled in corruption allegations, including reports that she purchased a new 2025 Rolls-Royce Cullinan valued at UGX 3.4 billion after taxes and import costs.
Another X user commented: “Either she is foolish or she knows Kawedemu. A £4dress is wild for a woman in a corruption scandal.”
Others, however, defended the choice as appropriate for a high-ranking official representing the country on a global stage. Opposition legislator Betty Nambooze also publicly defended her amid the criticism over luxury spending, saying:
“The speaker is in her right to spend the money she has as she pleases. When the speaker buys a Rolls-Royce, I am not surprised. What I like most about her is spending her money openly without hiding it. She has the money… and there are many others who have money to buy a Rolls-Royce; they should all go and buy them for us to see. Besides, Shs 3.4 billion on Speaker Among is nothing. Her husband also has the money. And some of the people making noise about it have more money than she does, only she spends hers openly.”
In a country plagued by so many issues, the affluent lifestyle of politicians serves as a stark reminder that wealth remains concentrated in the hands of a few.
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