Speaker of Parliament Anita Among vowed to guard her speaker position jealously because she worked for it.
Among made these remarks while officiating at the launch of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum to End Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy, where she shared her personal story of selling local brew at a young age to fund her education, which she said helped her avoid being married off early.
In her address, Among pledged to ensure that every girl in Uganda grows up healthy, educated, and empowered to pursue her dreams. She emphasized the importance of implementing and strictly enforcing existing laws passed by Parliament to protect children, especially girls.
As the patron of the Parliamentary Forum, Among urged her fellow MPs to inspire the younger generation by retaining their positions through commendable actions.
“I will guard this seat jealously because I worked for it. I refused to become a teenage mother. So, I’m going to be in this seat. You better guard your seats,” she told an audience that included children, rallying them to resist early marriages.
“Better say I am going to be the speaker or MP and get it other than this business of saying I want to have a kid. No! Those kids are a problem, [so] you will get them later,” Among advised.
Her vow comes at a time when the United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on her, alongside former Ministers Agnes Nandutu and Dr. Gorreti Kitutu, as well as Finance Junior Minister Amos Lugolobi, for alleged misappropriation of public resources.
Among has frequently dismissed the sanctions as politically motivated, attributing them to her role in Uganda’s adoption of a tough anti-gay law.
Addressing another cause of early marriages and teenage pregnancies, Among highlighted the role of parenting and individual resilience.
“One of the causes of early marriages and child pregnancy is an issue of parenting, but it also comes back to you, what do you want in life? You can be taken through all that but the resilience to move on is very important,” she said.
