A merged photo of ICT PS Zawedde and ex-Speaker Anita Among
A meeting between Ministry of ICT and National Guidance Permanent Secretary Amina Zawedde and former Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among has drawn attention amid questions about the former leadership of Parliament’s Committee on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and National Guidance.
Moses Hassim Magogo, Among’s husband, chaired the committee before leaving the position in June 2024. The committee handles matters related to the ICT sector, national guidance and the ministry’s policy and funding priorities.
Sources said the meeting has prompted questions about whether discussions involved ICT-related business previously handled by the committee. However, the agenda of the meeting has not been independently established, and there is no verified information linking it to any specific contract, parliamentary hearing or committee recommendation.
The meeting has also renewed scrutiny of allegations that kickbacks may have been sought or paid to secure committee hearings or favourable recommendations on bills. If substantiated, such allegations would raise serious concerns about transparency, accountability and the integrity of parliamentary oversight. However, no evidence establishing that payments were made in connection with Magogo’s leadership of the committee has been verified for this report.
The available parliamentary records also do not mention kickbacks or any payments intended to influence the committee’s work.
What Parliament’s records show
On March 22, 2024, Zawedde appeared before the ICT and National Guidance Committee alongside ICT Minister Chris Baryomunsi to discuss funding challenges affecting the ministry. According to a report published by
Parliament on March 27, 2024, the ministry was facing a funding shortfall of Shs38.7 billion across its requirements. The report said Zawedde highlighted gaps in funding for local ICT services, digital skilling, the digitisation of government services and upgrades to the Parish Development Model system. At the time, Magogo chaired the committee.
During the meeting, he called for a comprehensive approach to ICT development covering hardware, software and human resources. The parliamentary report documents the ministry’s funding concerns and its engagement with the committee. It does not mention kickbacks, allegations of improper payments or any attempt to influence hearings, bills or committee recommendations.
The record therefore establishes that Zawedde and Baryomunsi engaged with the committee over the ministry’s financial needs while Magogo was chairperson. It does not, however, establish a connection between that engagement and the allegations now surrounding the latest meeting.
Questions surrounding the latest meeting
The circumstances surrounding Zawedde’s meeting with Among remain unclear. It is not known whether the discussion concerned previous ICT committee business, ministry funding, contracts or another matter entirely. No independently verified information currently establishes that the meeting involved an attempt to follow up on alleged payments or specific ICT contracts associated with Magogo.
Sources described it as a “follow up on unfinished business,” but they did not provide details of the business allegedly under discussion. The lack of an independently confirmed agenda makes it difficult to determine whether the meeting was connected to the committee’s previous work or to other government matters. It also remains unclear whether any documents, payments or recommendations were discussed.
Any claim that the meeting involved efforts to influence parliamentary oversight, secure favourable treatment or address alleged kickbacks would require documentary evidence or confirmation from the individuals involved. For now, Parliament’s published records provide evidence of the ministry’s earlier appearance before the committee and the funding challenges discussed at the time. They do not verify that payments were made or that the committee’s proceedings were influenced.
The meeting between Zawedde and Among therefore remains a matter of interest, but its purpose and any connection to earlier ICT committee business have not been independently established.
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