Opinion: "Daudi Kabanda Is Not the Alpha & Omega to Judge Anita Among" -Journalist Musamali Arnold

By Journalist Musamali Arnold. 

The political landscape of Uganda operates on established hierarchies, institutional decorum, and the absolute rule of law. In recent national conversations regarding the leadership and standing of the Rt. Hon. Speaker Anita Among, certain figures have overstepped their institutional boundaries. It is imperative, from a legal and structural perspective, to correct the dangerous precedent being set by loud political commentators.

Hon. Daudi Kabanda must be reminded of his specific station within our governance architecture. He is a representative and an administrator, not a judicial authority or an absolute monarch. To put it plainly, Daudi Kabanda is not the Alpha and Omega, and he possesses no mandate to sit in final judgment over the head of the legislature.

In any functioning legal or political system, the principle of hierarchy dictates that a subordinate cannot override a superior authority. When a higher office or authority has already looked into a matter and granted forgiveness, that decision remains final. A watchman cannot lock the gates to a house when the landlord has already explicitly opened the door.

Speaker Anita Among has consistently demonstrated robust leadership and served as a pillar of unity within the August House. The continuous attempts to publicly persecute her leadership violate basic tenets of administrative fairness. You cannot enforce a perceived debt against an individual when the ultimate master has already cleared the ledger.

As a believer in the rule of law, I advise political actors to refrain from rewriting established judgments to suit temporary political winds. In the book of national leadership, Kabanda’s commentary is just a single page, not the entire text. If the ultimate author of our political order chooses mercy and stability, a reader cannot force a condemnation.

The constant public noise ignores the fact that the highest offices have already settled the direction of our legislative leadership. When the ultimate judge has spoken and closed the case, the court of public opinion loses its jurisdiction. Kabanda holds no divine or legal right to condemn Speaker Among under our current constitutional framework.

Let this serve as a firm legal and political reminder to all actors attempting to destabilise our institutions. Where forgiveness, reconciliation, and administrative clearance have been signed by the highest authority, a secretary's ink holds absolutely no power. The rule of law must prevail over personal political maneuvers.