Kadaga apologised for trying to bewitch Museveni, First Family members at State House meeting, claims Mwenda

• Andrew Mwenda claimed Rebecca Kadaga apologised at State House over alleged witchcraft claims involving Museveni, his family members and Anita Among.

• Mwenda said the issue of Among’s wealth came up after the meeting, before security searches at her homes.

• Detectives have searched Among’s homes in Bukedea, Nakasero and Munyonyo-Kigo as part of a corruption and illicit enrichment probe.

Former speaker of Parliament Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga is being drawn into the saga surrounding her successor Anita Annet Among, with claims that President Yoweri Museveni personally confronted her last week about he attempted to "bewitch and kill him and his family.”

This, according to the latest allegations, was during last Thursday’s meeting at State House, which set in motion the raids and investigations against the outgoing speaker Among.

Veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda has claimed that during that meeting, Kadaga apologised after President Museveni played audio and video recordings allegedly linking her to attempts to bewitch him, First Lady Janet Museveni, Gen Salim Saleh, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and Anita Among.

Mwenda, who also heads communications at the Patriotic League of Uganda, made the claims while speaking on the Bad Natives podcast last night. 

He said the meeting was attended by Museveni, Kadaga, three bishops, Gen Proscovia Nalweyiso and Among.

While the meeting had been expected to focus on Mrs Among following days of social media attacks from Gen Muhoozi and PLU, Mwenda says Museveni structured it around allegations against Kadaga. 

“It turned out that the meeting was not about Anita Among and that was how Museveni wanted to structure it,” Mwenda said.

“When they entered the meeting, Museveni played an audio and a video where Kadaga had gone to bewitch Museveni, Mama Janet Gen Saleh, Muhoozi and Anita Among.” 

“Kadaga admitted to have visited a witch doctor and that these audios are authentic and true, so she had to break down and apologize. The meeting was centered around Kadaga’s attempt to to bewitch the five. “

Kadaga has not publicly responded to Mwenda’s latest claims. The claims remain unverified.

Mwenda claimed the issue of Among’s wealth only came up after the State House meeting ended. 

He said one of the bishops raised concern about her alleged excessive wealth, setting off events that later led to security searches at her homes.

The probe into Among which started last weekend is still ongoing. Yesterday, detectives raided Among’s Bukedea mansion as part of investigations into alleged corruption, abuse of office, illicit enrichment and money laundering. 

Earlier, detectives had searched Among’s residences in Nakasero and Munyonyo-Kigo. 

They later widened the operation to Parliament, including the Office of the Clerk to Parliament, the external auditor’s office and the Directorate of Finance. 

Investigators said items recovered from Among’s homes would be used as exhibits in the probe into alleged illicit wealth accumulation, money laundering, abuse of office and possible breaches of the Leadership Code Act. 

Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga remains one of Uganda’s longest-serving female politicians. 

She has represented Kamuli District as Woman MP since 1989. She later served in government as Minister of State for Regional Cooperation, Minister of State for Communication and Aviation, and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.

Kadaga became Deputy Speaker in 2001 and held the post until 2011. She then made history as Uganda’s first female Speaker of Parliament, serving from May 19, 2011, to May 21, 2021. She lost the 2021 speakership race to Jacob Oulanyah after the NRM backed Oulanyah. 

Museveni later appointed her First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs in June 2021. 

Kadaga and Among have also been political rivals within the NRM. In 2025, during a heated NRM meeting in which Museveni proposed a compromise between Kadaga and Among over the party’s eastern region vice chairperson race, but the two sides failed to agree.