Uganda’s Minister for Gender, labour and social Development and UPC candidate , Betty Amongi has made explosive claims following her defeat in the Lira City Woman Member of Parliament race, alleging that her loss was not to Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, but to the Speaker of Parliament herself.
Speaking during a radio talk show in Northern Uganda, a visibly charged Amongi claimed the January 15, 2026 parliamentary elections in Lira City were heavily manipulated to block her from entering Parliament.
“I was not just running against Dr Aceng. I was running against the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among ,” Amongi declared.
She accused Speaker Anita Among and Dr Aceng of orchestrating widespread electoral malpractice, alleging that results from several polling stations showed unusually high vote counts favoring her rival.
Amongi further claimed that a security operative confessed to personally marking nearly 2,000 ballot papers in Dr Aceng’s favour. She added that similar incidents were reported in Odokomit, Ngetta and Boke, where thousands of votes were allegedly fraudulently assigned.
In perhaps her boldest allegation yet, Amongi claimed the Speaker directly influenced the outcome of the election by deploying financial muscle and manpower on the ground.
“She came with more than ten buses of people and mobilised soldiers to distribute money and tick ballots,” Amongi alleged, claiming approximately Shs4.2 billion was spent in the operation.
According to the former minister, her political ambition was viewed as a threat by powerful figures within the ruling establishment, leading to a coordinated effort to ensure her defeat.
“Our votes were stolen,” she said. “I call upon the authorities to investigate these actions before public trust in our elections collapses completely.”
The former minister called for an urgent investigation, warning that such actions threaten public confidence in Uganda’s electoral system.
By press time, no official response had been issued by Speaker Anita Among or Dr Jane Ruth Aceng regarding the allegations