Speaker Anita Among Pledges to Pay School Fees for Ssegirinya’s Daughter

Summary:

• Speaker Anita Among has pledged to cover the tuition for one of the late MP Muhammad Ssegirinya’s children. This follows a call for MPs to contribute funds to support his family, with additional proposals to help start a business for them.

---

Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Anita Among, has committed to covering the tuition fees for one of the late Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya’s children following his death on Thursday at Lubaga Hospital in Kampala. During a special parliamentary session held on Friday to honor Ssegirinya, the Bukedea Woman MP announced her decision to sponsor Aliyah Nagirinya’s education, from primary through to secondary school.

This gesture came after Mr. Bumali Mpindi, the MP representing persons with disabilities, urged fellow lawmakers to each contribute at least Shs500,000 to support Ssegirinya’s grieving family. In response, Ms. Among recommended that contributions be made on a personal basis, citing backlash she faced from a previous collective fundraising effort for the late Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s family.

“I can take up one child and support her education,” Ms. Among said, addressing Ssegirinya’s family members in the visitors’ gallery. “After this, come to me, and I will take up a child, pay your fees, and enroll you in my school.”

Shortly after, Butambala Woman MP Aisha Kabanda urged her colleagues to contribute at least Shs300,000 each to help start a business for Ssegirinya’s family. Kabanda highlighted that, unlike the late Speaker Oulanyah who had a benefits package, Ssegirinya’s short tenure in Parliament left him without sufficient resources to secure his family’s future.

“If each MP contributes, we could raise Shs150 million to help the family start a business,” Kabanda suggested, a proposal that was warmly received by MPs, including those from the ruling party.