Gen. Salim Saleh has publicly urged leaders from the Teso sub-region to abandon efforts aimed at seeking intervention for former Speaker Anita Among and instead concentrate on tackling the region’s deepening poverty, a position that appears to echo explosive claims emerging from an alleged closed-door meeting that has since attracted widespread political attention.
Speaking after hosting the Emorimor of Teso, Papa Paul Sande Etomeileng Emolot, and a delegation of Teso elders, Members of Parliament and regional leaders at his residence in Kapeeka, Nakaseke District, Saleh said the greatest challenge facing Teso was not politics but household poverty.
“Stop running around,” Saleh reportedly told the Emorimor. “You need to focus on wealth creation in Teso because the figures show a lot of poverty.”
Saleh urged the cultural institution to use its influence to mobilise communities toward productive economic activities, saying the eastern sub-region required a renewed focus on wealth creation rather than political lobbying.
“The situation in Teso really needs to change for the better. Preach the gospel of wealth creation,” he said.
The retired general, who coordinates Operation Wealth Creation, noted that government programmes promoting coffee and cashew nut cultivation were already underway in Teso as part of efforts to diversify household incomes and reduce poverty.
His remarks came after the meeting had initially been convened following requests by Teso leaders for his intervention regarding the legal troubles facing Among, who is under investigation over corruption-related allegations.
While Saleh’s public comments focused almost entirely on economic transformation, unverified reports have emerged pointing to dramatic proceedings.
They allege that the delegation appealed to Saleh to help secure leniency for Among in which he declined, telling the delegation he could not intervene because the issues surrounding the former Speaker extended beyond the corruption allegations currently under investigation.
Among the most explosive claims attributed to Saleh are allegations that Among made serious political mistakes by allegedly spending billions of shillings attempting to influence opposition Members of Parliament, actions that allege that Saleh revealed had angered powerful figures within government.
According to the reports Saleh told the delegation President Yoweri Museveni had long considered the parliamentary opposition politically neutralised and viewed such efforts as unnecessary.
It is also alleged that Saleh contrasted Among’s leadership with that of the late Speaker Jacob Oulanyah, who had been expected to support government socio-economic programmes rather than political patronage.
Additionally claims suggest that Saleh advised the delegation to pray for Among, seek competent legal representation for her and avoid becoming involved in a battle that could not be politically resolved.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
Neither Saleh, Among nor the other individuals named have publicly confirmed the specific statements attributed to them.
Any allegations against Among remain subject to ongoing investigations and the determination of the courts through due process.