I Didn’t Wish to Be a Politician, I Just Wanted to Become Popular — Politics Brought Me More Enemies, Says Evelyn Anite

Former State Minister for Finance in charge of Investment and Privatisation Evelyn Anite has revealed that she never planned to become a politician, saying her original ambition was simply to become famous. In an interview on the YouTube programme *Dialogue With Emukule*, Anite reflected on her political journey, the challenges she faced and the opportunities she gained along the way.

Anite said her admiration for President Yoweri Museveni began in 1996 when her family supported him. She maintained that her loyalty to the President remains unchanged despite being dropped from Cabinet, adding that her support for him is based on her long-standing belief that he is the leader Uganda deserves.

“I once told him I will be the last to walk away from you even if you walked away from me,” Anite said, describing the personal commitment she has maintained towards Museveni over the years.

Despite the opportunities her political career brought, Anite said it also exposed her to threats and hostility. She claimed that some people threatened to burn down her house and hotel and that her name repeatedly appeared on death lists. Reflecting on the personal cost of her time in active politics, she said, “Politics made me so many enemies.”

However, Anite said her political journey opened doors she had never imagined when she first entered public life. She credited Museveni with supporting her education, explaining that she returned to school and eventually earned a master’s degree in business at Harvard University in the United States. She said the President paid her tuition fees, describing the opportunity as one of the major benefits of their association.

Anite also said her years in government helped her develop business skills that she now applies to her private ventures. She explained that her work as a minister brought her into contact with many businesspeople, allowing her to learn about business operations, investment and commercial opportunities.

“I used my position as minister to learn how to do business as I engaged with very many business people,” she said, reflecting on how her government experience influenced her current interests.

Now concentrating on her businesses, Anite said she has no immediate plans to return to politics and is enjoying life outside government. “I am enjoying my life out of politics. I no longer stress like I used to,” she said, while reaffirming that being dropped from Cabinet has not changed her admiration for Museveni or the loyalty she says she has maintained since childhood.