Politics can be a powerful force, but it can also come at a steep price; one that many are not prepared to pay. My elderly cousin (Trip) is still struggling to process the profound pain and heartache that political ambition has brought into his life.
His wife, Anita’s decision to embark on a career in politics back in 2016 cost their marriage, family, and, ultimately, their happiness.
“We were once inseparable, but today, I am left alone in our home in Kampala, staring at the remains of a life that once held so much promise. I supported her every step of the way. In 2017, I quit my job at an international NGO, sold family properties, and invested everything I had in her campaign,” Trip recalled.
At the time, Trip believed in her dreams and together he knew this new found ambition would surely build a future. But as the years went by, the once sweet and submissive Anita he married slowly slipped away.
As Anita’s career flourished, so did the distance between them widen.
Politics, he soon realized, had a dark grip on her before cutting in with memories of his wife attending meetings, travelling with her male colleagues until he could not help noticing certain things.
“She was having affairs with them,” Trip said in between teary eyes.
The woman who once came home with stories to share became a distant stranger returning late, tired, and emotionally drained. Most of their conversations became forced, and intimacy vanished.
“I felt like I was losing her, bit by bit,” he said. “She would prioritize her political career over everything else, and I was left feeling like a mere afterthought.”
By 2020, the cracks in their relationship had deepened. Trip had become a shadow in her life, while the political system consumed her. It was no longer just about them; it was about ‘her re-election’, ‘her career’, ‘her power’.
In the blink of an eye, 2021 delivered the final blow that shattered everything when he discovered Anita singlehandedly sold their land to fund her campaign.
Trip remembers her words as his wife broke the news to him; after he was just standing there, tongue tied, as the weight of her words sank in.
It was clear then that she had made her choice. Politics had claimed her, and he in turn had lost everything.
“I have lost my partner, my friend, and my confidant,” he said, tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m not sure what the future holds, but I know I won’t be able to get her back.”
On June 5, 2025, Trip who is almost approaching his mid-forties finally came to terms with the reality that he had lost wife, Anita to politics. He lost marriage, happiness, and a promising future to the pursuit of ambition.
As I personally reflect on the past few years, I realize that the cost of ambition can be too high. Politics is not just about power; it’s about sacrifice.
In the end, some sacrifices are too great giving facts about the destructive potential of ambition when left unchecked, and the sacrifices that are often made in its pursuit; sacrifices that, in the end, may leave one questioning the very meaning of success.
