President Museveni has this evening left for his country home in Rwakitura, Kiruhura District where he will spend his Christmas holiday.
According to a two-paragraphed statement from State House, the President was in the company of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni.
SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS RWAKITURA RETREAT
Usually, Museveni uses the Rwakitura holiday after the festive days to conduct private meetings. Some of these meetings involve having time with his extended family members and his bazzukulu.
At national level however, Inspectors said Museveni uses Rwakitura as a place to lay strategies for his new year machinations not only in parliament but also for cabinet. And because rumors of an imminent cabinet reshuffle have gained ground in the past few days, Museveni’s retreat to Rwakitura has already sent shivers in the spines of some of his ministers whose ground is shaky.
For example, Inspectors told us that the president is currently stuck with how to deal with the issue of iron sheets culprits especially from Bugisu.
It was stated that whereas the big man was determined to show them a sharp axe, there are some powerful emissaries bombarding him with opinions suggesting that even as the ministers stole the iron sheets, ‘petty theft’ is actually a source of pride among certain sections of Bamasaaba.
That it’s part of their ‘culture’ especially on the side of women just like circumcision (imbalu) is for Bamasaaba men.
“There are some individuals who approached him pleading with him to leave their daughters. It has now changed from these being ‘thieves’ but a source of pride. That the ladies are now full women as per Kigisu culture” explained an inspector adding that the president had intended to announce his new line up on December 18 or 20th but this matter is still bogging him down as he hold further consultations on this last minute shocking opinion!
Apparently, those fronting such an argument claim that whereas the rest of Uganda views the two ladies as thieves, back home this saga has since emboldened their popularity.
“The agitators are claiming this incident made the ministers popular because among the Bagisu, stealing is not taken as a big issue but an issue of full cultural initiation. However, Museveni is saying while this might be okay with the Bagisu, the issue looks ugly to the rest of Ugandans and international scene” explained an inspector.
We are told the president has instead told the agitators who include some prominent opinion leaders that while he will not take away their (Bugisu) seats currently held by the two ladies, they need to identify new faces who will take up those cabinet seats.
“I am not going to takeaway your seats, but give me other people. This thing looked ugly” Inspectors quoted the General from Rwakitura, adding that the head of state is planning to meet some delegations while at Rwakitura related to cabinet designations.
NABBANJA TO WEAR OVERALL TO COMBAT SENNYONYI
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja is not taking any chances. As if she already knows about her fate in the coming reshuffle, the lady from Kakumiro has vowed to deal with new LOP Joel Sennyonyi in a rather combative approach.
Inspectors overhead her telling pals at State House that ‘Oyo Sennyonyi temuli. Naye mumaze. Olaba nkubye Mpuuga ekiggwo naye at Sennyonyi? Ngenda kumwambalire woovulo’ she said literally meaning ‘That Sennyonyi is nothing (to me). If I have managed to neutralize (former LOP) Mathias Mpuuga, how about Sennyonyi? I am going to wear overalls to deal with him’
Nabbanja who kept referring to herself as ‘Gavumenti’ or government has for long been rumored to be heading to the NRM secretariat or ministry for gender but Inspectors said Sevo is determined to keep her around until 2026.
That within cabinet formation kitchen room, there’s an unwritten rule that after serving as prime minister, Museveni doesn’t want to deploy the sacked PM or Vice President to any other government or party position apart from naming such a person as a Special Envoy.
“Whereas the national order of precedence puts the speaker as number 3 of the country, the unwritten rule is that the Prime Minister is number 3. That’s why a speaker can be sacked and is appointed to cabinet as a minister or Prime Minister who incidentally, is a number 5 according to the law” explained an inspector.
Inspectors said, this salient rule, along with the fact that Museveni fears the tax payer to lose huge funds in form of emoluments to retired Prime Minister(s), is what is making him to keep ‘gavumenti’ around until this whole term.
“That’s why when Amama was fired mid his term, Museveni appointed Ruhakana Rugunda to finish his term. But when he won a new mandate, he reappointed Rugunda as premier and he served for his whole term. The reason was that he (Museveni) didn’t want to have two people in one term taking tax payer’s funds” explained an inspector, adding that appointing a new premier now when Nabbanja is still energetic and above all, doing very good mobilization, would not only be counter productive politically but also proving a huge burden to the tax payer.
“Imagine having a new premier mid this term? It means we shall have two people to waste our money on when they retire in this one term. That’s being insensitive to the feelings of the tax payer. Nabbanja is here until she finishes her term. If she doesn’t win back her seat, she will become a special envoy like Amama and Rugunda” explained an inspector. But as all this goes on, Nobert Mao is said to be peeping at close range for the PM job! Watch this space!
