UGANDA: SECRET BEHIND MUSEVENI’S NEW CABINET LIST WHERE WIFE AND OBOTE IN-LAW INCLUDED

“He has had the longest tenure in power than anybody will ever have in contemporary Uganda yet he feels he has underperformed given the goodwill and longevity the people of Uganda have allowed him. That is why he wants to try his best to deliver social services to the people trying to match the record of efficient governance of Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta”- Red Pepper.

GULU-UGANDA: President Yoweri Museveni has announced his new 80-man strong Cabinet list on Monday June 6, 2016 bringing in some opposition politicians for the first time since the first presidential election under him was held in 1996. He has brought on board the daughter-in-law to former fallen Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) founder Dr. Milton Obote, Ms Betty Amongi, and appointed her Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development. Amongi is married to Obote’s son, Jimmy Akena (Member of Parliament (MP) for Lira Municipality on UPC ticket). She is MP for Oyam North Constituency on UPC ticket.

Museveni has also appointed former Presidential candidate in 2011 election, Ms. Betty Olive Kamya, President of the Uganda Federal Alliance (UFA) as Minister for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). As a reward for defecting from Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to National Resistance Movement (NRM), Museveni also appointed Mr. Christopher Kibanzanga, as minister of State.

He has also re-appointed his wife, Ms. Janet Kataaha Museveni Minister of Education and Sports, Vice President Mr. Edward Sekandi and Prime Minister Mr. Ruhakana Rugunda who are also on the list are some of the oldest ministers in the whole of Africa, including Dr. Philemon Mateke, Mr. Kirunda Kivejinja and Mr. Moses Ali.

During his State-of-the Nation address on Monday, May 30, 2016, President Museveni said Uganda is already at a “Take-Off” stage to become a middle income economy by 2020. He vowed to fight “corruption in service delivery” an obstacle he says stand on his way in the next five years.  

He revealed that only 32% of Ugandans are in money economy and 68% of Ugandans are mere spectators. He said he intends to raise the percentage of Ugandans involved in money economy by empowering over two million homesteads with at least one acre of land to be involved in commercial farming in the next five years. He wants each homestead to plant coffee, tea and fruits (mangoes, oranges and pine apple) so as to earn at least 20 million Uganda shillings ($6022).

“The thieves should know that all government money is recorded. We can trace you out. I know the cost of an AK-47 rifle in China, Yugoslavia or Egypt. Even in the roads, we know how much a kilometer of road costs in Uganda. Investment license should not take more than two days to process”, says Museveni.

Why should Museveni be keen on fighting corruption and poverty at household level this time round, something he failed to do in the last thirty years? What miracle can he do in just five years before his term as president expires in the next five years? He will be above the constitutional age limit of 75 years to rule. Will he change the constitution to allow him rule for life?

By bringing into his cabinet, well known opposition politicians like Ms. Betty Olive Kamya and Ms. Betty Amongi, Mr. Museveni is trying to portray that his government is broad based, yet his main challenger, Dr. Kizza Besigye of FDC is in prison on treason charges.

One political commentator put it correctly in the Uganda’s tabloid newspaper, the Red Pepper of Tuesday June 7, 2016 that Mr. Museveni feels that he has underperformed in service delivery, fighting corruption and increasing household incomes for 68% of the population who are left out in the money economy. He is therefore racing against time to avoid being judged harsely by the future.

“He has had the longest tenure in power than anybody will ever have in contemporary Uganda yet he feels he has underperformed given the goodwill and longevity the people of Uganda have allowed him. That is why he wants to try his best to deliver social servic4es to the people trying to match the record of efficient governance Kagame and Kenyatta have put up”, says Red Pepper.

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