NRM Secretary General Kasule Lumumba has always attended weekly Cabinet meetings but during the one of Monday this week, she was unusually very outspoken and in a combative mood. Saying she was here to communicate concerns and feedback from millions of NRM party members and supporters, the SG Lumumba said the grass root supporters of Gen Museveni were increasingly becoming angry and uncomfortable seeing Cabinet Ministers publicly ask questions aimed at contradicting the President while scheming to deepen their own political popularity among the population. That party faithful were concerned some Ministers were turning themselves into journalists asking questions instead of complimenting Gen Museveni.
Referencing on the Sunday address during which Ministers Amelia Kyambadde (for Trade) and Karoro Okurut (for General Duties in the OPM) made contradictory submissions regarding the depth of UNBS’ involvement in testing the quality of food being donated to the economically distressed, the big-name politician from Bugiri categorically stated “this business of Ministers using the President’s otherwise very important COVID addresses to address their views to the public must stop.”
She wondered why such Ministers don’t use the government Media Center to interface with the public and show how much they support the ordinary man as opposed to suffocating the President before millions of Ugandans watching on TV. The fearless Secretary General also submitted that seeking to use the President’s televised addresses creates an impression there is no room for Ministers to freely raise their views during Cabinet meetings. “Let’s face it the truth is Ministers can meet the President and have audience with him on anything and they shouldn’t behave like ordinary people who get that chance like once in a life time,” sources quoted Lumumba as saying.
Renowned for taking no prisoners when it comes to speaking her mind, the Secretary General demanded that the practice should be that Ministers use cabinet meetings to exhaustively raise all their concerns including contradicting the President’s views in case they are convinced that needs to be done. Emboldened by Lumumba’s submissions, which sources say made a much relieved Museveni smile from ear to ear as the youthful SG roared, one of the Ministers turned fire on Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda claiming Ministers being able to shine at the President’s address is indicative of his inept leadership at the leader of government business.
The same Minister suggested that State House security gets directed to turn away Ministers whose attendance might be seen as not very relevant or necessary for that particular day’s address. But this was rejected on grounds the HE might spontaneously require clarification from Ministers manning dockets that play complimentary roles backing up the good work being done by Health Ministry teams headed by Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng who members at the Monday Cabinet session unanimously thanked for doing such a good job thus far.
The same Minister, emboldened by the clarity with which Lumumba made her points, went as far as suggesting that the idea of Ministers asking questions or saying anything during the President’s televised COVID addresses be banned. The Minister instead successfully proposed that in case they can’t use Cabinet meetings to raise their concerns to the HE, Rugunda adopts a practice of requiring all interested Ministers to put their concerns in writing so that they are passed on to Gen Museveni who can integrate such views to be part of his eventual address.
Another Minister went native demanding to know how Ministers Amelia Kyambadde and Karoro Okurut managed to get their hair worked on so nicely at a time all the nice salons and barber centers are supposed to be closed as part of the total Kampala lockdown ordered by the President. The member, who seemed envious and disturbed of the nice hairstyles the two female Ministers spotted during the Sunday televised address, ate a humble pie and kept quiet on realizing there wasn’t much appetite among other Cabinet members to digress into discussing petty things such as Ministers’ hairstyles. Another Minister thanked the President, who clearly seemed euphoric about the Lumumba admonition, for gagging Disaster Preparedness Minister Musa Ecweru and ensuring he didn’t say anything during the Sunday address “because he was going to scandalize the day.”
Credit: mulengeranews.com
