By John V Sserwaniko
Vice President Edward Sekandi, who has loyally served the Museveni government (both in legislature & cabinet) since 1994, feels he has done his part and its time to retire to private life to look after his grandchildren. Very reliable Presidency sources have told this news website that Sekandi, who has been frail and largely incognito for much of this term of government, confidentially wrote to his boss President Yoweri Museveni in the last half of March imploring him not to re-appoint him back to cabinet or any other responsibility. We are told that, to avoid being misunderstood, Sekandi involved some powerful actors in the Catholic Church and Buganda kingdom to explain to Museveni that his loyal servant from Kyanamukaka was bowing out in good faith because his frail health can’t permit him carry on with very demanding executive duties. It has reliably been revealed to us that besides the speech difficulties that have often prevented Sekandi from reading his boss’ speeches at public functions, the otherwise very sober-minded Catholic lawyer from Masaka recently developed a strange condition that occasionally cripples one of his hands from functioning properly.
INSIDE THE LETTER;
Sources privy to the matter say that, in his letter, Sekandi thanks Museveni for the trust and opportunity he has always given him to serve his country but in the interest of finding a more efficient person, he begs the President to understand and let him go. It will be recalled that in May last year, Sekandi drove to Mpigi/Katende as chief mourner at the burial of his fallen friend Prof Lawrence Mukiibi but he suddenly failed to deliver his speech and State Education Minister JC Muyingo stepped in and read it for him as Sekandi pensively sat in the VIP tent whimpering in pain. Much later on he, represented the President at High Court for the annual opening of the new law year and he struggled to deliver his speech due to speaking difficulties. He actually spent much of his time at that ceremony in slumber land as he couldn’t successfully resist falling asleep to the great embarrassment of other VIPs like Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, Chief Justice (the host) Bart Katurebe and Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago who sat next to him. We are told this and other considerations have prompted Sekandi to beg to be let go. “It’s also true he feels much frustrated being part of a cabinet that has let down the President and he shares in that corporate guilt. It’s also true he is tired of being attacked on behalf of the government at public gatherings,” said a source claiming that for fear of the angry or ever-begging voters, Sekandi sometimes waits until it’s as late as mid night before he can sneak into his Bukoto Central Constituency. In townships like Kabonera, angry youth converge and heckle as his motorcade drives past, a thing that forced him to resort to sometimes travelling there late in the night when everybody else have gone to sleep. “He has also been heckled by fellow Baganda and Catholics in many public functions including the church services at Rubaga Cathedral where the Archbishop has previously faulted government including accusing them of spying on him.”
CATHOLIC CHURCH ROLE;
It will be recalled that, stung by political humiliation occasioned by DP’s Jude Mbabali, elderly Sekandi had announced he wouldn’t seek re-election as MP in 2011. The 2006 campaigns was very difficult for him and to deflate voters’ pressure, he announced this was his last term. Mbabali took him to court and it was a very embarrassing episode for the otherwise decent well brought Muganda man from Kyanamukaka. Yet towards 2011, Museveni became disgusted with much-scorned Gilbert Bukenya who was always being ridiculed in the tabloid media because of his regular liaisons with young girls at public functions. There had also been the town clerk Uthman Sebadduka saga in which the then VP was accused of snatching a married woman Jamilah Nakku and the entire government shared this embarrassment. So in the runner up to the 2011 elections, Prof Bukenya had clearly become a liability and a plague of sorts yet not many shared his credentials-being a Muganda Catholic with deep roots both at Mengo and Rubaga. Museveni fell back on then outgoing Parliamentary Speaker Edward Sekandi who unfortunately had already publicly declared it was time up. But it wasn’t easy to get him go back onto his word because this morally would make him vulnerable as an elder. Museveni one evening drove to Buddu and camped at Masaka State Lodge. While there, he sent for Masaka Bishop JB Kaggwa (having been snubbed by Cardinal Wamala who kept his distance saying the President hadn’t kept his word regarding succession in 2006). Once the two were together, Kaggwa rang Sekandi (was probably at his Kizungu residence for weekend) insisting that he comes urgently to attend some emergency meeting at the State Lodge. Being the obedient Catholic he is, Sekandi rushed and was there within no time. The two leaders then pleaded with him to accept changing his mind and seek re-election as MP to increase his suitability and enable Museveni make him VP after the 2011 elections. Sekandi reluctantly agreed and left the meeting with clear promises that the State would do all it can to help him politically overcome Mbabali during the 2011 elections. Indeed Museveni kept his word and hurriedly announced Sekandi VP immediately after the polls. The rest of the cabinet had to wait but Sekandi and Amama Mbabazi (replacing Nsibambi as PM) were appointed earlier during an emergency NRM Caucus meeting in Entebbe.
THE TOGIKWATAKO SAGA;
Reliable intelligence sources say that whereas Museveni always trusted Sekandi’s mental alertness especially on legal matters, it was during the Togikwatako campaigns December last year that he realized the extent to which his exceedingly loyal and politically harmless dude from Kyanamukaka had cracked even on legal matters. Not only did Sekandi fail to market the Magyezi thing in Greater Masaka as aggressively as would be expected, he was also generally absent from high level meetings that were supposed to strategize on how to legally overcome the opposition red ribbon movement. “In his Bukoto Central, there was almost no consultation and this was clearly reported on CBS radio where NRM leaders protested not being consulted by their MP Sekandi. There was a task force which had ministers and NRM Caucus leaders and the President naturally expected that Sekandi would actively participate giving legal opinions during meetings even though he wasn’t a member. But this never happened because he was never available and in fact, even on the day for the Bill’s 3rd reading, Sekandi was nowhere to be seen. Not that he hated or was sabotaging Mzee. It’s genuinely because of his frail health,” said a State House source close to the President. The same source says that on the day of the Bill’s 3rd reading, Sekandi left early saying he wanted to go see his doctor after which he would return to vote. He didn’t and when one of the MPs, working with Ruth Nankabirwa, rang him to come and vote, Sekandi (sounding as if suffering from memory lapses) said “I’m sorry I’m already at Pope Paul and there is a lot of jam I can’t make it there.” Weeks earlier, a fellow senior minister had travelled with him on the same plane and tried to pick his mind regarding the agitated debate the Magyezi bill had ignited in the country. To the minister’s consternation, Sekandi didn’t seem to clearly follow the discussion. “He would at some point follow and would later on make uncoordinated comments asking eeh what is that Bill about by the way?” sources quoted the minister who travelled with Sekandi. Reliable sources tell this website that on return, the Minister sought the President’s audience and alerted him thus: “I don’t know what is exactly happening to your man Sekandi. I travelled with him the other day but he seemed to have a memory problem.” We are told this prompted the President to interest himself more about his VP’s state of health and by the time the letter, seeking not to be re-appointed came, the big man already had an idea about his VP frailties. This news website has reliably established that the Catholic Church is already working with Museveni to identify a suitable replacement for Sekandi who will nevertheless remain a back bencher MP in order to finish his term as Bukoto Central MP. Those being considered so far include Kasule Lumumba and JC Muyingo who sources said was doing very well so far. “He has worked very well with the First Lady Janet Museveni at the education ministry, he is more energetic than Sekandi and well-connected both at Mengo and Rubaga,” said a Presidency source adding that gifting workaholic Muyingo with such a powerful mobilization position would enhance NRM’s efforts to galvanize the greater Luwero triangle and ensure the opposition doesn’t make any electoral inroads there now that the Greater Masaka is clearly irretrievably slipping away to especially DP. The only person with similar or even better mobilizational credentials from greater Masaka would have been Dr. Sarah Nkonge Muwonge who unfortunately was edged out by the State House intrigues and couldn’t win the Lwengo woman MP Seat in 2016. All her subsequent efforts to overcome her adversary Cissy Namujju through courts of law were thwarted by mischief orchestrated by guys in the DPP Mike Chibita’s Directorate. “This is why the big man is very dismayed and might decide to write off Greater Masaka and take it to be a politically impossible area just like Erias Lukwago’s Kampala and consolidate mobilization for the NRM elsewhere in the country,” said a source adding that because he doesn’t want to lose Greater Masaka without a fight, Museveni is still hopeful that the Catholic Bishops can help him convince Katikiro Mayiga to accept replacing Sekandi as VP. Watch this space. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755!
