As per now, President Museveni sleeps or travels wherever he wishes comfortably well knowing there is no way the Serena-based NTV can ever surprise him again running outrageous stories that can potentially weaken his power. But how did Museveni achieve this predictability regarding NTV? It had to do with his PPS Molly Nuwe Kamukama. During the 2016 campaigns, Molly cultivated a very good relationship with former UBC TV manager Irene Birungi who marries NTV news manager Maurice Mugisha.
And through her, she managed to eventually woo over Maurice Mugisha who, as news manager, will always have the last word on what airs on what remains Uganda’s most authoritative news channel. While running Museveni’s private cash campaign office in Mbuya, Molly used to give Irene Birungi some well facilitated bu-assignments to do, a thing that pleased Maurice Mugisha. With time a lot of trust was built between the two ladies and when she
was elevated to PPS, Molly Kamukama took Irene Birungi along with her and as we speak now she is her PA with a fully fledged office in Entebbe State House. Before moving her to State House, Molly had deployed Irene in Kololo to man her other secretive office that critics say was opened specifically to undermine Milly Doka Babalanda who Museveni appointed to replace Molly in the Mbuya office. Babalanda is from Busoga where Museveni identified her credentials as a capable mobilizer. When Irene left for State House, Molly recalled her right hand man Awel Uwihanganye and the very shrewd man from Kisoro now occupies that Kololo office together with former Samia Bugwe MP Julius Mulimba. Awel had just returned from further studies abroad when Molly gave him this assignment and the team recently met Museveni, courtesy of Molly, and made a detailed presentation showing the activities they intend to undertake to ensure the NRM Chairman’s office remains active and visible in the community. Museveni reportedly liked their proposal and promised to get back to them after studying their budget request that came with it. Molly monitors the assignments given to Awel and Mulimba through her deeply entrenched personal secretary Irene Mugisha Birungi. And with this connection, sources say, Maurice Mugisha can access the big man anytime and secure his concurrence on anything. “With this friendly relationship Molly has cultivated, there is no way NTV can remain a hostile force to Mzee anymore. Instead its NBS that he still worries about sometimes but not NTV anymore,” revealed a knowledgeable State House source.
