By Iryn Nandawula
Rogers Mulindwa, who speaks for the ruling NRM party, has swiftly dismissed reports that his boss Secretary General Kasule Lumumba’s contract has expired and that the Party chairman YK Museveni is already shopping for her successor. “No that is not true to the best of my personal knowledge. The term still has at least one year to go,” Mulindwa said promising to consult and get back to us with a more comprehensive response though he hadn’t done so at the time of filing this story. Initial reports reaching our desk had indicated that the contract of tenure for Kasule Lumumba, her Deputy Richard Todwong, Treasurer Rose Namayanja, her Deputy Kenneth Omona and Chief Electoral Commissioner Tanga Odoi had expired and that the President was reluctant to sign off a renewal. Another influential insider in the NRM indicated that the five officials’ contract runs up to 2021 because it’s for 7 years and “the chairman can’t let them go because that is how he contains people and stunt their political careers because he knows they can go and begin positioning themselves for constituencies ahead of 2021.” On his part Hassan Galiwango, who is the Director Finance & Administration at NRM Secretariat, says “those people are still here because out of the 7 year contract they each have, they have only served 2 and half years.”Galiwango said those originating such reports must be sabotuers who are envious to see NRM progressing on the political front. He said the same 7 year contract applies to EC Chairman Odoi Tanga and all the other Commissioners. All said and done, readers shouldn’t forget that Museveni still has the discretion to allow them complete the 7 years or terminate their tenure midway the way he did to ex-IGP Kale Kayihura. He fired him barely a year into his new term which he personally had given him. For comments, call,text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
