By Simon K. Turibamwe
During the just concluded NRM CEC retreat, ruling party Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba said something that left many colleagues in total shock. On one of the days at the retreat, Lumumba was among those that responded to a major presentation by the President Yoweri Museveni who is also the national chairman of the ruling party. In what many perceived to be representative of the views of the rest of top bureaucrats at party headquarters plot 10 Kyadondo road, Lumumba humbled herself and asked the president to consider allowing her as SG to become a part time employee of the party.
Sources at the retreat say that Museveni, who was evidently tired having spent the whole day lecturing CEC colleagues, looked on with a lot of disinterest as Lumumba made her plea. “We were all shocked with her proposal and pensively looked on waiting to hear what the president was going to say. Fortunately, the president never responded but he too seemed to be as shocked as we were,” one of the members at the CEC retreat told this news website.
This was considered shocking because the argument that he was too busy yet the party needed a full time person is what was used to justify the dramatic removal of Lumumba’s predecessor John Patrick Amama Mbabazi in 2015.
But some suspected that the hitherto sickly Lumumba needs that extra time to be able to adequately prepare for her own 2021 election campaigns for Bugiri municipality MP seat which she is understood to be eying to replace JEEMA strong man Asuman Basalirwa. For comments, call or text 0752510225.
