By Our Reporters
With the long-awaited Supreme Court decision out of the way, President Museveni (said to have been greatly enchanted by the outcome) will anytime announce the reconstruction of his cabinet. Knowledgeable State House sources say this is going to be a war cabinet with a lot of emphasis going onto the 2021 elections. “He will be looking for mobilizers; people who can deliver the vote and not necessarily your usual scripted politicians. It won’t be a thing of the politically most sophisticated but vote-winners,” says a source close to the President.
“He has since the Supreme Court judgment been in very high spirits and has confided in some people his unhappiness with the current cabinet. He keeps saying ‘bano bebafu nyo [these are sleepy ministers]’ and openly calls them sleeping giants. Don’t be surprised if 95% of the current cabinet ministers aren’t retained. It’s going to be total overhaul and not even [Prime Minister] Rugunda or [VP] Sekandi can with certainty tell his fate.”
Mulengera news has reliably learnt from circles close to Museveni’s decision-making machinery that the President had prior to the Supreme Court decision drafted his cabinet which list he has since abandoned and “is rapidly reconstituting it afresh.”
The source added: “There is a significant number of MPs on the newly reconstructed list [which is work in progress mostly having in mind those who fought hard to overcome the Togikwatako storm] but there are also many guys who aren’t even necessarily in politics in the strict sense of the word but are being considered because they have been consistent fighters in defending Mzee.”
MUSICIANS COMING
It’s further revealed that, because it’s going to a very unconventional cabinet reconstruction, between 2 and 4 key actors in the entertainment industry are being considered as a move to counter the anti-regime momentum resulting from the countrywide political wave Bobi Wine has cultivated.
“Mzee is looking at this as something deeper and bigger than just Bobi Wine because he [Mr. Wine] has inspired other hitherto very apolitical celebrities to become politically outspoken and to counter that effect, you must equally deploy. You have the likes of Hilderman, Eddie Kenzo, Nubian Lee, A-Pass and others he has since inspired to risk taking on the state and their effect must be obliterated by directly deploying from the very [showbiz-loving] constituency they are confusing,” says one of the knowledgeable Musevenist sources we spoke to for this article. The likes of Bebe Cool, events management maestro Balaam Barugahare, Catherine Kusasira, MP Peter Sematimba and veteran Andrew Benon Kibuuka are given as some of potential appointees that are being vetted for inclusion in Museveni’s new cabinet.
Mulengera news rung Bebe Cool (a very unapologetic Musevenist) who casually dismissed this possibility as mere wolokoso (speculation) but clarified that his commitment to supporting Mzee is solid and will remain so whether he is made cabinet minister or not.
Bebe Cool said he doesn’t need such inducement or reward to publicly continue showing his preference for the big man from Rwakitura who has always been there for him. Like Catherine Kusasira, highly followed Balaam has been a consistent supporter of YK Museveni.
ROBERT KABUSHENGA
To consolidate that unconventional approach (singularly aimed at countering the Bobi Wine momentum), Vision Group CEO Robert Kabushenga (who has cultivated such huge following when it comes to events management) too is being considered for inclusion once again.
Kabushenga has a good network currently in the informal sector and ghetto community because of the very unconventional programming his Bukedde platform has inspired. His attractive profile is that he is eloquent, vocal and a very unrepentant admirer of President Museveni. He is also a linguist and easily adaptable to the ghetto way of doing things which makes his posting very appropriate in the Museveni broader political maneuvers to counter and neutralize Mr. Wine who likes calling himself the Ghetto President. In a related development, many of the incumbent Ministers are continuing to be gripped with anxiety as Museveni has rarely veiled his contempt for their lukewarm performance when it comes to political mobilization.
Actually many have already cleared their desks fearing for the unknown. “Mzee realizes the need to act urgently because apparently there is too much anxiety for the incumbent Ministers to effectively carry on with their duties and he believes this is hurting decision-making in Ministries and ultimately service delivery,” says a well informed source close to the President.
POST RESHUFFLE
Mulengera news has reliably learnt that Museveni has worked out a program to undertake a countrywide political tour and this is beginning in the first week of May up to mid-June. “The very rigorous program is ready and only awaiting finalization in consultation with the State House protocol team. He would like to carry out the cabinet massacre before commencing that countrywide tour,” the source says.
Museveni will personally be chairing zonal meetings for the NRM structures and hopes to use those engagements to justify some of the politically very significant decisions that have lately been made by Parliament/NRM Caucus and CEC. He prefers to undertake this tour ahead of NRM primaries to avoid addressing gatherings of polarized party structures which always becomes the case after party primaries.
“There many opposition leaders and mobilizers especially those currently professing People Power who have already cut secret deals with State House and this will be an opportunity for Mzee to publicly unveil them as big fish defectors. Some of them are MPs and people in other elected positions but have pretentiously been sheltering under People Power,” the source further reveals. “Mzee hopes that such public pronouncements denouncing People Power will go a long way in demoralizing Bobi Wine and his youthful crowd.”
The zonal meetings, that will see the big man reside in the numerous State Lodges scattered across the country, will also be an opportunity for him to be accessed by many more ordinary people and in the process gather significant political intelligence to guide future political planning including formulation of NRM’s 2021-2026 election manifesto. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
