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RESHUFFLE FEVER ESCALATE AS RUTH NANKABIRWA NEARS REPLACING PREMIER RUGUNDA AND KUTESA GOES TO ENERGY

By Our Reporters
Wednesday this week, President did something not very different from what he always does when he is about to announce major changes in government. He carried with him a big file & a few other documents and went on a one man retreat at his country home in Rwakitura. On that day, Museveni was incommunicado and spent the whole day studying the contents of that huge file. “He kept writing and crossing out things and was only available to talk to anybody on official business on Thursday,” said a knowledgeable source that works closely with the President. This incident has since intensified political hysteria amongst some of the incumbent Ministers with many concluding that the day of reckoning is finally here. He will be announcing major cabinet changes anytime soon from now. The cabinet Ministers that can potentially be affected have continued to have sleepless nights following persistent reports from State House showing that the President isn’t very far from announcing his cabinet reshuffle. With the RDCs reshuffle being completed, there are all indicators cabinet is to be next.
AND HERE IS WHY;
“The President is done with RDCs and prior to that we had changes in police and UPDF. Next now has to be cabinet and its actually long overdue,” said a dependable source close to the President. The president, as we reported in July, was delayed to change his cabinet by a couple of factors including the Mbale Constitutional Court ruling on the age limit removal. The other factor that delayed cabinet changes was the polling exercise for LC1 executives. All these are now behind us, largely went in his favor and the President will without a doubt have to occasion changes in his cabinet in the not so distant future.

Ruth Nankabirwa

NANKABIRWA UNAVOIDABLE;
The latest our sources have disclosed to us is that Kiboga Woman MP Ruth Nankabirwa Sentamu, who was mentored by UPM historical member Rhoda Kalema, is slated to become Prime Minister replacing Ruhakana Rugunda with whom the President remains disappointed. One weakness is that the man from Kabale has been too indecisive and out to please everybody yet that position requires decisive leadership. In any case he has served the purpose for which he was appointed in 2014 which largely was to demistify and neutralize his fellow Mukiga Amama  Mbabazi aka JPAM. On the other hand Nankabirwa, who for long was suspected of being a JPAM mole, has largely done well. Not only has she demonstrated great loyalty, she has grown in experience and stature. Having joined Parliament in 1994 when she was actively backed by Rhodah Kalema, who even marketed her to the President, Nankabirwa has held all the positions one requires to learn the statecraft. She has been minister for microfinance, fisheries, defense and now GCW which in the Museveni hierarchy isn’t very far from OPM. In fact the GCW closely coordinates with the PM to ensure government interests are well protected in Parliament. She sits on NRM CEC, Cabinet and Parliamentary Commission among other powerful assignments. As GCW, she works more closely with the President than any other leader in government because even when his NRM has a clear majority, Museveni never takes Parliament lightly. He always wants to know what’s happening to avoid being surprised and the GCW is always his eyes and ears in the legislature. Its rare for a day to pass without him talking to the GCW to basically get to know which MP has which problem or is being financially assisted by some else who isn’t him. The big man always wants to know if they are other power centers to which MPs go when they have financial problems and all that intelligence has to be collected for him by the GCW. Nankabirwa’s maturity and experience has ensured there is more cohesion and discipline in the caucus than during some of her predecessors. For Museveni, giving her that PM position reaches out to a number of politically very significant constituencies namely the women and her Buganda co-ethnics. The PM office, where Nankabirwa worked before as Luwero triangle minister, comes with a lot of groceries that can come in handy in the regime’s efforts to neutralize Bobi Wine in the populous central region and the new threat he poses to the President.

Molly Kamukama

Frank Tumwebaze

Rebecca Kadaga

Crispus Kiyonga

OTHERS:
The other potential deployments the big man is closely studying as part of his cabinet reshuffle include: senior Minister Sam Kutesa (has been MP without break since 1980) who is being considered for the Energy Ministry docket currently being held by his good friend Irene Muloni. At the foreign affairs ministry, Kutesa (who controversially missed this year’s UN General Assembly in NY) is to be replaced by equally prolific Crispus Kiyonga who he currently supervises as Ambassador to China. Museveni likes Kiyonga for historical reasons but he is also ideologically well-grounded having flocked with NRM/UPM since 1980. Until 2016 when an FDC man ousted him,  Dr. Kiyonga had been one of the longest serving MPs in the house since 1980. Information Minister (ICT) Frank Tumwebaze is to be replaced by Chris Baryomunsi who has been often acting whenever he is away. Current PPS Molly Nuwe Kamukama is slated to become SG NRM party replacing her archrival Kasule Lumumba. Some people have been lobbying the big man to make Molly SG on grounds that in 2014-2016 she did a good job as a Museveni PA who managed the secretive campaign office in Mbuya. Molly is well appreciated by people who matter in the first family and her track record of high mobilization performance makes her suitable for the SG position because of the way the Mr. Wine threat has made it necessary for Museveni to begin early campaigns in order to keep his seat in 2021. However, some big hurdles stand in Molly’s way including having to go through two levels of approval. One is the CEC and the other is the NRM Movement Conference where some radicals might object to her appointment because of where she comes from. With Museveni being both President and NRM Chairman, there is widespread perception in the NRM party that his native western region is already eating enough. Otherwise the SG post is going to be juicy because a lot of mobilization cash will begin to be released to intensify activities aimed at neutralizing the Besigye-Bobi Wine duo. There is an influential MP from Busoga, who happens to be close to Speaker Kadaga and he is the one Museveni is currently considering to replace cracking Ester Mbayo as Minister for Presidency. There is also NRM youth league chairman Nasur Gaddafi (also CEC member) who is being considered for the position of youth affairs minister as Nakiwala Kiyingi hasn’t lived up to what was expected of her.

SEKANDI GIVING WAY;

As for Sekandi, he already wrote to the President begging him not to reappoint him as VP. This is something that remains a puzzle for the President. There is pressure on him by his strategists to give that VP post to Rebecca Kadaga and put a more predictable and less assertive politician in the office of Speaker but it’s unlikely Kadaga can accept such treatment. Some are suggesting that Nankabirwa becomes Speaker, VP or PM. There is also Bamunanika MP JC Muyingo who is being marketed by a powerful first family lobby for the position of VP. He is being sold as one who possesses all the Sekandi credentials and much more. He is Catholic and a Muganda just like Sekandi. He exceeds Sekandi’s credentials because he is has deeper connections in Buganda kingdom (personal friend & business partner to both Kabaka & Nabagereka) than Sekandi. At Rubaga he is a personal friend to Archbishop Lwanga and doesn’t need appointment to meet the Cardinal. He is also wealthy with a lot of personal old money. He is also calm, well collected, reserved and not politically very ambitious. Its simply not advisable for a president to be deputized by a flamboyant character that can easily overshadow him. Muyingo perfectly fits into that description because he is calm and yet well connected within government and private sector.

Beatrice Anywar

Sam Kutesa

BOBI MAKES BUGANDA SPECIAL;

Museveni needs more political empowerment for Buganda region in order to adequately counter Bobi Wine who is the most promising politician Buganda has produced since the days of Ben Kiwanuka and PK Semogerere. To decisively overcome him you must politically invest in Buganda region mobilization like never before. This explains why Buganda could end up taking both VP and PM or even Speakership. Beti Kamya is another candidate closely trailing behind Nankabirwa. Gen Muhoozi could become State Minister for Defence. JC Muyingo also stands high chance of becoming full cabinet minister for education in case the Maama Janet is moved elsewhere or opts out on her own. Gen Katumba Wamala, who is completing his palatial residence in Najjera-Bulabira, is destined to become full cabinet minister for Works & Transport. He too will be part of the effort to counter the Bobi Wine Kyagulanyi effect in the politically very significant Buganda region. We are told the deployment of Frank Tumwebaze as GCW is meant to enable the President benefit from his eloquence as there will be need to counter the opposition (pro-Bobi) propaganda in Parliament led by an independent-minded Speaker whose loyalty sometimes can’t be taken for granted. Museveni would wish to make Kadaga VP and get a more subservient politician to become Speaker but there are fears the Kamuli woman MP won’t accept such compromise. Besides the energy docket, its being proposed that Sam Kutesa is also made 3rd Deputy Prime Minister. Others destined to eat big include Beatrice Anywar, Raphael Magyezi, James Kakooza and Bukedea Woman MP Anita Among who is also increasingly distinguishing herself as an influential kingmaker at the Museveni palace. For Mityana’s case, a serious race is between Judith Nabakooba and Godfrey Kiwanda who has excelled and gained national visibility as State Minister for tourism. There is need for one of them to eat big because Mityana is increasingly slipping away to the opposition partly because of the Francis Zzake effect. Its also a rapidly urbanizing district with Mr. Wine ‘s People Power gospel spreading like a bush fire.

Ester Mbayo

MBAYO GOOZE COOKED;

Even before she actually gets fired or redeployed, Esther Mbayo must already have realized all isn’t well. The very RDC reshuffle list which she dissed & dismissed as fake some months ago is the one the President released to the public as authentic a few days ago. In order to revenge on PPS Molly Kamukama, who favored this list, Mbayo as Presidency minister had come up with her own list of RDCs and the big man, who is understood not to be very amused with her performance, trashed the whole of it. Yet that wasn’t all. Unlike her predecessors who were always able to propose names which the H/E would endorse, in Mbayo’s case things have gone terribly wrong. Even her closest political allies in Busoga weren’t spared the knife. These are Steven Bewaayo & Richard Gulume who have been using the RDC position to obliterate would-be political trouble causers in her home turf of Luuka district which she represents as woman MP. The officers her camp resented were instead retained including Eric Sakwa. The others her camp members didn’t like were James Tweheyo, Major Martha Asiimwe and the Catholic nun who the President retained as heads of the RDCs Secretariat. Mbayo’s sympathizers have always perceived this Secretariat as undermining her powers. Instead Museveni has made the Secretariat to have even more clout because now all the RDCs will be reporting to this Secretariat and not to the Presidency minister anymore. The President rightly considers that addressing the reporters at Media Center announcing national days and ceremonies is already too much work for the inept minister from Luuka or whoever will replace her in that docket. For comments, call/text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.

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