By Mulengera Reporters
The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) President Jimmy Akena says that he rejected an offer to serve as Minister in Gen Museveni’s government.
During the party’s weekly Kampala press conference on Wednesday, Akena claimed that Museveni was serious about the offer and the same has been on table since the year 2016.
And it remains his conviction that even today it’s not too late because, in his view, Gen Museveni can still give him if he were to signal readiness to take up the slot.
He says that before taking up his wife Betty Amongi (who in 2016 was made the Minister for Lands, Kampala and later on Gender), Gen Museveni considered him first.
Akena says he asked Museveni for time to first go and consult key stakeholders in his political universe. He said that he got back to the veteran leader from Rwakitura with a big no at the conclusion of his consultations.
He said that his wife Amongi was one of those he consulted and in the end, an optionless Museveni settled for his spouse.
Akena asserted that that same offer, making him a Minister, has remained on table up to this day. That the very first time to be offered such was in the year 2011.
He didn’t disclose which specific Ministry that had been offered to him but said he declined because he realized that Museveni was up to no good and that taking up the position would be of no consequence.
In the same address, Akena defended his father Uganda’s founding President Milton Obote’s record; making it clear that all his economic policies were always geared at empowering the ordinary Ugandans unlike Gen Museveni whose policies he said only favor the super-rich.
He added that he is ready for a debate with Gen Museveni or any NRM functionary just for him to demonstrate that his father Milton Obote was never the monster the NRM propaganda machine has painted him to have been.
Assuming the declined Cabinet slot thing is true, Akena won’t be the first and only congressman to ever decline Gen Museveni’s job offer. Many years ago, former Oyam North MP Ben Wacha (a former Presidential Assistant under Obote II) turned down a similar offer from the NRM Chairman; saying he had a name to protect and didn’t want to soil his reputation. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
