By Otim Nape
Gen MK, arguably the most influential political actor in contemporary Uganda after his father Gen YK Museveni and Paternal uncle Salim Saleh, has indicated that the incoming Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth-Oboth will have to be deputized by a female.
And whereas several names (Lydia Wanyoto, Lillian Aber, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng etc) are being speculated upon as being under consideration, Bukono County MP Parsis Namuganza stands in a uniquely advantaged position.
She officially is campaigning for the position of Speakership but necessity would require that she postpones her maximalist ambitions at that level and settles for pragmatism. Pragmatism would require that you settle for what can practically be achieved or realized at that point in time and not what you want or your heart desires.
With kingmaker Gen MK signaling the Deputy Speaker will have to be a woman, many Namuganza supporters took to social media to implore the CDF to overlook all the others and prioritize the combative princess from Busoga. A lot of factors are going for her, a thing which has forced many pundits to conclude that Namuganza ekintu akimaze (this is hers to take).
A blue-eyed girl of Gen Museveni (who even shielded her against humiliation when Anita Among instigated MPs to censure her on very curious grounds), Namuganza is a young cadre but with a lot of history in the Movement.
She has peer support among fellow young people across the country. She is a people-person and genuine in her friendships.
She is always there for peers and keeps friends. She is never the type to use and dump friends every now and then. This is an attribute Gen Museveni always desires to leverage to strengthen his political Movement.
She is also fearless and incorruptible, which is remarkable in this post-shame era we live in as Ugandans. She a public-spirited leader with genuine love for the ordinary people. She never sets out to manipulate anyone for selfish gain. She is loaded, wealthy and always eats with people.
Even when she has unfettered access to the President, Namuganza remains down to earth and always prepared to leverage her clout to lift up others. She has helped introduce many potential good cadres to Mzee, including Anita Among.
Away from her personal pedigree referenced above, Namuganza is also advantaged by the fact that she hails from Busoga, a sub-region Gen Museveni is obliged to appease and reward because he was able to beat NUP’s Bobi Wine there. This resounding victory for NRM (which limped in 2021) at all levels was delivered by Rebecca Kadaga who closely worked with others, key among whom was Namuganza who commands Busoga-wide popularity.
The two ladies are these days close allies having buried hatchet a few years ago. And her attendance at the Thursday State House Entebbe meeting, which sealed Anita Among and Thomas Tayebwa’s fate, is indicative of the extent to which Museveni would like to strengthen his relationship with people inside the Rebecca Kadaga universe.
Kadaga will have no problem deploying her leverage to push for her blue-eyed girl Parsis Namuganza taking the Deputy Speaker slot. And gratefully, Namuganza is an organic member of PLU whose top leadership is already playing a very big role in determining who becomes next Speaker and Deputy.
Whereas it’s not a must or mandatory, the Speaker of Parliament and Deputy have always been lawyers and it’s indeed ideal that they be, otherwise the job would be much harder for them. This factor alone diminishes chances for both Lillian Aber and Aceng.
The two PLU ladies are highly educated but aren’t lawyers. In contrast, Namuganza has a degree in law, which she accomplished recently from Islamic University in Uganda from their Kaboja campus.
Should decision-makers feel obliged to stick to that practice or norm, Namuganza emerges more advantaged. Lydia Wanyoto is a lawyer too (having completed recently) but Namuganza would sell more given her age.
Lydia is almost Oboth-Oboth’s age mate which wouldn’t bring out the diversity Gen Museveni is reportedly determined to demonstrate at every level of government.
He has come under immense pressure, including during the much-watched farm jazz with Jjaja, as young people have demanded more visibility in decision-making positions inside his government.
And knowledgeable sources say that this greater inclusion of younger people is something Museveni palace influencers like Gen MK and his sister Natasha Karugire are very much in favour of too.
Whereas Namuganza hasn’t yet accomplished the diploma in legal practice from the LDC, her LLB qualification should be adequate and acceptable to influencers in the Museveni universe because that is all the outgoing Anita Among and her Deputy Thomas Tayebwa had as of March 2022 when they assumed office.
So, Ugandans ought not to be that much surprised if the female Deputy Speaker Gen MK referenced in his Friday tweets turns out to be Parsis Namuganza. And gratefully, besides being popular and anti-corruption enough to be acceptable to millions of people inside the MK universe, Parsis Namuganza is also a close ally acceptable to Gen Salim Saleh, another key influencer of things in the Museveni inner orbit. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
