President Museveni doesn’t often do regret but the current friction and bickering between his old friends in cabinet and new generation devotees will be an exception when he gets briefed.
A new report claims that last week on Wednesday as Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda chaired a cabinet meeting, the issue of who should succeed newly appointed Permanent Secretary of the Energy Ministry Dr. Stephen Ishabaijja as board chairman of the 100% state owned Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd (UEGCL) that controls trillions of money in projects like Isimba and Karuma power dams.
We are told the matter almost took tribal dimensions with ministers from western Uganda and more so Kigezi region wondering why their man was being sidelined. Sources say defence minister Adolf Mwesige was among those who disputed the circumstances under which the nomination of Mr Frank Katusiime, a former Amama Mbabazi close acquaintance who was appointed and later dropped by Finance minister Matia Kasiaja while ministers from other parts of Uganda backed state (junior) minister for Privitisation and Investments, Evelyn Anite’s pick Eng. Proscovia Margret Njuki.
Adolf Mwesigwa was supported by General Henry Tumukunde the security minister say was among those who submitted to the effect that Katusiime was a good man for the job.
Also acked by Dr Rugunda, some argued it was bad for precedence for Kasaija to withdraw his candidate in favour of another whose nomination was originated by a junior political figurehead Aniite for privatization and investments.
“Hon. colleagues, there is no problem. Its our matter as finance ministry and we are now on the same page and that matter is behind us,” Minister Kasaija said as colleagues shouted ‘seniority seniority.’
This chorusing of seniority proved pro-Kasaija responses from generally junior ministers and new comers to cabinet who ganged up calling Rugunda to protect them against the “so-called senior colleagues.”
We are told tempers flared as those perceiving themselves as seniors began questioning why junior and State ministers take themselves to be at the same level.
“We are all ministers appointed by the same appointing authority and if you say we don’t matter, how come we all attend the same cabinet meetings,?” sources quoted one of the junior ministers as defending Kasaija’s nomination.
Our sources couldn’t recall who it was but established this minister’s boldness attracted a group of female ministers who argued in favour of Engineer Njuki questioning whether Katusiime’s supporters weren’t out of order to fight Kasaija simply because he had given given the job to a woman ahead of a male candidate.
“This male chauvinism wont be accepted. So what if the UEGCL BOD Chair is a woman, provided she is qualified and has integrity?” one female minister ranted.
Katusiime’s supporters tried to argue the matter the matter was subject to approval but were told off by young female ministers that this wasn’t the cause.
At the end of the day, Hon. Evelyn Anite who has scaled the heights too fast under President Museveni’s tutelage twinklingly won the battle as cabinet took leave of the UEGCL issue with PM Rugunda sternly directing Kasaija to return to the next cabinet meeting with a full list of the seven names he has appointed to fill the all-important UEGCL BOB.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then as there is no legal requirement for Kasaija to seek cabinet approval regarding the composition and leadership of UEGCL BOD.
