Political profiles of new faces in cabinet By Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda May 28, June 4 2003
At Parliament some of the newly appointed ministers might be missed. They have posted fair records and their contribution to the legislative process has been outstanding. Mr Adolf Mwesige the new Minister of State for the Office of the Vice President was the indefatigable chairman of the legal and parliamentary affairs committee. The committee has considered several legislations under his able leadership and his absence there will be conspicuous. Ms Mwesigye. Ms Namuyangu. He is a member of the National Resistance Movement party constitution draft committee. Mr Mwesige passes as a liberal politician and as a lawyer he is non-compromising on legal issues. He teamed up with his colleagues on the legal affairs committee and asked government not to over restrict political parties. Government did not follow his advice and paid dearly for this: The two controversial clauses in the Political Parties and Organizations Act 2002 were nullified by court on 21 March. These two clauses were stopping parties from opening up district branches. But Mr Mwesige would probably have served better in a ministry like Justice or as Attorney General. Ms Hope Mwesigye, now the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs is a very staunch third term proponent. She is a member of the Movement National Executive Committee and spoke in favour of unlimited presidential term. She is a zealous promoter of President Yoweri Museveni’s brand of the Movement politics and one of the women that have banged the benches and foot stamped every time the Movement is on top of a situation. The new appointment found her in London and she told The Monitor upon return 26 May that with the help of God and cooperation of her colleagues, she would be able to execute it. Ms Mwesigye sits on the legal and parliamentary affairs committee but sided with government on the matter of restricting parties when the majority report of her committee was for freeing parties. She has been the deputy chairperson of the rules, discipline and privileges committee of Parliament. Her blind support notwithstanding, she remains a good legislator. Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere of Local Government ministry has been there, done that. First he served as minister of state foreign affairs under the Movement in 1987-91 and as minister of natural resources in 1979 and 1980. His last assignment was that of a special presidential envoy to the Great Lakes Region. At Parliament he has defended the Movement at all costs. Mr James Nsaba Buturo is the Minister of State for Information. He has been chairman of the presidential and foreign affairs committee and has a deep affection for the Movement. Mr Nsaba Buturo has taken over his new job with zeal and has even succumbed to the temptation to make public statements before he is approved and sworn-in. The man has been all over FM stations making comments on the reported sacking of Brig. Henry Tumukunde. But this is characteristic of him. When he took over the chairmanship of the presidential committee, he and his colleagues zealously drafted the rules of the East African parliament elections but the Speaker of Parliament humbled them when he instead instructed the rules committee to do the job. Mr Nsaba Buturo surprised the Budget committee of Parliament when he took it upon himself to defend the Movement Secretariat’s Shs 6bn indicative budget for 2003/4. Mr Kirunda Kivejinja is the Minister of State for the Presidency. He was forced to resign his ministerial job after an ill-tempered Sixth Parliament censured him for drawing 2,000 litres of fuel from Uganda Railways Corporation and using them on constructing a road in Pallisa. He was taken to the Movement Secretariat as director of external affairs. Mr Kivejinja is an NRM historical. He is on the record for opposing the freeing of political parties. Prof. Ssemakula Kiwanuka is the Minister of State for Luwero Triangle. He was Uganda’s ambassador to the United Nations before he returned and made an unsuccessful foray for the Makindye East parliamentary seat in 2001. Mr Ssemakula bought himself a return ticket to New York after the elections when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to give him the money. Sources said that they had always wanted to drop him but they were still looking for a post for him. Nshimye Sebuturo is Minister of State for Regional Co-operation. He is leaving Parliament before his report on election violence is even debated. The report incriminated the army and other senior Movement people. It was very critical of the Movement political system and blamed the individual merit principle for the chaos that marred the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2001. Mr Nshimye told The Monitor 26 May that his new job would be a challenging one and he is eager to execute it. At Parliament he has not taken any radical position on anything but he is a good legislator. Ms Janet Namuyangu Byakatonda is the surprise in this new cabinet. One of the ministers who was not in Kampala at the time of reshuffle called this reporter for an update and wondered who Ms Namuyangu was. “The MP for Palisa district,” replied the reporter and the minister laughed. Ms Namuyangu herself told The Monitor 26 May her inclusion was “unexpected”. She says she only knows the Movement politics but she is ready to take up the job. She is a member of the select committee of Parliament which is investigating land issues. She represented youth (Eastern) in the NRC. © 2003 The Monitor Publications ----------------------------- He it is Who created for you all that is on earth...He is the All-knower of everything. Swaddaq Allahu Al-Adhim. Michael Bwambuga. __________________________________________________________________ McAfee VirusScan Online from the Netscape Network. Comprehensive protection for your entire computer. 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