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By Josephine Maseruka
LAST week was Finance Minister Gerald Ssendawula�s most quarrelsome. A day after a public spat with Agriculture State Minister Dr. Kibirige Sebunya over claims that the census had skipped him, Ssendawula (left) was at it again with Rubaga South MP Ken Lukyamuzi.
The trouble started when Ssendawula arrived at Nile Conference Centre with officials from Nigeria, Britain, South Africa and Malawi, here for the Statistics Week.
He was furious to find the stairs at the entrance dirty and littered with soda and beer tops.
�I vowed that this place will be sold within six months,� he said out loud to a crowd.
When the angry minister spotted Lukyamuzi in the crowd, he said, �You are one of those opposed to the sale of this hotel, yet you cannot run it. This is an international hotel but look, it�s like an LC 1 office.�
Lukyamuzi did not take the remarks lying down, and vowed to block the sale of the hotel.
He charged that Ssendawula had tried to sell it to �abawarabu ab�ebicupuli� (unscrupulous Arabs).
Ssendawula then turned and ordered a cleaner to tidy the place up, but she ignored him.
�Nyabo sijja kweyanjulira naye okutemya n�okuzibula ng�emikono gyo giri wansi nga si kyalaba ku kasasiro yenna (I won�t identify myself to you but I want this place cleaned up now!)� he said.
But Prime Minister Apollo Nsibambi arrived and, to save everybody from further embarrassment, Ssendawula told the cleaner to cover up the litter until the guests had entered the hall. She complied.
Luckily, the guests didn�t understand the fracas because it took place in Luganda.
Ends
Published on: Sunday, 24th November, 2002 |
