RESHUFFLE UPDATES; Chrysestom Muyingo Highly Considered For Vice Presidency as Abdu Katuntu scoops Deputy Premiership While Bebecool Is  Also Considered for a post in a Fresh Cabinet Reshuffle That Will Shock The Country

Hon Muyingo  might scoop the vice presidency Add caption

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is set to announce a new cabinet reshuffle for the first since he won the 2016 elections. The Ugandan president intends to announce a cabinet that will shock the country due to the new names that  are set to scoop juicy positions  

President Museveni has uncharacteristically delayed to reshuffle his cabinet due to number of reasons derived from the various challenges he has faced in the recent months that have forced to keep on postponing his changes to cabinet.

On the previous occasions, he has always reshuffled midway of his five-year-term, but this time round he has already by passed the midway term.

And the reasons for the delay have been mostly been beyond his mandate.

For instance last year he was set to streamline his cabinet he was faced with the togikwatako challenge (a constitutional challenge that required his input into the amendment of the constitutional to lift age limit for the presidency)

The Ugandan parliament indeed managed to lift the age limit that barred a Ugandan beyond 75 years and below 35 years from contesting for the Ugandan presidency amidst a lot of political chaos.

Since Museveni will be above the mandated 75 years in 2021 , he had to work tooth and nail to pave way for his own sake by amending the constitution that paved way for him to contest the 2021 elections.

The People Power Phenomenon

As he was smarting from the togikwatakato challenge another political challenge emerged from the Arua bye-elections where a local musician who had also entered parliament through a bye-election by the names of Bob wine launched a massive political movement which he dubbed as People Power.

Bobiwine was consequently arrested and tortured  amidst a lot of interest from the international community that even issued sanctions on the Ugandan government for the horrendous human rights abuse that had been occasioned on Bobiwine and several other members of parliament who were arraigned before courts law on what looked like trumped up charges. .

Bob wine was eventually shipped off to USA for treatment where he enjoyed international support.

He actually hobnobbed with international lawyer Robert Amsterdam who rallied the international community to look into the possibility of blocking aid to Uganda due to the chaotic political situation in the country. 

All this really hit president Museveni hard. He had to devise means to re-impose his authority on the country and dilute the people power crusade. He was obviously caught between a deep blue sea and a starving lion. .

He seems to have recovered from that and is looking at how to deal with the after effects of the people power phenomenon. But time seems to be running out on him.

But as the elective fourth term is threatens to expire, he is being forced to announce a new cabinet this year (2019)  , just two years to the next elections in 2021!

The Critical Considerations

And by the way, his considerations for the cabinet appointments will mostly rotate around issues that forced him to delay from announcing a reshuffle I,e rewarding the togikwatako cadres , fumigating the people power movement , regional balancing etc.

We have been informed that president Museveni has realized how powerful the music fraternity has become and is considering using as a tool to suppress the people power movement.

Fumigation Of The People Power Movement

You must recall that when Bobiwine ‘took the Gheto to parliament ’ and rallied the citizens to embrace the people power movement , president Museveni responded by sending billions of shillings to the ghetto.

This time round he even intends to make cabinet changes that will seek to challenge people power movement and also mobilize the youth to continue believing in the NRM govt...

He is therefore trying to make a shock move by naming Bebecool a minister as minister of the youth affairs replacing a lady he had fished out of Buganda kingdom establishment (a took backed kiyingi).

Bebecool, whose real names are Moses Ssali, is son to former minister and presidential candidate, Bidandi ssali.

President Museveni has already assigned Bebecool some work in the past which include some crusades in the United States of America and recently sent him to continue pushing the political agenda on local media.

That’s why you have seen him busy explaining Museveni policies on radio and television in a more sustained manner.

Bebecool actually advised that the Bobiwine’s people power doesn’t need to be fought but needs to be ‘won over’

And that was why you saw Bebecool donning red attire which is known to be a people power costume and even went ahead to publicly demonstrate that he had reconciled with Bob wine!

It’s highly believed that the president is very happy with the way Bebecool has handled the people power movement so far and is looking at incorporating him in the system as a permanent mobilizer.

That certainly means a cabinet post is on the line as well

CHRESESTOM MUYINGO FOR VICE PRESIDENT!

There is the other issue of rebranding his government by bringing in new faces.

And with this president Museveni has fished around for someone to take over as president for a very long time but woith frustrating results.

At one time he toyed with the idea of bringing in longtime opponent iron lady Hon Cecilia Ogwal as vice president but suspended the idea.

He has also  tried to lure former premier and longtime ally Amama Mbabazi back to cabinet as vice president, but Amama doesn’t want to be a another Edward Sekandi type of vice president (the ceremonial type)

Amama actually embarrassed the president when he mentioned to the media that he will not get back to government. He said this when the talks for him to be re-incorporated were going on.

This time round president Museveni is looking at opting for chresestom Muyingo as the vice president.

Chresestom muyingo is a very principled guy in the mould of former astute Prime Minister Hon Apollo nsibambi. He has been holding onme of the dockets in the education sector  but is looking like a safe bet to become the next vice president.

The real thing with Muyingo is that he is not (or doesn’t look) ambitious enough to destabilize the statutes quo. And that makes him the real deal.

he has also enjoyed the advantage of having worked with the first lady Hon janet museveni (in the eudcation docket) who speaks good things about him to the president.

HON ABDU KATUNTU IN!

In other shock announcements, Abdu Katuntu seems to be  already assured of not only a cabinet post but will emerge as a deputy prime minister replacing a fellow Musoga in Al Hajji Ali Kirunda Kivejinja.

By bringing Katuntu to the fold of government, there is a general feeling that he will have brought intellect and integrity to the NRM government that seems to lack in those aspects.

Hon katuntu , who has been chairman of the COSASE parliamentary committee was a member of the FDC but fell out with its leader Dr Kiiza Besigye.

He has since become a very big critic of kiiza Besigye and has been discussing his way into government,

He is likely to add another docket to his position as deputy premier, either as attorney general or something else.

HON MOSES BALYEJU AND OTHERS

There is also talk of Hon Moses Balyeku coming in as a minister of either trade or something like that.

Balyeku’s appointment is inevitably pulled by the fact that he will be replacing Hon Nabeta who failed to nail down a cabinet position due to lack of academic papers that saw him lose the Jinja east municipality elections.

There other names that are in the pipeline like  Hon Paula Turyahikayo from Rukungiri municipality.

She made herself a name when she defeated HON Winnie Mastiko and and influenced the defeat of Hon jim muhwezi in Rukungiri.

In such circumstances she caught the attention of the appointing authority and the president intends to court Rukungiri by giving her a ministerial position.

Then there is the much talked about rewarding of the togikwatako group that includes the likes of Hon betty Anywar, Hon Rapheal Magyezi ,and Hon Simeo Nsubuga.

Others on the list of possible deployment are Hon Odonga Otto, Hon Sekikuubo , and Hon mohammed Nsereko and Hon Banabas Tinkasimire.

Its also believed that the president is set to drop most of the ex-officios and bring fresh names.

In the next edition we shall navigate where Capt Mike Mukula , Dr Chrispus Kiyonga , Hon Kasule Lumumba , Prof Tanga Odoi , Hon Henry Banyenzaki are set to be deployed

Fred Daka Kamwada Is A Ugandan Blogger And Author

Chat with him kamwadafred@gmail.com

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