No power vacuum even if I die - Museveni

President Museveni 

By BILL OKETCH & ELIZABETH ALABA

In Summary

The President made the remarks during the memorial service of the late Mzee Stanley Okello and Ms Manjeri Okello at Arwotnyap, Dokolo Town Council in Dokolo District on Tuesday.

Dokolo- President Museveni has said there will be no power vacuum if he died while still in office. The president said National Resistance Movement (NRM), the ruling party, has instituted “scientific” mechanisms to ensure no void occurs.

“The people have been saying …you know… when the old man dies, when Museveni dies, what will happen? Who will lead Uganda? Oh poor people!” the President said. “Those who are worried about (what will happen to) Uganda should not develop high blood pressure. You should just concentrate on fighting poverty. Other things will work out themselves,” he added.

The President made the remarks during the memorial service of the late Mzee Stanley Okello and Ms Manjeri Okello at Arwotnyap, Dokolo Town Council in Dokolo District on Tuesday. The deceased were parents of the Director of Criminal Investigations Intelligence Department (CIID), Assistant Inspector General of Police Grace Akullo.

The President insisted that his successor must pass a litmus test that he can perform. “The NRM is a scientific organisation. We just put a yardstick here. Anybody who can do this is welcome. You put a professional standard. In the army, those army officers all go through examinations. There is no promotion based on you…no.”

Mr Museveni directed the army officers implementing the wealth creation programme, the successor of Naads, in Lango to serve NRM members first as citizens who prescribe to other political parties wait for their turn.

“NRM [leaders] should be the first beneficiaries so that they become examples to others in chasing poverty,” the President directed Col Bosco Omure, the wealth creation regional coordinator.

The Oyengo-gweng clan members thanked the President for appointing their daughter Ms Akullo and others to key government positions. They gave him one cow and goat, which symbolises their love for the President.

Ms Akullo saluted the President, who is the Commander in Chief, for appointing her Director of CIID. “If you did not have trust you could not have appointed me. This is not anything we can take for granted that we are employed,” Ms Akullo said.

Dokolo County MP, Felix Okot Ogong said if NRM wants to fetch overwhelming support in 2016 general elections, the government should upgrade Dokolo Health Centre IV to a district hospital and construct secondary schools in all the six sub-counties in the district.

However, there was a drama in the middle of the programme when the master of ceremony suggested that the Dokolo District chairman John Baptist Okello Okello should address the gathering before the arrival of the President.
Hundreds of visitors and family friends refused this. They argued that it would make no sense for the district chairman to talk before the arrival of the chief guest to raise some “vital issues.” However, Mr Okello-Okello never got a chance to speak when the President arrived.

North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Mr Manshur Suwed who was one of the masters of ceremony, said: “This is a family function and we would not want a kind of a rally to overrun it.”

However, the State minister in-charge Northern Uganda, Ms Rebecca Amuge Otengo, acknowledged that the Dokolo district chairman who is from Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) was one of the best performing district leaders in the country.

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