Museveni, reshuffles, Cabinet

 

By MERCY NALUGO

In Summary

Jim Muhwezi comes back as Information minister and new entrant David Bahati is state minister for Planning.

Kampala- President Museveni yesterday reshuffled his Cabinet retaining his newly appointed Prime Minister, Dr Ruhankana Rugunda, and the Vice President, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, but dropped Finance minister Maria Kiwanuka and Attorney General Peter Nyombi.

In his new Cabinet line-up, the President also rewarded his political allies who worked tirelessly to sanctify his NRM sole Presidential candidature.

Key among these is Ms Evelyn Anite, the Northern Uganda Youth MP and Ndorwa East MP David Bahati. Anite and Bahati will serve as state ministers for Youth and Planning respectively.

Ms Anite moved the Museveni sole candidate motion during the NRM retreat last year and knelt to beg the President to seek re-election.

The President also appointed the Rujumbura County MP, Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi as Information minister.
Gen Muhwezi is former minister of health who was in charge of security at the December 15 NRM delegates conference in Namboole that technically fired former prime minister Amama Mbabazi as NRM Secretary General.

According to the list issued by State House yesterday afternoon, the President replaced Ms Kiwanuka with her junior, Mr Matia Kasaija, as full minister for Finance and Nyombi’s deputy Fred Ruhindi has been promoted to Attorney General.

And while Ms Kiwanuka would continue serving as senior presidential adviser for Finance in Bretton Woods Institutions (World Bank and IMF), Mr Nyombi, an ardent supporter of the NRM party, who has been criticised for some controversial decisions as chief government legal adviser, was left jobless.

Outgoing Youth minister Ronald Kibuule was transferred to the Ministry of Water as state minister replacing Ms Betty Bigombe, who resigned from Cabinet last year to take on a World Bank job.

Those retained include; First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni as minister for Karamoja Affairs, Mr Henry Kajura as First Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Public Service and Gen Moses Ali as Second Deputy Prime Minister.

According to the statement, the Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the East African Affairs position remains vacant. It has been vacant since March 2013 when Eria Kategaya died.
New entrants to his Cabinet who have not been on the political scene are; Prof Tokodri Tagboa, former deputy vice chancellor at Makerere University, named state minister for Higher Education.
The president announced he had restructured the Ministry of Education and Sports to the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology.

The former LC5 chairperson of Kisoro, Mr Philemon Mateke,92, is now minister of state for Regional Affairs.