A section of MPs representing voters in Buganda region have rejected the latest move by their counterparts in the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) to form a parallel caucus within their body, saying the move is contrary to the interests of Buganda region.
This is after Rogers Mulindwa, the Senior Manager, Information, Communication & Public Relations at the NRM Secretariat revealed that the NRM caucus currently camping at the National Leadership Institute-Kyankwanzi had elected office bearers to coordinate Party activities among themselves in Parliament.
According to the press statement, the committee would also be tasked to lobby programs and projects from Government to benefit the entire Buganda Kingdom and liaise with Mengo establishment to give support to Kingdom programs set to benefit the Region.
Mulindwa said that the MPs on Sunday evening harmoniously reached the position to have Kabula Constituency Legislator James Kakooza as their Chairperson. He literally replaces Mukono South MP, Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga (in featured photo), who has been the Chairperson of Buganda Parliamentary Caucus.
He will be deputised by Nakaseke South lawmaker, Syda Bbumba, who replaces Sarah Nakawunde, the Mpigi Woman MP.
The caucus had elected the two earlier on.
In the new appointments, Bukoto South MP, Muyanja Mbabaali was elected as Treasurer replacing David Kalwanga, the Busujju County MP, while Kasozi Muyomba, the Bukoto Mid-West MP comes in as the General Secretary and Simeo Nsubuga from Kasanda South was voted Publicity Secretary.
The statement further stated that Government Chief Whip and Kiboga District Woman Representative Ruth Nankabirwa was voted as an Ex-Official on the Committee while Bukuya MP Dr. Michael Bukenya was elected as a Committee Member while Sam Kuteesa was elected as caucus Patron.
However, reacting to the news at Parliament today, Nakaseke South MP, Paul Lutamaguzi Ssemakula said that the decision by some Buganda caucus members didn’t surprise him because whenever MPs go to Kyankwanzi, they are easily excited especially when they see President Museveni to the extent that some of them are even ready to surrender their knowledge to the party chairman.
“You can’t tell me we have a fully constituted parliamentary Buganda caucus and then you elect a parallel organ. Some of the new members elected in that Buganda caucus are some of the most excited people we have who are seeking to be recognized and rewarded with ministerial posts,” said Lutamaguzi.
He added that whereas the current Buganda caucus could have had its limitations, this shouldn’t have given their fellow members to form a parallel body.
“Our Buganda caucus wasn’t elected from Kyankwanzi; it wouldn’t have warranted them to go and cook their own caucus to get the attention of President Museveni. It undermines the integrity of the people we put in parliament. Who told them that Buganda caucus is a subject of NRM in Kyankwanzi? I think what took them to Kyankwanzi should have been something broader than Buganda caucus,” Lutamaguzi added.
Moses Kasibante, the Rubaga North MP has also rejected the new leadership team and called for disciplinary action against all members who supported the move, saying they are working at turning the caucus into President Yoweri Museveni’s property, yet this isn’t part of the interest of the region.
He described the move as an attempt to cede from the rest of Buganda caucus because a caucus within a caucus has to be approved by the main caucus, saying the region doesn’t have anything called Buganda NRM Parliamentary Caucus.
“This is an attempt to do a condescension which we can’t allow. We have to convene and see how to discipline these errant members and we must expel from the leadership of the caucus, we can’t just look on as some people are ceding from interests of Buganda,” Kasibante said.
Kasibante also questioned to motive behind the plan pointing out that it isn’t only Buganda NRM members who are Musevenists who are carrying the ideology of carrying Musevenism within the country there are those from busoga, ankole and but there haven’t been any caucus.
“Why is it only for Buganda? We know many of them haven’t been for the interest of Buganda, but this is formally them declaring they are against the interest of Buganda and they can’t be part of Buganda. They are becoming errant members of Buganda masquerading behind their constituencies,” said Kasibante.
