Prime
Namuganza to take on Kadaga for NRM top seat
What you need to know:
- The matters were later subjected to the Committee on Rules, Discipline and Privileges at Parliament and Ms Namuganza was found to be guilty of ‘false offensive and derogatory statements’ against Speaker Kadaga.
The State minister for Lands and also Bukono County Member of Parliament (MP), Ms Persis Namuganza, yesterday picked nomination forms from National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) electoral commission headquarters in Kampala to challenge Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, in the race for the position of the second national vice chairperson, Female in the NRM top leadership.
After securing the forms, Ms Namuganza revealed that her coming is premised on the need to have youth represented in the top leadership so that the party is popularised among the youth.
“The young people should feel [that] they have space in their party. And why are they running away from the party and joining these pressure groups? I want to emphasise and strengthen the grassroots mobilisation of the NRM among the young people. My time of coming in is now. It cannot be later,” Ms Namuganza told the media.
She also took a swipe at the ‘elders’ in the NRM saying they need to create room for the young like her and retreat to performing the advisory role.
“Yes, the elders are still there. Yes, they should continue to advise us and guide us but in these positions, we also must be in. They [elders] can be in the backyard and guide us,” she said.
“So I feel like that by taking and raising our voices in the highest organ of decision making in the party, which is CEC [Central Executive Committee], I feel like it will help the young people to feel happy and confident that they are in NRM and take it forward,” she added.
This, therefore, implies she is the first candidate to take on Ms Kadaga for the said position. Without specifics, Ms Namuganza stressed that her coming does not in any way reflect disregard for those that have been in leadership.
“I am not saying our coming disregards our elders as those that may be competent, no. I am saying as young people, I feel like this is the time to take on the mantle and build the party and strengthen it,” Ms Namuganza said.
Ms Kadaga picked nomination forms on Tuesday and indicated that she would also be interested in returning to Parliament.
Bitter history?
Ms Namuganza and Ms Kadaga are said to have a bitter background, which stems back to March 2018 when she launched an attack on the Speaker accusing her of interfering in cultural matters of Bukono when she presided over the installation of a chief in Bukono County in Namutumba District.
She later accused the Speaker for personally being responsible for the under-development in the Busoga Sub-region and had also claimed that the Speaker had threatened to harm or kill her.
The matters were later subjected to the Committee on Rules, Discipline and Privileges at Parliament and Ms Namuganza was found to be guilty of ‘false offensive and derogatory statements’ against Speaker Kadaga.
