Prime
Museveni calls NRM delegates
Prof Khiddu Makubuya (C), the former Attorney General, and other NRM party members attend the National Conference at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, in Kampala last year. File photo
What you need to know:
Expected. The conference is expected to give Mr Museveni powers to appoint a Secretary General.
KAMPALA: President Museveni has announced the date for the NRM National Conference to discuss ways of defusing growing tension in the party.
The conference will be held on December 15 at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, and will be attended by more than 10,000 delegates.
In a notice announcing the conference, the President, who is also the NRM chairman, said he will deliver his speech to the delegates.
A report by the acting secretary general, Ms Dorothy Hyuha, will be presented, followed by discussions.
The President also said thereafter the delegates will debate and adopt the proposed amendments to the NRM party constitution.
The meeting comes hardly two weeks after the substantive Secretary General Amama Mbabazi went on leave following a fallout with the President.
Fallout
The President sacked Mbabazi as prime minister on September 18, ostensibly over perceived presidential ambitions. However, Mr Museveni later told BBC he could not tolerate Mbabazi because he had been engaged in divisive activities.
The upcoming delegates’ conference is expected to trim powers of the secretary general and give the chairman more powers over control of the party through proposed amendments.
The amendments are expected to provide for the appointment of a bureaucratic secretary general.
“Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the National Conference of the National Resistance Movement party will be held on Monday of 15 December at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole in Kampala commencing at 10am,” read the notice signed by Mr Museveni and sent to Daily Monitor yesterday.
The National Delegates Conference is the NRM’s top decision making body that brings together national vice chairpersons, MPs, party chairpersons at all levels, the historical members and flag bearers.
While details of the conference agenda remain scanty, sources inside NRM told Daily Monitor the party will amend the constitution to scrap the position of an elected secretary general so that the prerogative to appoint one is vested with the party chairperson.
If this is approved, Mr Mbabazi is likely to be kicked out as the NRM secretary general. The vice chairperson of the NRM Parliamentary Caucus, Mr David Bahati, confirmed yesterday that the conference would debate the position of secretary general and take a position.
Can the delegates sack mbabazi?
The NRM deputy spokesperson, Mr Ofwono Opondo, says: “There are general concerns by some members that the position of secretary general be made a full time job.” However, he dismisses reports that Mr Mbabazi will be replaced immediately after the delegates conference. He says office term of the current party leadership expires in 2015.
“The meeting is not aimed at dismissing Mbabazi. That cannot be and the delegates can only suggest that a future secretary general be appointed,” he says.
However, constitutional lawyers say it is possible for the delegates conference to dismiss Mbabazi from the NRM.
“The delegates conference has powers,” says Mr Ladislaus Rwakafuzi, senior lawyer in constitutionalism and human rights.
Mr Nicholas Opiyo, a lawyer and political analyst, believes that while the NRM is at liberty to expel whoever they think is deviant from the party line, any such amendment could attract legal challenges.
Mr Peter Walubiri, another constitutional lawyer, says he could not comment much because he had not yet read and internalised the NRM constitution.
However, Mr Opondo says the conference will also discuss a proposal to compel all NRM party leaders who intend to contest for national offices to pay a nominal fee to the party and party members to pay an annual subscription fee.
