President Museveni chairs the meeting of the NRM Central Executive Committee at State House Entebbe on June 18, 2024. PHOTO/PPU
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) yesterday met at State House Entebbe to discuss the selection of the new chairpersons of the 15 different sectoral committees of Parliament and their deputies.
During the meeting that was chaired by President Museveni who is the party’s national chairperson, different committee chairpersons were dropped and replaced by new ones.
The committees include Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Defence and Internal Affairs, East African Community Affairs, Education and Sports, Environment and Natural Resources, Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Foreign Affairs and Gender, Labour and Social Development.
Others are Health, Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Presidential Affairs, Public Service and Local Government, Tourism, Trade and Industry, and Physical Infrastructure.
Sources who attended the meeting told this publication that different chairpersons and their deputies, among them Budiope East MP Moses Hashim Magogo, who was heading the ICT and National Guidance Committee, and Mbarara South Division MP Mwine Mpaka who was chairing the Tourism, Trade and Industry Committee, have been dropped.
Others are, according to the sources, the chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Committee, Ms Robina Gureme Rwakoojo, and her embattled deputy, Bunyole East MP Yusuf Mutembuli. Mr Mutembuli, who is currently in prison battling corruption charges, was replaced by Bugabula North County MP John Teira.
Lira District Woman MP Agnes Linda Auma was replaced by her Mubende District counterpart Hope Nakazibwe as the deputy chairperson of the Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Committee.
Ayivu East Division MP Geofrey Feta was appointed as the chairperson of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, replacing Budaama County’s Dr Emmanuel Otaala.
Some of the dropped parliament committee lawmaker leaders belonging to NRM party. L-R: MPs Dan Kimosho, Moses Magogo, Robinah Rwakoojo and Mwine Mpaka while inset is Flavia Kabahenda and Ojara Mapenduzi. PHOTO/COMBO
Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua is expected to present the full list of dropped chairpersons, deputies, and their replacements.
Appointees are expected to go through a rigorous process to weed out what sources called “bad apples”.
Parliament, which had been destined to sit yesterday, was called off at the last minute to enable CEC to hold the meeting which Speaker Anita Among also attended.
The House is expected to sit today with four items on the Order Paper, with the most important one being the designation of members to sectoral committees following Rule 187 and 188 of the Rules of Procedure, which has been allocated 30 minutes.
In attendance
Video footage shared by State House shows Mr Museveni chairing the meeting where different NRM officials, including National Vice Chairperson Moses Kigongo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Secretary General Richard Todwong, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Affairs Rebecca Kadaga, Information Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi, Mr Obua, former premier Ruhakana Rugunda, chairperson of NRM Electoral Commission Tanga Odoi, Security Minister Jim Muhwezi, were in attendance.
NRM spokesperson Emmanuel Dombo told NTV yesterday that the appointment was in line with a resolution that was taken by CEC in 2021.
“A resolution was taken in 2021 that all the members who have served two consecutive terms or others who were lucky to have served three because the CE did not sit in the previous resignations, will be rotated purely because it is a decision that CEC took in 2021,” Mr Dombo said.
Mr Museveni, sources said, reiterated his determination to fight corruption, and commented on the violent rearrest of the Busiki MP Paul Akamba at court on Friday after being granted bail.
Mr Mutembuli and Lwengo District Woman MP Cissy Namujju were arrested last week and arraigned before court where they were charged with corruption. Mr Akamba who had secured the bail on Friday last week, was rearrested by security operatives and driven to an unknown destination.
The remaining duo were on Monday committed to the High Court where they will battle the charges. CEC earlier sat on Tuesday last week and was chaired by Mr Kigongo to discuss the same matter which differed the sitting to yesterday.
Meanwhile, sources quoted President Museveni as saying that the issue of commissioners and service awards will be discussed on another day because it requires enough time.
Mr Dombo told NMG last evening that CEC is expected to reconvene in about two weeks to consider that topic.
“The Government Chief Whip guided the members of the NRM to comply with the rules and regulations of the party, which direct that such a matter of such magnitude ought to be discussed internally in the party as a common position agreed before any censure motion is moved or before members could append their signatures,” he said.
