NRM CRISIS DEEPENS Museveni Cancels Trip To Saudi Arabia

The crisis in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has deepened with President Yoweri Museveni cancelling his trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which was slated for this week.
Museveni has instead opted to stay at home in order to have enough time to continue with his consultative meetings with different NRM leaders from around the country, focusing on NRM’s continued loss in parliamentary by-elections and appointment of new party secretary general.
A few days back, Museveni told NRM mobilisers from Central region led by Al-Hajji Abdul Nadduli that he will be appointing his own secretary general to do special mobilisation for the ruling party.
He explained that one of the reasons why his party is losing more parliamentary by-elections is because the current secretary general, Amama Mbabazi is very busy with additional work as Prime Minister.
So far, President Museveni has met several NRM mobilisers and continues to do so at State House, Entebbe with the view of finding lasting solutions to the continued party meltdown.
Among the by-elections NRM has lost include that of Bukoto South, Lwengo District; Kasese District Woman MP, Jinja Municipality East, Entebbe Municipality, Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality and Luwero Woman MP seat. In Lwengo District, NRM’s John Alintuma Nsambu lost to DP candidate Mathias Nsubuga, FDC’s Winfred Kizza defeated NRM’s Rehema Muhindo in Kasese, Igema Nabeta of NRM lost to Paul Mwiru of FDC in Jinja East, DP’s Brenda Nabukenya defeated NRM’s Rebecca Nalwanga in Luwero and Odo Tayebwa of FDC defeated Nasser Bassajjabalaba for Bushenyi-Ishaka seat.
The only by election, NRM has so far won was that of Busiro North in which Prof. Gilbert Bukenya defeated DP’s candidate. Interestingly in that race, Museveni or his party machinery never went to Busiro to campaign for the former Vice President.
Information available shows that Bukenya told Museveni not to do so. Mahogany was then very furious over his jailing for some days at Luzira Prison on allegations of corruption and misuse of office.
In turning down the Saudi Arabian Invitation and also delegating his Vice President, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, to represent him on Youth Day celebrations at Kabale on Sunday, Museveni is continuing to concentrate on his party meetings which he commenced two weeks back.
Museveni started off by meeting Buganda region mobilisers who were led by Luwero District Chairman Al Hajji Abdul Nadduli. He was accompanied by among others, former ICT state minister John Alintuma Nsambu. In that meeting, Museveni and the Buganda delegation reflected on the ruling party loss in Bukoto South, Lwengo district by-election.
After the above meeting, Museveni again, met NRM leaders at sub county level from Central region. The meeting was also held at State House, Entebbe last Thursday.
However, the meeting didn’t come up with resolutions after Museveni was told that some members who are not leaders at sub-county level were smuggled into the meeting by a top minister from Central region.
In fact, because no resolutions were reached at, members resorted to the begging spree. Among these were former Mpigi District Chairman, Levi Zzimbe, Ian Kyeyune and Vincent Semakula Settuba. The President promised to hold another meeting for sub county NRM leaders on December 3rd at National Leadership School, Kyankwanzi were serious resolutions would be considered.

Later on Friday, Museveni met NRM leaders from Butambala district. Again the meeting was held at State House, Entebbe. Among the attendants was NRM National Vice Chairman Al haji Moses Kigongo. The meeting focused on strategies the ruling party can base on in order to win the impending parliamentary by election in Butambala where Hon. Faisal Kikulukunyu (NRM) will face off DP’s Muwanga Kivumbi and independent candidate Nooh Bukenya.

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Probable New Secretary General

In all the above meetings, Museveni maintains that having a new and full time Secretary General will help the party improve on its mobilization and bolstering more support. Insiders reveal that Museveni has eight names he is yet to choose from the next Secretary General.

Moses Byaruhanga
Byaruhanga is the senior presidential advisor on political affairs. His name is making several rounds within the corridors of power as the likely choice for the NRM top job. He is considered ideologically straight and highly trusted by the President given the successful previous tasks he has performed.
Actually, he is considered a king maker within State House given the way he recommended Bukenya to the President for the post of Vice President and it worked out. Interestingly when Bukenya fell out with Byaruhanga it marked the beginning of Mahogany’s fall from the number two office in the country.
During the previous presidential elections, Byaruhanga was part of the inner team that drafted NRM manifesto. In addition, he is the president’s man when it comes to nominating persons for RDC jobs. During the last elections, he did a tremendous job to evict opposition FDC from Teso sub region. Insiders at State House say that Byaruhanga always partnered with NAADS Director Dr. Agreey Kyobuguzi in the above sub region to dissuade FDC supporters. They eventually joined the ruling party and voted President Museveni. Therefore, Byaruhanga is the leading candidate Museveni may appoint as the next Secretary General.

Ruhakana Rugunda
The second name which is considered for next Secretary General is that of Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. Insiders note that Museveni may appoint Rugunda in order not to offend Bakiga that the president removed their own tribesman, Mbabazi. Actually, during the last by election campaigns in Kasese, Museveni tasked Rugunda to camp there in order to campaign for the NRM candidate.

Nyombi Thembo
ICT State Minister Nyombi Thembo is the other person linked for the Secretary General Job. Last week, when NRM Vice Chairman consulted his friends on the person they wished to become the new Secretary General, they kept mentioning Moses Byaruhanga several times and Thembo as the second choice. Interestingly, Thembo looks uncomfortable at his ICT docket. During the President’s last week meeting with leaders from Buganda sub region at State House, Thembo was heard lobbying the NRM leaders to tell the President that he is the best person to serve again as Luwero Triangle Minister.

Specioza Kazibwe
The former Vice President is also considered a contender. Kazibwe’s shortcoming is the alleged corruption case over micro finances funds which she faced sometime back.

Ruth Nankabirwa
Nankabirwa is the State Minister in charge of Fisheries. During last week’s meeting between Museveni and NRM leaders at State House, Nankabirwa was openly lobbying these leaders to urge the President to appoint her for the slot.

Mulindwa Birimumaso
Birimumaso is the senior Presidential advisor in charge of Buganda region. This Russian KGB trained retired Captain is currently in good books with the President considering the way he is defending his government through his opinion letters. Actually, his mobilization skills have endeared him most to the big man from Rwakitura. Birimumaso proved his mobilization skills during the Lwengo by elections because Alintuma Nsambu managed to win the sub county where Birimumaso hails and specifically campaigned from.

How Mbabazi Won SG Job

In 2005, Mbabazi then Security Minister won the highly contested election for post of secretary general of NRM. Over 15,000 delegates gathered at Namboole stadium. They first endorsed President Museveni as the party’s flag-bearer for the February 2011 presidential elections. Results announced by then NRM electoral commission chairperson, Felicitus Magomu, at 2:05am showed Mbabazi had won a landslide victory, with 5,694 votes. Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire came second with 1,256, while then Vice-President Prof. Gilbert Bukenya got 903. Other contenders Elijah Mushemeza and Lwemiyaga MP Theodore Sekikuubo polled 197 and 23 votes respectively. Hitherto unknown Apollo Kibira got 41. Dorothy Hyuha retained the deputy secretary general post after polling 3,754 votes, beating Rose Namayanja who got 3,039.
Sam Engola beat six opponents to take the post of northern region vice-chairperson. Matayo Kyaligonza retained the seat of vice-chairperson for the western region. He competed against MP Chris Baryomunsi and Charles Asiimwe. Singh Katongole kept his seat of deputy national treasurer, after beating MP Henry Banyenzaki, Dr. Noah Byenkya, Stephen Masinde and Davidson Serunjogi. Karamoja region elected its first female vice-chairperson, Janet Okorimoe.

The acrimonious poll was characterized by accusations of manipulation, vote rigging and nepotism. Candidates traded accusations at each other, forcing the party chairman, President Museveni, to intervene time and again during their campaign speeches.

Otafiire, Bukenya, Ssekikubo and Mushemeza accused Mbabazi of failing to run the NRM secretariat, messing up the primary elections, employing his family in party positions, not being accessible and scrambling for so many positions in the government and in the party. The heat was turned on when Otafiire accused Mbabazi and the NRM electoral commission of rigging the process by failing to avail the candidates with the register of delegates. Otafiire also said the genuine delegates had been locked out and the wrong ones allowed in.
“Those contesting for positions are the same ones organising the elections. How free is this process?”he asked. Waving two different accreditation cards, Otafiire asked Museveni: “Which of these cards will be used?” One of the cards contained names and bore photos of the holder and the other had no identification.
He said Mbabazi had paid delegates less allowances than they were supposed to receive.

Earlier, Mbabazi had reported to Museveni that a candidate was maligning his name by alleging that he had pocketed part of the allowances. “I was the one who said it and I am going to repeat it here that delegates got less money than they were supposed to receive,” said Otafiire. Ssekikubo accused Mbabazi of placing his family members to run the delegates conference. “It can’t be a party of one family, wife on women’s league and daughter as head of youth. We need clean hands to lead the party. I have clean hands,” said Ssekikubo.

Mbabazi vehemently denied that he had pocketed the delegates’ allowances, saying Otafiire was simply uninformed. Magomu had an uphill task explaining to the candidates that the register was genuine and no rigging would take place. “We are going to use the registers and not the cards around their necks. We have asked the district chairpersons and administrative secretaries of each district to go through the register and they have confirmed that those are their delegates”.