{UAH} Is Museveni plotting to crackdown on ‘authoritative’ House Speaker? - News - www.theeastafrican.co.ke
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In January this year, Speaker Kadaga backed out of recalling parliament to debate the mysterious death of Ms Nebanda after President Museveni dared her to do.
After a brief truce, the bitter war of words between Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and Rebecca Kadaga, the Speaker of parliament, has resumed, bringing into the open the continuing rivalries and rifts within the ruling NRM party.
It is a fall out that analysts say only serve to strengthen the position of its chair — Uganda's long-serving President Yoweri Museveni.
On August 8, The Weekly Observer, a tri-weekly, reported that while chairing a Cabinet meeting, Mr Mbabazi reportedly accused Ms Kadaga of taking sides with the opposition in a bid to block the passage of the Public Order Management Bill, two days earlier.
On Tuesday, August 20, Ms Kadaga told parliament how she was dismayed by statements attributed to Mr Mbabazi in connection with her work.
"I think that leaders in this country should acknowledge that we cautiously took a decision to go multiparty, which means there are many parties," she said.
"When I took office after you elected me, I said I will be Speaker for everybody and I want the government to understand that I am," she added.
Ms Kadaga, who leads the ruling party in the eastern region, went so far as to compare Mr Mbabazi with his predecessor Prof Apolo Nsibambi.
She said in 12 years that the former academic led government business in parliament, she had never heard him on radio or any other public forum questioning the Speaker's conduct.
"So, I want the government to understand that we should respect one another," she added.
On Thursday, August 22, the government came out to deny any bad blood between Mr Mbabazi and Ms Kadaga.
"I would like to set the record straight and to state categorically that neither the Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, who is the leader of government business in parliament, nor any other member of Cabinet made such a statement," Richard Todwong, the acting Information Minister, told reporters.
"The prime minister has also indicated that following the publication of the story, he had made several efforts to speak directly to the Speaker to assure her that he had made no such statements but his efforts were not successful and his request to have the Speaker return his call was not honoured," Mr Todwong added.
The two leaders, he said, enjoyed a cordial relationship and respected each other's workspaces.
Godber Tumushabe, a governance specialist and head of ACODE, a policy research and advocacy think tank, told The EastAfrican the real battle is far from being between the two individuals. Rather, "we need to put their differences in the context of President Museveni's overall strategy of stifling the emergence of strong institutions as his primary strategy for regime survival."
As he sees it, "All these actions — approval of Aronda [Nyakairima, as internal security minister], the [mysterious death of young MP Cerinah] Nebanda saga, now enter [the unconstitutional reappointment of Chief Justice Benjamin] Odoki, etc — are designed to frustrate parliament and the judiciary so they don't emerge as alternative and independent power centres."
In January this year, Speaker Kadaga backed out of recalling parliament to debate the mysterious death of Ms Nebanda after President Museveni dared her to do.
In January this year, Speaker Kadaga backed out of recalling parliament to debate the mysterious death of Ms Nebanda after President Museveni dared her to do so.
Last month, parliament approved Gen Nyakairima, a serving army officer, to head the Ministry of Internal Affairs, contravening Article 208(2) of the Constitution. As the public was getting to grips with that, the ruling party on August 6 forced through the Public Order Management Bill, which has drawn widespread criticism.
Soon parliament will vet, and most likely pass Justice Odoki in spite of growing opposition that has drawn in even the Judicial Service Commission, which is charged with recruiting all judicial officers including the Chief Justice.
James Ogoola, the Commission's chair, reportedly said the integrity and powers of JSC would collapse were Justice Odoki reappointed to head the judiciary.
He and three colleagues were appearing before the parliamentary committee on Legal Affairs on Monday, August 19. They asked to meet in camera so they could speak freely.
The Commission's testimony has undoubtedly solidified the case against Justice Odoki's reappointment yet ultimately, as Wilfred Niwagaba, one of four MPs expelled by the NRM in April, noted, it is up to NRM MPs on the Appointments Committee to rise to the occasion.
"If President Museveni gets his way, as indeed he will, then we should forget parliament as we know it. If he wins, what will stop the UPC or DP from expelling its own members whom it has disagreed with?" the Ndorwa County East legislator asked.
There is now an ongoing court battle over the four MPs — Theodore Sekikubo, Muhamad Nsereko, Wilfred Niwagaba and Barnabas Tinkasiimire, whom the NRM expelled over alleged misconduct and indiscipline. It now seeks to throw them out of parliament after the Speaker ruled that expulsion from the party did not automatically lead to loss of seats, much to the chagrin of President Museveni and Mr Mbabazi, the party's secretary general, the lead petitioners in the case.
"If the case goes in his favour, I think Ms Kadaga will either be dumped, and in a bad way, or she will just have to comply with the strongman's wishes. If it goes to the 'rebels,' his entire game plan would have to be changed to deal with an emboldened group of MPs.
That's why he is leaving no stone unturned," noted Mr Tumushabe.
In justifying Mr Odoki's reappointment, President Museveni said it was a way for the country to maximise its human resources. But sources engaged with this issue have said the ultimate reason he got his job back is to see off the "Gang of Four," who are expected to appeal the Constitutional Court ruling whenever it is delivered.
"He is more trusted to set a precedent that parties can send home their Members of Parliament through internal procedures because it will finally give whoever controls NRM the power to control members and with it the outcome of future events," said an associate of Mr Mbabazi on condition of anonymity.
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