{UAH} CABINET RESHUFFLE FOCUSES ON PROPAGANDA AND THE YOUTH

CABINET RESHUFFLE FOCUSES ON PROPAGANDA AND THE YOUTH

The recent cabinet reshuffle by Museveni was a mere change of guards aimed at fostering his life presidency scheme. He has repeatedly stated that he has personal control of the security forces and the national treasury - the main pillars of his life presidency scheme. That is why he did not touch on the the Defence and Internal Affairs ministries but simply replaced the independent minded Minister of Finance Maria Kiwanuka with his sycophant Matia Kasaija in order to consolidate his grip on control of the budgeting process and borrowing. 

In the same regard the Ministry of Security is kind of scrapped. This is a ministry whose functions and structures have never been clearly defined. Council (NSC) and the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). The National Security Council Act of 2000 CAP 301 empowers the President to delegate the Minister to chair the NSC. Since its enactment NSC in its original form rarely convenes but instead it is its technical committee, the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) that has been active to some extent. The last time this ministry was vibrant is when it was headed by Amama Mbabazi who basing on his security management background ably coordinated the activities of security organs by chairing the JIC. However according to Museveni, Mbabazi used this position to build his own network within security services. It is this ministry that during the reign of Amama Mbabazi initiated the draconian laws pertaining to public order management and the interception of private communication. The Act establishes District Security committees and Sub-county intelligence committees with a Secretariat in the President's Office. The Act further empowers the President to appoint a Secretary who is the level of the a Permanent Secretary to head the Secretariat.

When Museveni created the Office of Coordinator of Intelligence Services purposely as a means of containing Gen. Ssejusa, it looked as though it was a the intelligence agencies coordinating secretariat, but instead it s after Gen. Scraped when Ssejusa fell out with the system. With the proliferation of intelligence agencies more especially the introduction of new ones under Gen Kayihura and SFG coupled by mistrust engulfing the traditional intelligence agencies, the Ministry of Security, NSC and JIC becomes irrelevant. Given the situation on the ground, Museveni prefers each security agency to operate and report to him separately thus no need of a coordinating ministry. Therefore the appointment of Mary Karooro as Security Minister is some kind of rendering her redundant or to say the least the head of a non functional NSC Secretariat. On the other hand, Mary Karooro is in good books with the  'inner circle' and will make a good spokesperson of the regime on security issues and SFG which is now the lead security agency. 

For the long serving Internal Security Organisation (ISO) operative Muruli Mukasa, his moving to the Ministry responsible for Labor and Youth affairs is timely morn especially at a time when the life presidency project is struggling to tame the growing dissent by the youth over high levels of unemployment. The opposition is also to win over the youth in its much anticipated mass action as the last resort. Therefore the issue of youths is a security issue that needs a security expert like Muruli Mukasa to handle. The appointment of the youthful Evelyn Anite to the youth docket is just a smoke screen for the wider security consideration under Muruli Mukasa. Therefore, Muruli Mukasa is the right person in the right place except that it may be too late.

The appointment of Gen Jim Muhweezi to the Information and National Guidance Ministry is timely. Here the information docket means that the Gen is becoming the Spokesperson or Chief Propagandist of the life presidency project. As information minister he will coordinate the flow of information pertaining to the regime. He will streamline the outflow of information from different core sectors like Defence, Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Finance etc. He will work closely with the Spokespersons of the Ministries of Defence and Internal Affairs (Col Paddy Ankunda and his by design namesake Pamella Ankunda respectively) respectively and the Uganda Media Center. He will use his intelligence background to tame the remaining resemblance of independent press/media houses. Hw will prevail over and reinforce the Uganda Communication Commission to stifle media freedom and independent media houses. He will at all cost promote Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) as the top regime propaganda machinery. He will apply his intelligence background and through the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) intensify private electronic communication monitoring. In other words, he is taking the security aspect to the Information Ministry as part and parcel of the wider Militarisation scheme.

As for national guidance, Gen Muhweezi is now becoming the regime's chief ideologist since the ladies and gentlemen who were recently placed at the helm of the NRM-O party are late comers thus mere figure heads. Gen Muhweezi is not only a historical but an insider and member of the Museveni family rule who will ideologically steer the life presidency project to success.

INFORMATION IS POWER

Posted by Uganda - A Change of Guards! a

Viele GruBe

Robukui

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