{UAH} Uganda: Museveni, Mbabazi in Secret Talks

Uganda: Museveni, Mbabazi in Secret Talks

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• East Africa
• Governance
• Uganda

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Photo: PPU/Daily Monitor

Mending fences. President Museveni (centre) with the First Lady Janet Museveni chat with the former prime minister and NRM secretary general Amama Mbabazi after the 2011 presidential election nominations at Namboole stadium.

By Ivan Okuda

Kampala — President Museveni is reportedly holding secret talks with former presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi with the latter's eldest daughter, Ms Rachel Ciconco, acting as a go-between.

This newspaper understands that overtures for reconciliation between the two have been in the works for several months, including gifting of books, but a decisive meeting on the initiative happened just before Christmas.

In that 9-10pm meeting at State House, Entebbe, on December 23, Ms Ciconco and the President reportedly spoke in detail on possible ways he could reset relationship with Mr Mbabazi after falling out two years ago.

We were unable to speak to Mr Mbabazi directly for this article since our repeated calls to him went unanswered. Ms Ciconco, however, confirmed the latest meeting but declined to give details.

"Yes, I have met the President on several occasions. However, it is bad manners to disclose what one discusses with one's elders," she said.Until a couple of years ago, Mr Museveni and Mr Mbabazi enjoyed personal and political camaraderie spanning four decades.Things began faltering in early 2014 when the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) caucus, in a motion introduced by current State minister for Investment and Privatisation Evelyn Anite, ring-fenced the party's presidential flag bearer slot for the incumbent.

The relationship later hit rock bottom and Mr Mbabazi, then the prime minister and secretary general of NRM, was booted out from both powerful positions.

He stood as an Independent in the 2016 February elections and garnered only 132,574 votes, ending in a distant third position among eight contenders.

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