Oulanyah hands over office, Kadaga retains privileges after dissolving parliament
May 20, 2021 Jacob Oulanyah hands over office
Even after dissolving parliament and taking oath for the sixth term as Kamuli Woman MP, Rebecca Kadaga still enjoys the benefits of a speaker of parliament.
Although she is driven in a car with a private number plate, the rest of the cars in her convoy all have parliamentary registration number plates. Kadaga also still maintains her security detail made of about 20 police officers belonging to the Very-Very Important Persons (VVIP) protection Unit.
Some of the members of the parliamentary media team were also part of her entourage as she appeared before the NRM Electoral Commission along Kyadondo Road in Kampala on Wednesday afternoon to submit letters expressing interest in contesting for speaker of the 11th parliament.
This point has also been made several times by Ofwono Opondo, the executive director of the Uganda Media Centre. Opondo is one of the few NRM senior officials who have not hidden their consternation for Kadaga and her style of politics.
CEC has at least 24 members, but according to people familiar with its work, the overwhelming majority of them are not Kadaga fans. These include Ruth Nankabirwa, the government Chief Whip, Lydia Wanyoto, the Women League chairperson, Kahinda Otafire, a special nominee, Godfrey Kiwanda, Justine Kasule Lumumba the secretary-general and Jacob Oulanyah, the vice-chairman Northern Region.
“The only persons I know who are Kadaga supporters are Mike Mukula [vice chairman Eastern], Dr Tanga Odoi [chairman Electoral Commission, and Haji Moses Kigongo [National vice-chairman. And she’s acutely aware of how unpopular she is. That’s why you have seen her previously castigating CEC and saying it has no role to play in the selection of the speaker,” the
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Last week, the party formed a five-member committee to research and find out the right candidate to endorse for the race.
However, there are reports that the committee reportedly headed by the party secretary general David Rubongoya, is denying some members from expressing their interest in the race.
However speaking to KFM, the Party spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi says the claims are false and baseless as he explains.
The speakership race has so far attracted four candidates including the incumbent Rebecca Kadaga, her deputy Jacob Oulanyah both from NRM, FDC’s Ssemujju Nganda and DP’s Richard Ssebamala.
Also indicating their intention to run are Democratic Party s Richard Ssebamala and MP-elect for Bukoto Central and Rakai Woman MP Juliet Kinyamatama (NRM). According to the order of precedence, the vice president is the second most important person in Uganda after the president. The speaker is the head of the second arm of government; the legislature is number three in Uganda s pecking order.
But Kadaga who has occupied the seat for now 10 years, says being number two, one has to work under someone else while being number three; you are a boss of the second arm of government. You also risk being sacked any time of the president’s choosing.