BIG STORY: Ministers Endure Pressure, Pain as Museveni Misses Cabinet Session

"My boss reached out to the clergy in Rubaga to appeal to the President to spare him in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle," said an aide of a Cabinet minister from Buganda

Pressure continues to mount among Ugandan Ministers as President Museveni polishes the final list of his new Cabinet. 

ChimpReports has learned that President Museveni missed this week’s Cabinet meeting at State House Entebbe, raising more speculation within Cabinet that he is about to crack the whip.

Officials told us that Museveni rarely misses Cabinet sessions held every Monday morning. 

“The President rarely falls sick. He is always with us in the Cabinet. But on Monday (February 12), he did not turn up,” said a source who preferred anonymity to speak freely.

“So, we have senior Ministers who always reach out to him but this time they tried to engage him and he was unreachable,” the source noted, adding, “Cabinet was not even given a good reason for his absence.”

This created an impression that the president is already looking forward to welcoming a new cabinet.

The President’s deputy spokesperson Farouk Kirunda recently called for calm amid public speculation about the impending cabinet reshuffle, saying, “in case the Appointing Authority reshuffles his Cabinet, you will be informed through the official channels.”

Several aides of Ministers we talked to on Friday morning said their bosses have resorted to intense lobbying to stay in Cabinet.

“My boss reached out to the clergy in Rubaga to appeal to the President to spare him in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle,” said an aide of a Cabinet minister from Buganda.

Other Ministers facing the ae are using lobbyists including the president’s friends and relatives to keep them in Cabinet.

“The pressure is really building up in Cabinet,” said a long-serving minister, “because, for sure, we don’t what is coming up next and our constitutents are restless and worried. Being dropped just two years to the 2026 elections can give you a heart attack.”

Rationalisation

In the corridors of power, word is that Museveni is waiting for Parliament to pass Bills aimed at providing for the rationalisation of agencies under four sectors of the country before he can roll out his new Cabinet. 

On February 8, 2024, the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, revealed that the government will table Bills next week aimed at providing for the rationalisation of agencies under four sectors of the country.

The proposed Bills include the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Education Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024 and the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Internal Affairs Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024.

Also to be tabled will be the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Natural Resources and Environment Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024 as well as the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Works and Transport Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024.

The merger of various government institutions will allow Museveni to appoint new Cabinet Ministers with the required capacity to lead them. 

ChimpReports recently reported that a leaked list of new Cabinet Ministers has caused unease at State House.

The list, which had several army officers joining the Cabinet, was reportedly withdrawn by President Museveni over unknown reasons.