Ex-MP Ssemujju Opposes First Lady Interfacing with Appointments Committee Online

The education minister, Janet Museveni releasing UHPAB results

KAMPALA – The First Lady and Minister-designate for Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, is expected to appear before Parliament’s Appointments Committee for vetting via Zoom on Tuesday after not appearing before the committee on Monday as earlier scheduled.

On the list of 46 appointees scheduled for vetting on Monday, Mrs. Museveni was number five on the first page that showed several other ministers and the Deputy Chief Justice, Kazibwe Moses Kawumi. But the day concluded without the education minister and the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Nobert Mao.

Sources within Parliament told our reporter that Mrs Museveni, who has been reappointed to lead the Education and Sports ministry, is among the ministers-designate expected to interact with the committee remotely. The Appointments Committee began vetting President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s cabinet nominees on Monday and is expected to conclude the exercise on Tuesday.

The planned virtual appearance has already drawn criticism from some opposition figures who argue that cabinet nominees should physically appear before Parliament.

Former Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda questioned the arrangement in a post on X.

“Hon Janet Kataha Museveni once again requested to be vetted on Zoom but committee members objected. Speaker Oboth-Oboth tried twice to persuade members but failed. We are waiting to see what happens today; whether they are once again willing to bend the rules to accommodate Museveni family rule. For the entire five years, 2021-26, Kataha never stepped in Parliament,” Ssemujju wrote.

If approved by the committee, Mrs Museveni will continue at the helm of the Education and Sports Ministry, a position she has held since June 2016 when she replaced former minister Jessica Alupo in President Museveni’s cabinet. Her reappointment means she will have led the ministry for more than 10 years.

Mrs Museveni’s tenure has coincided with some of the most significant changes in Uganda’s education sector in recent years.

Among the notable initiatives under her leadership was the rollout of the revised lower secondary curriculum in 2020, which shifted learning from content-based teaching to competence-based education. The ministry also oversaw reforms in assessment through the introduction of continuous assessment at O-Level.

Her tenure also saw increased government investment in technical and vocational education institutions, expansion of seed secondary schools in underserved areas, and the implementation of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the prolonged closure and eventual reopening of schools.

The ministry further championed digital learning initiatives and reforms aimed at improving teacher training and supervision, while Uganda’s sports sector registered successes on the international stage, including improved performances in athletics.

Despite the reforms, the education sector continues to face major challenges including overcrowded classrooms in Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) schools, inadequate infrastructure, teacher absenteeism, and low learning outcomes, particularly in rural areas.

The sector also continues to grapple with high school dropout rates, especially among girls, limited funding compared to growing enrolment numbers, and persistent disparities between public and private schools.

Questions have also been raised about the effectiveness of implementing the new lower secondary curriculum, with teachers and schools citing inadequate training and limited instructional materials.

In higher education, concerns remain over graduate unemployment and whether institutions are producing skills that match labour market demands.

During her tenure, the sports sector has delivered steller performance with track and long distance atheletes repeatedly beating the world.

Mrs Museveni’s expected appearance before the Appointments Committee comes amid renewed scrutiny of ministerial accountability and engagement with Parliament.

While critics have point to her limited appearances before the House during the previous parliamentary term, others point at her record in implementing education reforms and managing one of the country’s largest ministries, justifying her re-appointment.

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