Mrs Museveni will not seek re-election as MP

By Vision Reporter

Uganda's First Lady, Janet Kataaha Museveni, will not seek re-election as Ruhaama County MP in next year's general elections, New Vision Online has learnt.  

Mrs Museveni, who is also the minister for Karamoja affairs, has represented Ruhaama in Ntungamo district for ten years. 
 
Upon election in 2006, she promised a new chapter for Ruhaama. She said her victory had demonstrated that it was possible to win an election in Uganda without giving material items such as sugar or salt to the electorate.

In her maiden 20-minute public address to her constituents, Janet said: “Today, we have begun a new chapter in Ruhaama. Let us fight household poverty so that our achievements are reflected in 2011.”

Then she was speaking at a thanksgiving service and luncheon she hosted to celebrate the NRM victory in Ruhama county.
Mrs Museveni trounced Augustine Ruzindana with 50,944 votes against 15,420.

President Yoweri Museveni flanked by First Lady Janet and Security Minister Karoro Okurut  at the launch of the  He for She campaign  to mobilize more than 1 billion men to end the persistance inquality which affects women across the globe.

Quoting from the bible, Janet said: “God looks at people’s hearts and chooses them. When David was still young and (Prophet) Samuel came to the father to elect David, the dad, Jesse, did not bother calling David because they all knew what had brought Samuel was of no concern to David. Even when my beloved husband treated me the way Jesse treated David, he eventually softened in the heart, allowed me to stand and even supported me.”

Gesturing at the white large marquee where hundreds of the constituents sat, Museveni, who was chief guest, said, “Ruhaama, you have had bad leaders.

Museveni’s eldest daughter, Natasha Karugire, delivered an impassioned and moving tribute to her mother titled “A tribute to a great woman.”

In her tearful voice occasionally breaking down, Karugire said, “so sail on Silver Girl, your time has come to shine,” as she concluded the seven-minute tribute which moved many to tears.

Commenting about his wife’s victory, Museveni said: “We realised no one would defeat Ruzindana because he had planted olumbugu (couch grass, a stubborn weed) of bribing voters with sugar and salt.”

“I thank Ruhaama for supporting Janet and working with her to burn nyabirezi (an evil spell) Ruzindana had brought and was destroying the people. Bad politicians have been gnawing at people like rats until people demanded for a leader they could give votes without giving money in exchange,”he said.

“I did not want her to stand. I took the case before the party and told them that I was in a dilemma. We supported Janet. They say I have stuck on the presidential chair like glue. But for Janet, God had revealed himself to her,” Museveni said.

Mrs Museveni with fellow MPs  at Kyankwanzi. FILE/PHOTO

JANET'S STATEMENT TO THE PEOPLE OF RUHAAMA

The people of Ruhaama my friends

The Leaders,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Youth and all you who are listening to me

I greet you all in love and thank you for the work you do on a daily basis.

I thank you so much because of the evident work that you do in food production, feeding your families well and income generating projects.  I know that now many of the homes have some income and that is evident in the modern homes that have come up. Above all I thank God who has enabled you to do this work.

Now, friends, what I want to say to you today is something I have been thinking and praying about for some time. I have sought God’s guidance and assurance about it. Therefore I now have no doubt at all in my mind that this is what God intended for me in this season; that in the coming elections of 2016, I will not offer myself as a candidate for Ruhaama Constituency Parliamentary seat.

However, for now, I am still serving until the end of my term. Therefore, I would like you to stay calm because I am still here, but I want you all to know that I will not stand in 2016.

It was important for me that you do not hear it as a rumor, I wanted to give you this information personally and this is what I have done. It is my prayer that God grants you peace and blessings always. My plea is that you understand me and accept this message with grace. I want us to remain united and together pray for Ruhaama during the coming elections. I also pray that Ruhaama will stay peaceful so that we continue to develop our area as we have been doing.

Yours in service

Janet K. Museveni

MP, Ruhaama County