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Agnes Nandutu has assured Ugandans that she will continue supporting the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) despite being axed in a cabinet reshuffle late Thursday.

She echoed this while speaking to parliamentary journalists on Friday, March 22, 2024.

The former journalist cum Bududa District Woman MP was dropped and replaced by Florence Namboozo (Sironko District Woman MP, NRM), her fellow compatriot from the Elgon region. 

“As you well know, we are many players in this field but I have now moved to the bench. It doesn’t mean that when you leave the field and go to the bench, you don’t remain part of the team. I am part of the winning team, the NRM team and I will cheer them on from behind,” Nandutu intimated.

Nandutu added, “I will serve in my capacity at the back bench, and I am happy for that.”

Fast forward, she thanked President Yoweri Museveni for identifying her among a sea of competent party cadres and wished her successor, Namboozo the very best in her endeavours.

“I want to thank the head of this country, President Yoweri Museveni for the opportunity he gave me to serve at the highest level in Government as a cabinet minister; I am very grateful and thank him,” she stated.

“While many people in the country saw nothing in me, President Yoweri Museveni saw something and appointed me to be one of the 100 most important or very important persons in this country, and I have done my best to serve this country despite the challenges that were there…. But at least I have left a mark,” Nandutu summed.

Dramatic scenes

Prior to this, there was drama when a group of journalists who had gone to interview Nandutu at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) were blocked by security.

The group which was led by one of her aides, was blocked on the pretext that Nandutu is no longer a serving minister and they had not been notified ahead of schedule.

In retaliation, the scribes who had arrived at 11:00 am opted to wait at the checkpoint as organizers looked for another venue.

However, after two hours, they were told that the outgoing minister had postponed the press briefing. 

Nandutu, however, defended security saying “They were doing their job.”

Iron sheets Scandals

At the time of her sacking, Nandutu is still battling charges relating to the diversion of 1,617 Karamoja-bound iron sheets and failing to locate 383 missing others.

These iron sheets were meant to resettle reformed cattle rustlers, also known as ‘Karachuna’ in the local dialect.

Her sacking together with that of her boss, Dr. Mary Gorett Kitutu, is a sigh of relief to Karamoja region MPs. These led by Achia Remegio (Pian county, NRM), have on countless occasions requested President Yoweri Museveni to take political action against the accused.

“Those who directly carried out this subversive act ought to pay for this politically as he promised the country. In particular, we want to take exception with the ministers who were charged with the responsibility of undertaking this task,” Remegio argued on July 27, 2023.

He added, “The people of Karamoja are not comfortable and have lost confidence in the Minister for Karamoja; we are not ready to work with them. I think it is in their interest and the President to find other assignments for them, not to send them to Karamoja.”