Children, spouses of former ministers appointed into cabinet

Spouses and children of former cabinet ministers in the previous cabinets were on Tuesday appointed to the cabinet by President Yoweri Museveni.

The children are: Dr Charles Ayume, Shartsi Musherure, Justine Nameere, Siraje Musa Ali. Museveni also appointed Jacqueline Susan Ruhindi Mbabazi, the wife of former Premier Amama Mbabazi, as minister.

Dr. Charles Ayume;

Ayume is a medical doctor who was appointed Minister of State for Health  (Primary Health Care). Ayume represents Koboko Municipality in Koboko district in the 12th Parliament, a position he won on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket. He is serving his second term.

Dr. Ayume is the son of the late Francis Ayume, who occupied Koboko Municipality seat and was the speaker from 1998 to 2001 during the sixth parliament, which was in session from 1996 to 2001. He served as attorney general until his death in an auto crash in 2004.

Shartsi Musherure

Shartsi 'Namatovu' Kutesa Musherure, who was appointed the State minister of finance in charge of microfinance, is a lawyer and was the Member of Parliament for Mawogola County, North Sembabule district in the 11th parliament.

Shartsi is the daughter of Sam Kuteesa, the former minister for foreign affairs and a twin sister to Charlotte Kainerugaba, the wife of the Chief of Defence Forces and Special Presidential Advisor in Charge of Special Operations, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

She succeeded her father as MP for Mawogola County after a contested election in National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries, where she stood against Godfrey Aine Kaguta, also known as "Sodo".

In the run-up to the violence that marred the 2025 NRM primaries,  Shartsi in June 2025 announced that she had pulled out of the contest for the NRM flag bearer for the 2026–2031 term, citing “respect for the President, Chairman of the NRM Party,” and a desire “to maintain the unity of the NRM party.”

“I regret to inform you that I have withdrawn my candidature… for the following reasons,” she wrote. “My respect for the President, my elder and leader, and my high regard for his guidance; not to subject our supporters to the threats, brutality and insecurity that they endured in the previous Sembabule NRM primary elections; to safeguard the unity of our people; and to maintain the unity of the NRM party.

Justine Nameere

Justine Nameere, who was appointed as Minister of State for Local Government, is a lawyer by profession and the daughter of Vincent Ssempijja, who served as former minister of defence and veteran affairs, and also minister for agriculture, Animal industry and fisheries.

In the 2026 general elections, Nameere was controversially declared the Masaka City Woman MP-elect after a contentious vote recount presided over by Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe, which overturned the earlier declaration of Rose Nalubowa as the winner by the electoral commission.

Siraje Musa Ali

He was appointed Minister of State for Works. Siraji is a lawyer by profession and the son of Gen. Moses Ali, the outgoing Second Deputy Prime Minister and the parliament's Deputy Leader of Government Business.

Jacqueline Susan Ruhindi Mbabazi

She was appointed the Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development, in charge of elderly affairs. She is the wife of the former prime minister of Uganda, Amama Mbabazi.