Parliament to vet new ministers on Monday
Mar 24, 2024
The committee proceedings are not open to the press and under the law, the Speaker shall within three working days communicate the decision (of the committee) on any person nominated by the President for appointment in writing to the President.
(File) Speaker Anita Among.
Umar Kashaka
Journalist @New Vision
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The Appointments Committee of Parliament is set to vet newly appointed cabinet ministers on Monday, March 25, 2024.
Adolf Mwesige, the Clerk to Parliament, confirmed this on Sunday (March 24) and said the committee, which is chaired by Speaker Anita Among, will convene at 10:00 am.
The committee proceedings are not open to the press and under the law, the Speaker shall within three working days communicate the decision (of the committee) on any person nominated by the President for appointment in writing to the President.
In a simultaneous reshuffle of the cabinet and army late last Thursday (March 21), President Yoweri Museveni dropped defence minister Vincent Ssempijja and replaced him with Jacob Oboth-Oboth who has been the junior minister in the same docket.
He also dropped two embattled ministers for Karamoja affairs Mary Kitutu and her junior Agnes Nandutu, replacing them with state minister for minerals Peter Lokeris and Sironko Woman MP Florence Nambozo, respectively.
Kitutu and Nandutu are deeply embroiled in a scandal in which they are accused of failure to deliver iron sheets and other supplies meant for the Karamoja sub-region to support the ongoing disarmament exercise and the diversion of some items to non-intended beneficiaries.
Also dropped was the minister of state for trade, industry and cooperatives, Harriet Ntabazi, who was replaced by the outgoing Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Wilson Mbadi.
Mbadi, now transitioning to a civilian role as minister, was replaced with Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who also doubles as senior presidential advisor on special operations.
Events promoter and businessman Balaam Barugahara, also the Patriotic League of Uganda’s (PLU) vice chairman of the western region, was appointed children and youth affairs state minister replacing Sarah Mateke, who has since been named defence and veteran affairs state minister.
Barugahara was appointed along with his PLU colleague and Kitgum Woman MP Lilian Aber as the state minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees, replacing Esther Anyakun, who was moved to the ministry of gender as state minister for employment and industrial relations.
Museveni appointed his Principal Private Secretary Dr Kenneth Omona as state minister in charge of Northern Uganda, replacing him replacing him with Gloria Omaswa.
Omaswa studied law at Makerere University and attended the Law Development Centre before she entered the communication world eventually earning a master’s in communication strategy at the Brand Centre, VCU, USA.
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