Relatives, friends spice up ministers' swearing-in ceremony

___________________

Relatives and friends spiced up newly appointed Cabinet ministers’ swearing-in ceremony at State House, Entebbe, on Monday with screams of joy, chants and songs.

Although some ministers tried to keep the affair very low key, their relatives and friends expressed excitement when their loved ones rose from their seats and made their way to the podium to take the oath of office.

Those that stood out were of reappointed Vice-President Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Attorney General Dr Sam Mayanja, Government Chief Whip Justine Kasule Lumumba, energy minister Dr Monica Musenero, and state ministers Amos Lugoloobi (planning) and Rose Akello (ethics and integrity).

Other relatives and friends were of trade minister Sanjay Tanna and state ministers Lillian Aber (disaster preparedness, relief and refugees), Robert Migadde (fisheries), Uganda People’s Congress strongwoman Santa Alum (economic monitoring), Beatrice Akello (northern Uganda), among others.

Alupo and Nabbanja were the first to be sworn in at 1:35pm and 1:39pm, respectively,
triggering off cheers and ululations.

When Alupo finished taking the first oath of allegiance, a yet-to-be-known former Constituent Assembly delegate from Kapelebyong district who was among the people that stood behind her on the podium, raised her left hand and let out a piercing scream of joy.

“…President Museveni, God bless you! Long live Museveni, long live your Cabinet, long live Alupo, you (Museveni) are going to be the President of Africa, thank you for your leadership…may you live long,” she told the President, who stared at her with blank expression.

And when the Vice President finished taking the second oath moments later, again the former Kapelebyong Woman MP let out a piercing scream, causing more laughter.

She was wearing kitenge (the colourful cotton fabric) bearing Museveni’s image on the front.

When Lugoolobi’s name was also read out, he rose to his feet and strode majestically to take the oath amid cheers from relatives and friends who later burst into a chorus of Katonda y'abadde mw'eno ensonga (God has been in charge of this matter) by Pastor Wilson Bugembe.

Lugoloobi battled court cases of diverting iron sheets and other relief items meant for the vulnerable communities in the Karamoja sub-region for almost two years until the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the charges against him in November last year.

He was also among those who were designated by the US State Department for “involvement in significant corruption related to conduct that misused public resources and diverted materials from Uganda's neediest communities” in May 2024.

Some of the former ministers who were also charged with diverting iron sheets and other relief items, like Karamoja affairs minister Mary Goretti Kitutu and her junior minister, Agnes Nandutu, were later dropped from Cabinet.  The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala recently sentenced Nandutu to four years in prison for the offence of dealing with suspect property.

Phiona Nyamutoro, minister of state for energy and mineral development (minerals) taking oath. (PPU)

(PPU)

All 78 ministers’ names were read out by the head of public service and secretary to Cabinet, Lucy Nakyobe, who guided the swearing-in process.

Mayanja’s swearing-in also saw his relatives shout out “hallelujah” amid rapturous applause. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He was the state minister for lands in the previous Cabinet.

Nameere’s turn

When it was her turn to take the oath, Masaka City Woman MP Justine Nameere (local government state minister) took it up a notch, breaking with tradition and introducing new words in the two oaths. 

Masaka City Woman MP Justine Nameere (local government state minister) taking oath. (PPU)

The Oath of Allegiance is about ministers pledging loyalty to the Republic of Uganda and committing themselves to preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution; and the Oath of Minister binds them to faithfully serve the Republic of Uganda, uphold the Constitution, advise the President in the execution of his duties, and maintain confidentiality on matters of state.

“I, Justine Nameere, brackets Mrs Nsubugu, brackets NRM (National Resistance Movement) stooko empya (new stock), solemnly affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Republic of Uganda…” she said to cheers and applause from her family members, including father Vincent Ssempijja (former MP and minister), husband Hamza Nsubuga, and their children.  

Some of her Cabinet colleagues were overheard at the function hailing her for leading swift counterattacks against the NRM enemies, especially on X (formerly Twitter).

The 36-year-old minister argues that she will never tolerate her critics’ urge to attack her and then have the imagination that she will not stand up for herself.

“I will put garbage where garbage belongs, and I will give respect where it is due! And I will still shine as MP and minister and devoted wife to my papito (husband) and blessed mother to my beautiful children. If I had a bad debt at age 26 or a bad relationship at age 26, well, 10 years later at 36 years, I am living my best life! My hustle paid off!” she recently wrote on her X account.  She was responding to her online critics.

The 83 ministers were appointed by President Museveni on May 26, but 81 of them subsequently vetted by the appointments committee of Parliament.

Section 111 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, as amended in 2005, says, “There shall be a cabinet, which shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister and such number of Ministers as may appear to the President to be reasonably necessary for the efficient running of the State.”

However, before one can become a minister, they must first be vetted by the aforementioned committee and if found competent, they take the oath of office.

New Vision learnt that since most of the appointees were in the previous Cabinet, the parliamentary committee could not overlook the work of the previous Parliament in vetting them.

A source also highlighted a shift towards greater public vigilance, noting that citizens provided critical evidence regarding dual citizenship legalities that forced the committee to conduct deeper due diligence.

Four of the new appointees told the committee that they had started the process of renouncing citizenship of other countries.

These include designated foreign affairs minister Adonia Ayebare and state ministers Calvin Echodu (foreign affairs), Shartsi Kutesa (micro-finance) and Dr Lawrence Muganga (new internal affairs state minister-designate).

New Vision, however, heard that Muganga held multiple citizenships, something he denied and was, therefore, not approved.

Despite the large turnout, five appointed ministers were absent from the swearing-in ceremony, including the First Lady and designated minister of education and sports Mrs Janet Museveni and Adonia Ayebare (the foreign affairs minister-designate). 

The First Lady was indisposed while Ayebare, who has been serving as Uganda's permanent representative to the United Nations, is among the four designated ministers facing citizenship queries.

“The four, as per your directive, the Solicitor General and I, interfaced with them over the weekend and a brief has been made and handed over to the PPS (Principal Private Secretary) this morning for your further guidance,” Nakyobe told the President.

Each of the ministers were given five minutes each to take the oath and another five minutes for a photo session with the President. However, many of them used less than five minutes.