In Hoima, CP's Mabirizi promises to trim Cabinet to 17 ministers

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The Conservative Party (CP) presidential candidate, Joseph Mabirizi, has said if he is elected president, he will prioritize the fight against corruption and cut the costs of administration.

He said he will reduce the number of Members of Parliament and that of Cabinet ministers.

There are 32 Cabinet ministers and 50 state ministers in Uganda's Cabinet. Mabirizi wants to trim the Cabinet ministers to 17.

"When we come into power, we shall cut the size of Cabinet ministers and presidential advisors. We shall only need 17 ministers so that all that money can go back to the people and offer services," he said.

Mabirizi is giving the Ugandan presidency a second shot, having first contested in the 2016 race as an independent, in which he finished last in an eight-way contest.

Once again, he is vying for the top job against seven other candidates in an all-male presidential race. They are;

▪️The incumbent, President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM)
▪️Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (National Unity Platform - NUP) 
▪️ Nathan Nandala Mafabi (Forum for Democratic Change - FDC)
▪️ Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Gregory Mugisha Muntu (Alliance for National Transformation - ANT)
▪️ Mubarak Munyagwa (Common Man's Party (CMP)
▪️ Frank Bulira Kabinga (Revolutionary People’s Party - RPP)
▪️ Robert Kasibante (National Peasants Party - NPP)

In Hoima city, Mabirizi said he was blocked from holding his rally at th Boma grounds, with Police reportedly saying it was under construction by the UPDF.

Nonetheless, he delivered his campaign message. He said that in his first 100 days in power as president, all political prisoners will be set free. "All the NUP supporters and other supporters of political parties who are currently in prison will be released."

In the evening, he addressed a rally at Sir Tito Winyi playground in Hoima city as he kicked off his campaign in Bunyoro sub-region.

Mabirizi, accompanied by CP leader and former Rubaga South MP Ken Lukyamuzi and other members of his campaign team, rallied the people of Bunyoro to support the federal system of government, saying it will help to improve service delivery.

He argued that this system is fundamental in the equal sharing of the national cake.

According to the CP frontrunner, Uganda faces selective development, partly because leaders have remained divided on federalism.

In his planned change of system, Mabirizi explained that taxes collected will be kept in the regional treasury and allocated to different parts of the region.

He said federalism will enable regions like Bunyoro in improvement of service delivery because all the taxes collected will be used to offer services like construction of schools, health facilities and roads.

"The system will empower Bunyoro as a region to use the taxes collected to offer services to its people without relying on the central government."