Ngime appointed manifesto overseer

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has appointed Yusuf Ngoma Ngime a Special Presidential Assistant on implementation of his 2001 manifesto, reports Yunusu Abbey.In an April 12 letter to Florence Mugasha, the Head of Public Service, Museveni said, “Ngoma Ngime’s appointment takes immediate effect.”Hilda Musubira, the Principal Private Secretary to the President, signed the appointment letter. It was copied to Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, the Minister for the Presidency and Jimmy Lwamafa, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service.“Ngime’s new job is equivalent to a ministerial post. He is now in the status of a state minister,” a source said.Ngime, a former Resident District Commissioner for Mbarara, has been engaged in a High Court battle with Winnie Byanyima, the Mbarara Municipality MP, who defeated him in last year’s parliamentary elections.He had petitioned the High Court, contesting Byanyima’s June 26, 2001 election as MP for the municipality.But last week, the Mbarara-based High Court Judge, Justice Vincent Kagaba, dismissed Ngime’s petition with costs and upheld Byanyima’s election. In his April 10 ruling, Kabaga said Ngime was at the time of nomination not qualified to contest for a parliamentary seat. He said he did not have enough ground to petition against Byanyima who had defeated him.