NRM staff petition Museveni over Lumumba's conduct

48 National Resistance Movement (NRM) secretariat staffs have petitioned President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, over the conduct of the Secretary General (SG), Kasule Lumumba.

"We the undersigned, all being either technical or support staff at the NRM secretariat petition you over the conduct of our boss the SG, and humbly request to meet you and share the problems we are undergoing at the secretariat," reads part of the petition.

While addressing the press on Saturday at the secretariat, Robert Rutaro the head of Youth desk and also the lead petitioner, said that they want Museveni, Alhaj Moses Kigongo, the vice chairman, Richard Todwong, the Deputy SG and Tanga Odoi the EC chairman, to intervene in the gross misconduct of Lumumba.

Lutalo displays a copy of petition to the President over the conduct of Lumumba. Photo by Shamim Saad

Rutaro said that he has severally tried to reach Lumumba but she never picks her known numbers or come to the secretariat.

"She is inaccessible, rarely sits at the secretariat and always too busy for the party," he said.

He said that Lumumba is exhibiting the same habits that made the party to fall out with its former SG, Amama Mbabazi, who moved on and contested in the presidential polls against the party chairman, Museveni.

Rutaro and his co petitioners, accuse Lumumba of sabotaging some of the mobilizers employed at the secretariat from taking part in campaigning for Museveni in the just concluded polls. He said this has left them wondering about their relevancy at the secretariat.

"The secretariat had very little to do with the presidents' victory. We never mobilized anyone and he won without our support," he said.

The petition was signed on March 1, 2016, by security staff, receptionists, office attendants, personal assistants, cleaners, gardeners, election officers, drivers, research officers and secretaries, all employed at the secretariat.

In it the employees listed twelve issues they have against Lumumba that need an urgent attention of the president.

The issues include demoralization of the staff, lack of team work, constant bickering, conflict and bad blood amongst the top bosses, non-deployment of staff, selective payment of salaries, discrimination of NRM EC staff, dormancy and inactivity of the secretariat, poor communication between the SG and staff.

Others are victimization, discrimination and sidelining of some staff, inadequate, unequal and imbalanced salary remuneration, and lack of accountability.

Rutaro said that the secretariat lacks a proper salary structure which has created a disparity in how much each staff earns. "There is a huge abnormal salary gap between the bosses and the staff and also between the staff themselves.

He said that Lumumba has many times perceived them as her enemies and at one time described them as adult children of her co-wife, whom she met in her new marriage and are fighting her.

However, when contacted the party deputy spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo dismissed their complaints as baseless, saying that the SG does not deal with ordinary staff, she only deals with managers.

"If a sweeper, cleaner or any of the ordinary staff wants her attention, then that is not fair because she does not deal with them.  I have been meeting her at her office at plot 10, Kyadondo," he said.

He said that currently Lumumba is busy running party operation businesses outside the offices and cannot be in her office all the time, but senior officers who want to meet her can always do that.

Calls to Lumumba and Todwong in their known numbers went answered several times.