Museveni tells MPs how he disoriented Kadaga camp
President Yoweri Museveni has revealed how he used tactics of telephoning and meeting National Resistance Movement (NRM) Parliamentarians individually luring them to abandon former speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
But he said he did this after the party had taken official position and denied that he ever showed support for any candidate publicly or privately.
Mr. Museveni in his first remarks to the 11th parliament on Monday night said that the Speakership campaign was very divisive and tense.
“My people were terribly divided- the pro Kadaga and Oulanya supporters but I am happy you heeded to my advice. I rang people in the night that we (NRM party) have supported Kadaga in the past and it was now Oulanya,” Museveni said.
He thanked people “for changing from Kadaga to Oulanya side. I never take sides among my juniors or my equals because they are all our people. I wait for official forum to decide,”
“Many people agreed in a short time when I met a few in the morning and spoke to some by phone in the night. There were factions (Thomas) Tayebwa/ Kadaga and Oulanya/ Among camps,” Museveni said.
He added that many parliamentarians had been afraid to switch their support for fear of being persecuted and of being denied positions on Parliamentary Sub Committees but he said this cannot happen under his leadership.
Museveni congratulated Kadaga on her birthday but he downplayed it that her anniversary is not as important as marking the day of the invasion of Mengo palace by President Milton Obote forces on May 24 1966.
“To me it’s more important that we are changing leadership of Parliament today, when Uganda is free from sectarianism. People are united. This anniversary has got more serious history than the birthday of Kadaga,”Museveni said.
NUP still a problem
Museveni exonerated Members of the NUP party that although he wants to work with them, they have so far refused to meet with him.
“I am also ready to engage the opposition, we have recently been talking to DPO, UPC (but) NUP is avoiding us,” Museveni said.
Budget properly
Mr Museveni asked Parliamentarians to Budget correctly to achieve social transformation.
“I got in touch with ghetto children and I discovered many of them want to work but lack capital. The operation wealth Creation since 2013, has served 900.000 people. In this term I want to reach 2 million homestead per year,” Museveni said.
He said corruption was becoming a problem and that “I saw it in Uganda airlines but the airline was immediately infiltrated. They were over budgeting, employing relatives. I suspended the whole gang”.
Fight intolerance
Museveni said intolerance must be fought and that to him, he had never had any problem working with his adversaries saying that “even when we fight politically we work again.”
“Ours is a broad based government. I am working with Jimmy Akena and his wife (of Uganda People’s Congress),” Museveni said.
He told politician s to avoid politics of ego.
Oulanya salutes Kadaga
The new speaker Oulanya who will be deputised by Anita Among thanked Kadaga for her excellent representation of Uganda locally and globally.
“We pledge to pick where she left and continue with it. I can pledge I will work very respectfully with her.,” Oulanya said.
He had offered a chance to Kadaga to give an address but Kadaga had already left.
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