Sebaggala rejected by Parliament appointment's committee

As the vetting of President Museveni’s weekend cabinet appointees enters day two, news emerging from the appointments committee indicates that MPs have rejected the appointed Minister without portfolio, Mr. Nasser Sebaggala.

Mr Museveni last Friday appointed former Kampala Mayor Al Haji Nasser Ntege Sebaggala as a full cabinet Minister without portfolio.

Mr Sebaggala appeared before the committee today (Wednesday) morning after Ministers John Nasasira (Chief Whip), Hillary Onek (Internal Affairs), and Ruhakana Rugunda (ICT) appeared and he was the last cabinet minister to appear.

His appearance took more than an hour, rather awkward as the committee has been vetting close to 5 ministers in one hour. And after he came out, the MPs took close to another hour discussing his fate with very sharp disagreements on his fate until a final decision to throw him out was arrived at.

Sources say that although Sebaggala failed to express himself before the committee, his glaring English inadequacies could have been overlooked but his suspect moral record made it all but impossible for the committee to vet him as fit for an executive position.

The committee noted that he is an ex-convict who served time in an American jail for money laundering and wire fraud, and his travel to certain countries has been restricted.

Vetting continues with state ministers and the committee has decided to push the exercise to tomorrow (Thursday) because of the numbers.

When he stepped out of the meeting room, Mr Sebaggala told journalists that he had delayed because he has the biggest ministry, “one of portfolio.”

“You know am the only full minister who has no deputy…so I have the biggest ministry and it is the most important,” he said.

Updates continue…