Obote son, NRM to form alliance

Kampala.

The Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) faction led by Mr Jimmy Akena has approved the appointment of their member, Ms Betty Amongi, to President Museveni’s Cabinet and announced that the faction is in talks with the ruling party over the possibility of forming an alliance.

In the Cabinet lineup announced last week, Mr Museveni named Ms Amongi, also Mr Akena’s wife, minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Akena also disclosed that he had formed a sub-committee of his executive to negotiate the formation of an alliance with the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

“Following the consideration for appointment of Honourable Betty Amongi and Honourable Ruth Achieng for the position of minister and state minister respectively, by President Museveni, the UPC party cabinet, during its retreat at the weekend, resolved to approve of the appointments,” said Mr Akena, who is also the Lira Municipality MP.

“The party is also in consultation with our legal team and the Uganda Law Society in helping sort out some legal issues that may arise during this process of negotiations,” he added.

During a traditional ceremony held in Oyam on April 7, 2013, and attended by Mr Museveni, Mr Akena married Ms Amongi. He paid 20 heads of cattle, Shs20 million and 12 goats, among other items, as bride price.
During the campaigns last November, President Museveni told journalists at Barlege State Lodge in Otuke District that he was in talks with Mr Akena “to work together.”

Mr Akena is a son of UPC founding president Apolo Milton Obote, who Mr Museveni in the past disparaged as responsible for Uganda’s turbulent history, having presided over extra judicial killings and the 1980 electoral fraud that sparked his 1981-1986 guerilla war.

Ms Amongi is the Oyam South MP on UPC ticket while Ms Achieng lost the Kole seat to NRM’s Judith Alyek.

Ms Amongi was appointed to Cabinet along with Ms Beti Kamya of the Uganda Federal Alliance, who was named Kampala minister, and UPC’s Achieng who is the designate state minister for Fisheries. Democratic Party’s Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi was also appointed state minister for Youth and Child Affairs.

Ms Achieng is remembered for traversing Lango, Acholi, West Nile, Bugisu and Bukedi sub-regions campaigning for Mr Museveni as the best suited candidate to lead the country.

“When I look at his manifesto, he talks about building more hospitals. If he does that, he will have fulfilled what me as a UPC wants Uganda to have,” Ms Achieng told a bi-weekly, The Observer in December 2015.

The appointment of the four Opposition politicians to Cabinet has been a divisive issue both in the ruling party circles and in the Opposition.

During a retreat at State House Entebbe at the weekend, NRM legislators questioned Mr Museveni, who is also the NRM chairman, as to why he overlooked loyal members and appointed the critical Opposition figures.

Ms Alyek complained about Mr Museveni appointment of her rival Achieng, saying it had disenchanted NRM supporters in Lango.

DP president Norbert Mao last week said the appointment of Opposition members to Cabinet was a gesture for only “the politically gullible” to represent a spirit of inclusion.

“However, to the adept and keen observers, the inclusion of Opposition members is nothing but despicable tokenism…,” Mr Mao said.

Background to UPC turmoil

In March, 2015, Mr Olara Otunnu announced that he would not seek a second term as UPC party president. In April 2015, the party organised the district conference to endorse presidential candidates basing on their results before forwarding their names to the delegates conference. Mr Akena, however, hijacked the election process and forced the party electoral commission to announce him as the overall winner with 61 percent of the votes. He forced himself into Uganda House and has since then been operating on the 6th floor of UPC headquarters.

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