We shall sort out the ‘bad boys’ - Museveni

Mr Museveni (foreground) chats with some NRM members at State House recently. PHOTO BY PPU

What you need to know:

No success. President says the bad elements will be sorted out the way chaff is separated from millet.

President Museveni on Wednesday said his government will sort out what he called the “bad boys” in Parliament.
Addressing a press conference at his home in Rwakitura, Kiruhura District on Wednesday night, Mr Museveni said there is no friction between the Executive and Parliament.

He was responding to a journalist, who asked him to comment on the current tension between the two arms of government arising out of the controversial death of Butaleja MP Cerinah Nebanda.
“There is no pulling between Executive and Parliament. There are bad boys [in Parliament]. We shall sort them out, like you separate the chaff from millet. Don’t get worried about them,” Mr Museveni said.

His comments come on the heels of Cabinet’s resolution to support the ruling party’s proposal to expel outspoken NRM legislators.

One of the NRM MPs known to take independent positions in Parliament, Mr Vincent Kyamadidi (Rwampara), had said on Monday that they are not witch-hunting anybody, but fighting wrong elements in the government.

“We will continue to embrace those who are good and fight the wrong elements for the good of all Ugandans,” he said at a function in Rwampara, where First Lady Janet Museveni was the guest of honour.

Mr Kyamadidi maintained that they are offering a good service to the government compared to those, who see things go wrong, but choose to keep quiet.

Appeal
Meanwhile, on Tuesday a group of leaders from Mbarara Municipality led by Presidential Advisor Francis Mwebesa went to meet President Museveni in Rwakitura to ask him to forgive their MP Medard Bitekyerezo over his involvement and remarks in the Nebanda matter. The leaders, however, failed to see the President.

“They were blocked. They had no appointment to meet the President. Someone came and told them that he (the president) has forgiven him (Dr Bitekyerezo) and they came back,” a close associate of one of the leaders, who was part of the delegation, told the Daily Monitor on condition of anonymity.

Independence
Dr Bitekyerezo has on several occasions opposed the ruling party on contentious issues in the House. During the press conference, Mr Museveni said whoever is fighting NRM will not succeed, and whoever undermines the Constitution will be dealt with according to the law.

Mr Museveni also said Uganda’s population has increased from 14 million in 1986 to 34 million today because of NRM’s good programmes.