Corrupt NRM officials fighting me, says Kadaga

Kampala- The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, has said powerful corrupt leaders in the NRM are engineering political fights against her and plotting for her downfall because of her firm stand on their corrupt behaviour.

“I do not like corruption and I speak against it. In this country, we have corrupt people and some of them are highly placed. When you speak against them, they say you do not like the party but the party has no agenda on corruption. We have no programme for corruption, it is individuals,” she said.

Ms Kadaga said whenever she tells off the powerful corrupt officials in the ruling party, they label her “anti NRM and government.”
She made the remarks yesterday while meeting NRM district chairpersons at Speke Resort Munyonyo to canvass support for her candidature for the NRM’s Second National Vice Chairperson Female .
Ms Kadaga said government money must always go to the purpose for which it is intended.
“When money is meant for a school, it must go to the school, if it is meant for a road, it must go to the road because it is for public interest,” she said.
Without mentioning names of the NRM officials who are reportedly fighting her, Ms Kadaga said they are orchestrating fights against her to bring her down on claims that she is too old for the job.
She said she finds it contradictory that the same people who are undermining her candidature when she is only 60 years yet they support the party chairman, President Museveni, who is more than 75 years old.
“How old is President Museveni? Do you support President Museveni? How old is he? If you can support the head of the party who is over 75, why can’t you support someone who is just 60? You cannot justify it. Secondly, within the party, I have a historical role,” Ms Kadaga said.
The Speaker wondered why suddenly she is getting opponents who have never stepped in Cabinet and have no known history of their contribution to national development for a position she fought for in 2005.
Ms Kadaga did not mention names but on the position of NRM Second National Vice Chairperson Female, she is facing three other contestants; State Minister for Lands Persis Namuganza, Ms Deborah Kyazike Kinobe and Ms Jane Frances Okili Amongin.
She is also facing an imminent challenge from Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah who had expressed interest to contest for the job of Speaker last time but later withdrew his bid after persuasion by President Museveni.

Ms Kadaga told the NRM chairpersons at Munyonyo that at 35 years of age, she was a chairperson of a council that lobbied government to establish Mbarara University of Science and Technology yet she was not born in Mbarara.

She said as the NRM Second National Female Vice Chairperson, she lobbied for creation of the Women Entrepreneurship Fund, procurement of Obongi ferry and lobbied government to introduce boat ambulances in the Island districts of Kalangala and Buvuma.

She said she fought for construction of the Jinja Expressway whose works have already started and has also been fighting female genital mutilation in Sebei and Karamoja.

The NRM spokesperson Mr Emmanuel Dombo yesterday said he was not aware of the corrupt and powerful party members who are plotting Ms Kadaga’s downfall.

He said no such information has been brought to the attention of the party chairman or the Central Executive Committee who would resolve it through internal party mechanisms.

He said it is too early to tell within the party who else wants to challenge Kadaga for Kamuli District Woman MP seat where she is the incumbent.

Mr Dombo said people are currently picking nomination forms expressing their interest in various positions but the candidates will be known after the party has endorsed them.

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