Kijanangoma welcomes Museveni job offer

Tooro Prince David Kijanangoma has welcomed President Museveni’s job offer and said he is ready to work with government.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank His Excellency, the President for finally recognising me as a potential contributor to my country’s development. I am ready to work with him and for my country, Uganda. A diplomatic job fits my status, although I have always had passion for farming,” he said.

He added: “His Excellency, the President has also given me the option of making a choice of a job or farming and the decision is mine to make”.

President Museveni in a letter dated November 11 directed Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find the prince placement.

“I’m happy you stopped fighting King Oyo Nyimba. By copy of this letter, I direct the minister of Foreign Affairs to give you a job in the Foreign Service if you have the qualifications. If not, I should be advised to support you so that you buy land for you and you farm,” the President wrote.

He was responding to his earlier letter dated June 29, 2019 in which Prince Kijanangoma was appealing to the President to get him a job and upkeep.

On Tuesday, Kijanangoma said the President told him if he does not have the required qualifications, he would be supported to buy land to start farming. He also directed State House to start paying him Shs4 million as a monthly allowance, clear his debts and rent a house for a year until he gets a job.

The President’s directive has, however, been received with mixed reactions from Tooro Kingdom, with some kingdom subjects saying the prince is free to seek employment.

Reacting to his appointment, Ms Nyakato Rusoke Abooki, an opinion leader and a resident of Kitumba, told Daily Monitor in an interview on Tuesday that the prince was free to get a meaningful job to make ends meet.
“My only concern is following the law to ensure he gets a job based on his competency. Uganda needs a leader who allows systems to work independently,” she said.

Mr Tom Mboijana, an opinion leader and a resident of Harukooto in Fort Portal Town, said: “If he has the qualifications, let him get the job but the challenge is that is it the duty of the President to offer government jobs?”

Background

In 2013, Prince Kijanangoma caused a storm in Tooro kingdom when he rose up against King Oyo for allegedly abdicating his throne to stay in Kampala and his alleged failure to stop his mother, Best Kemigisa, from allegedly meddling in the kingdom administration.

A section of senior royal family and some Batooro rallied behind him. This created disunity among members of the Tooro royal family, with a section supporting Oyo while others supported Prince Kijanangoma. Prince Kijjanangoma’s move saw him arrested several times and charged for, among others, trespass in one of the king’s palaces at Rwengoma. Several of his supporters referred to him as king and took him through some cultural rituals.

However, in April 2017, Prince Kijanangoma called for a dialogue between him and King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

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