NRM MPs meet to discuss Museveni sole candidature

Gathering. National Resistance Movement MPs and ministers during a retreat at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi in July 2017. FILE PHOTO

Kampala. National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs will today begin an eight-day retreat with a resolution to approve President Museveni as the party’s presidential flag bearer for the 2021 polls top on the agenda.
The NRM parliamentary retreat at the National Leadership Institute (Nali) in Kyankwanzi follows a retreat by the Central Executive Committee (Cec) that convened at Chobe Safari Lodge in Nwoya District on February 19 and resolved to have Mr Museveni as the party’s sole presidential candidate for 2021 elections.
Sources familiar with the manoeuvres ahead of the retreat say discussions on the resolutions of the Cec retreat have not been included on the official agenda but the matter will be brought in as a motion without notice.
MPs pushing for the approval of Mr Museveni as sole candidate want to pull moves similar to the tactics employed by Ms Evelyn Anite, now State Minister for Investment, who moved an ad hoc resolution at the February 2015 NRM Parliamentary Caucus retreat that successfully ring-fenced the position of NRM presidential flagbearer for President Museveni.
In the bid to have as many MPs as possible, the Caucus leadership elected to even invite NRM-leaning independents for the retreat.
The Government Chief Whip, Ms Ruth Nankabirwa, (who chairs the NRM Parliamentary Caucus), said the agenda will include a presentation by the Secretary General Kasule Lumumba titled: Towards 2021-Milestones and Challenges, and also feature a paper by Mr Museveni on: Building blocks of regional and African integration.
The ministers of Health, Energy and Works will also present papers on the progress and challenges on the implementation of the NRM Manifesto, Ms Nankabirwa indicated.
The State Minister for Finance (Planning), Mr David Bahati and Dr Joseph Muvawala, the executive director of the National Planning Authority, will present papers on NDP 1 and II, the Chief Whip said.
A source familiar with the organisation of the retreat said the party took a decision to lock out ‘Rebel MPs’ who voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill in 2018.
Some of the ‘Rebel’ MPS not invited include Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga County), John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County), Anita Amoding (Kumi Woman MP), Patrick Oshabe (Kassanda North) and Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga County West) among others.
Parliament was a hive of activity for much of yesterday as the NRM MPs, donned in the party yellow colours, rolled suitcases into luxury buses procured by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to promote tourism.