Just like the proverbial cat that has nine lives, Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi is set to make another political comeback. Impeccable sources have informed Matooke Republic that Muhwezi who has been a private citizen since losing the Rujumbura County 2016 parliamentary elections is tipped to return as the ruling National Resistance Movement Secretary General.
NRM’s current Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba has had a rough time with bad blood between her and some of the staff at the secretariat she heads. In March last year, 48 Secretariat staff petitioned the party chairman President Yoweri Museveni, over her conduct.
Robert Rutaro the head of the secretariat’s youth desk who was the lead petitioner called a press conference and said that they wanted Museveni, Alhajj Moses Kigongo, the vice chairman, Richard Todwong, the Deputy SG and Tanga Odoi the NRM Electoral Commission chairman, to intervene in the gross misconduct of Lumumba.
The issues raised against Lumumba included poor communication between the SG and staff, conflict and bad blood amongst the top bosses, as well as Lumumba being inaccessible.
“She is inaccessible, rarely sits at the secretariat and always too busy for the party,” Rutaro said.
Since then, President Museveni has received other complaints against Lumumba and media reports have emerged from time to time pointing to the SG being replaced.
Hunting the hunters?
This development comes at a time plans spearheaded by Lumumba are underway to lay off several NRM secretariat staff at several offices across the country in a bid to cut the annual wage bill from Shs2.56b to Shs360m. Some of the people against Lumumba are targeted in this plan which President Museveni is said to have backed in order to cut down on party expenses.
Museveni looking for allies
As President Museveni targets another election, with his party engineering the removal of the presidential upper age limit to allow him to contest again in 2021, he could be looking to a few historical close allies and Muhwezi is one of them.
Recently, Museveni decorated Muhwezi with the Masaba medal, the fourth highest military decoration as Uganda celebrated its 55thIndependence anniversary at Bushenyi Municipal grounds- a clear sign that while Muhwezi could currently be out of political sight, he is certainly not out of mind.
How Lumumba was appointed
In 2014, President Museveni appointed then NRM Chief Whip Lumumba to replace the former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi as the party’s Secretary General.
Museveni used powers bequeathed to him by the NRM members at the December 2014 National Delegates Conference at Namboole, to handpick the party SG, the treasurer and their deputies, which positions were formerly elective. Museveni now has powers to replace her without consulting his party organs, just like he personally appointed her.
Muwhezi’s nine lives
The 67-year-old Muhwezi is a long time Museveni right hand man and ally since the Bush War days. He was dropped from Cabinet in 2007 after the Global Fund saga where he was accused of abuse of office and embezzlement. He was acquitted in 2012 after the case was dropped, subsequently returning to Cabinet. His last posting was as Minister for Information and National Guidance but he was not returned in the new cabinet after the 2016 elections. Is he set for another comeback? Time will tell.