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President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni publicly rebuked First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) last evening, after a heated clash over the race for NRM First National Vice Chairperson (Female).
Kadaga had delivered a fiery speech accusing the party leadership of favouring Speaker Anita Among, her challenger, over her longstanding loyalty to the NRM.
Kadaga argued that her decades of service to the party, which began as an LC1 chairperson in 1999, had been overlooked.
“I have been a member of this party since inception. I started as an LC1 chairperson in 1999. I have never joined any other party. My loyalty is unquestionable,” she told delegates
She criticised the party for prioritising Among, whose contribution to the NRM, she said, spanned only three years.
Kadaga warns of regional backlash
In her address, Kadaga cautioned that forcing a contest for the position could lead to political losses in the Busoga sub-region, where she is highly respected.
“Mr Chairman, I have been talking to you about this matter for some time. I have told you that if this position goes to a contest, it will cause serious problems in my community”
“People here might think that you are fighting an individual, but you are fighting a bigger community. That is not right for the politics of Uganda,” she said.
“It would seem that in this party, loyalty is not important, integrity is not important, or commitment,” she warned.
She also referenced her earlier removal from the speakership as a form of public humiliation she endured, claiming the party continued to ‘follow’ her unfairly.
President Yoweri Museveni
Museveni pushes back
President Museveni, however, countered Kadaga’s assertions, warning her that she does not control the Busoga sub-region.
“Rebecca, you are wrong to say that anyone is hunting you. And it is not correct for you to try to involve my people, the Basoga, giving the impression that, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have their support. This is not correct,” he said.
Museveni stated his own historical role in protecting the Basoga people, citing how the NRA and FRONASA avenged atrocities committed against their leaders and community under past regimes.
Historical context
Museveni referenced key figures in Busoga’s history, including Ali Balunywa, who served as Administrative Secretary under the 1962 Constitution before being killed by Idi Amin in 1972, and Shaban Kirunda Nkutu, a former minister executed by Amin’s soldiers.
He insisted that Kadaga’s claims misrepresented historical and political facts, stressing that loyalty to the NRM should not be politicised.
Election resolution
The NEC meeting concluded with a clear resolution. Kadaga and Among will face each other in an election at the party’s national delegates conference.