President Yoweri Museveni on Monday evening met all NRM MPs contesting for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
In a meeting that took place at State House Entebbe, Museveni met Speaker Rebecca and her rival, Jacob Oulanyah on what has been termed as a “precautionary meeting” for Speakership. The meetings took place shortly after the usual Monday cabinet meeting.
Highly placed sources told the Panther website that the tough talking Museveni grilled Kadaga asking her to explain why she launched her speakership campaign without consulting the NRM Party leadership.
Museveni warned that the early campaigns for Speakership and Deputy Speakership was ripping the party apart and asked the candidates to stop public campaigns until the NRM caucus and Central Executive Committee sits to determine the party’s choice of candidates.
When Oulanyah and Kadaga were given an opportunity to defend themselves, the former revealed that he has not started open campaigns and was waiting for the decision from CEC and the caucus.
On the other hand, Kadaga attempted to show that there was no harm for her to launch her speakership campaigns because she is a qualified candidate and that she intends to return for the record 3rd term despite the unwritten agreement that they took in 2016 which resulted into Oulanyah stepping down for her.
Museveni was quick to shut her down saying “Are you a candidate for NRM or you are now leaving the Party? Why would one launch speakership campaigns even before the party structures are consulted? That is not how we have been working,” Museveni charged.
Kadaga later relented and accepted to tone down the campaigns until the NRM caucus and CEC sits.
Last week, Kadaga launched her campaigns in Munyonyo where she vowed never to step down for anybody for Speakership. Since then, she has been meeting MPs from different regions to endorse her candidature. While meeting MPs from Busoga, Kadaga said that she will not accept the Vice President slot which many are fronting her to take saying it is not a “lucrative” position that allows her to take decisions.
