Reactions continue to trickle in, on this week’s announced cabinet which unprecedentedly entailed four faces from the opposition side.
President Museveni on Monday listed amongst his new executive, MP Betty Amongi (UPC) as Minister for Lands, Nakiwala Kiyingi (DP) as Minister for Youths and Children Affairs, Ruth Achieng (UPC) as Minister of State for Fisheries and President of the Uganda Federal Alliance Mrs. Betti Namisango Kamya as Minister in charge of Kampala.
Save for some leaders in the Uganda People’s Congress who heartily welcomed the appointment of their two members in the NRM cabinet; majority of the opposition parties frowned at this development.
Former Vice Chairperson of the Reform Agenda – turned FDC, Mrs. Winnie Byanyima has joined the voices that condemned the appointment of Betti Kamya as the Minister in Charge of Kampala.
When the news of the new cabinet came out Monday evening, several opposition leaders hurriedly linked Kamya’s appointment to her recent attacks on her former party FDC.
The UFA head, over the past weeks, through various media platforms strongly lambasted the operations and leadership of FDC, and asserted that it flatly lost in the previous elections.
Mrs. Byanyima believes Kamya’s appointment was a reward from President Museveni for her views on FDC.
“I’ll put it simply, Kamya has been working against opposition for years,” said the Oxfam International Executive Director. “Kamya should have been rewarded with this long ago!”
Other members of FDC also hold that Mrs Kamya “deserved” her new office.
“It was very clear,” noted FDC’s spokesperson Ibrahim Semujju Nganda. “In the past few days, she would not open her mouth without attacking our party. It was like FDC was the only thing there was to talk about.”
Asked on whether or not her new officer was indeed a prize from the president, Mrs. Kamya disagreed.
She told Chimpreports, ““These people should know that the President in the past has offered me a cabinet position. In 2001 he offered me a ministry; even in 2011 he wanted to appoint me but I declined. I don’t think that Museveni is so petty that he would appoint someone minister for merely speaking against his enemy”