How Lewis Rubongoya, Gen. Kayihura, Abdu Katuntu, and Amama Mbabazi nearly Scooped Mao`s New Cabinet Slot

Following his immediate re-election, President Yoweri Museveni named his cabinet. Curiously, the President left vacant, the powerful Justice and Constitutional affairs docket. The old political fox in Kaguta was doing this deliberately. Kaguta was reserving the vacancy as a carrot which he was going to dangle in future, just to fish certain political opponents to his camp. Not only that. Kaguta was also looking at exploiting the vacancy to break the disloyalty that had been exhibited by his hirtherto estwhile loyal cadres.

Lewis Rubongoya

Among the opponents Kaguta was targeting, first and foremost, was Davis Lewis Rubongoya. Rubongoya was, and remains as well, the powerful Secretary General at Hon. Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP). For the record, Rubongoya decamped from the military to join Bobi. Before his army retirement, he was serving as a prosecutor at the General Court Martial.

Rubongoya told his bosses including Gen Museveni, that he was retiring from the army to concentrate on the teaching of law at the Cavendish University. He was lying. The truth is that Rubongoya had linked up with Bobi already. He had got in touch with Bobi whilst teaching him law at the Cavendish University

For that matter, he had discovered the NUP Principal to be his own version of Uganda’s political Messiah. So, contrary to what Rubongoya had told his military bosses, his motivation for leaving the army, was to join Bobi against them.

Much, has been the massive promotion which Rubongoya rendered to Bobi.

The `Bad Man` from Kamwokya has since unprecedentedly floored the son of Late Kaguta in his own hunting territory of Luweero, and Buganda region as well. Consequently, after losing to Bobi in Buganda, Museveni reached out to Rubongoya with the other carrot we have opened this discourse with. Try as he could, but the young man of NUP defiantly turned down the elder’s said advances, plus the carrot that was being dangled at it him.

Abdu Katuntu

The President had also thought of the unsettled FDC man, Abdu Katuntu, as far as filling this powerful vacancy was concerned. Katuntu, following a lot of in-fighting in FDC, took the decision of running as an independent candidate on the way to regaining his seat in Parliament.

Much as he was running on his own, the ruling party and Museveni, are known to have secretly issued out to Katuntu, some required enablers. But after winning back his seat, Katuntu chose not to openly take sides between the ruling party and the opposition. He was and, still doing this, in order not to annoy his voters who chose to elect him as an independent lawmaker. Thus defeated, Museveni looked inside his own NRM camp for cadres who are unsettled.

Amama Mbabazi

The first candidate for the powerful cabinet job was John Patrick Amama Mbabazi.

Mbabazi, had five years back, did the unthinkable. He did so, by contesting for power against the sole NRM Party Chairman, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Yet, doing what Mbabazi did in this case, is akin to the commision of the grave case of treason itself, within the context of that party.

Pursuade him as he could, but the wealthy Mukiga man from Kanungu, rejected Museveni’s moves to stand down for him. Following Mbabazi’s poll defeat, Museveni now toyed with the idea of doling out the Justice and Constitutional affairs cabinet docket to the man. He was thinking of this, looking to lure his old pal back to the fold.

But Museveni’s aides dissuaded him from giving the job to the now disgruntled former NRM powerful Secretary General. The aides told the big man, that by running against him, Mbabazi had sent out the clearest signal ever, that he was not only unmanageable as a surbodinate, but also unpredictable.

Now that he had lost an election, the aides warned their boss, there was a very likehood that Mbabazi, given a chance, would not hesitate to exploit the sensitive position to cause more problems for him. Museveni believed what his aides told him. He, accordingly, abandoned his earlier wish to appoint Mbabazi to that sensitive docket.

Gen. Kale Kayihura

Also on President Museveni’s list of hopefuls for the Cabinet slot, was the former Uganda Police Chief, Gen Edward Karekyezi Kayihura aka Kale Kayihura. Museveni had fired and imprisoned Kayihura, suspecting the resident of Kasagama of working with a neighboring country to overthrow him.

Kayihura had been a very loyal cadre of Museveni, apart from loyally serving the President in very sensitive positions. So, the Old-Man-Of-The-Hat was looking at appointing Kale to that powerful cabinet post as a means of reconciling with the royal cadre in.

But the other problem of the neighboring country’s bellicosity against the appointing authority, was still existing.This stance, even with Kayihura having godfathers and fronters within the inner circles. So, the President and his aides, thought it would be a very unwise decision to appoint Kale to such a sensitive position in the circumstances. Away from that, the general public assumption of the man still needs serious panel beating. This is why Museveni ended up removing his favor from the former blue-eyed police chief.

Muruli Mukasa

Having returned to Rubongoya and the man failed to convinced into the juicy job, Kaguta now decided to fill up the vacancy with the unlikely, but very loyal cadre in Muruli Mukasa. All the same, Muruli was a stop-gap measure. In the meantime, the search for another candidate continued.

Mao The Man

Whilst still reflecting about the suitable person to give the job, the big man from Rwakitura, suddenly remembered Mao. Oh yes, Kaguta sighed with relief at long last. Look, Mao had done a good job of dividing the opposition from right within. The Opposition chief had done this, by continuously turning his vitriolic tongue towards whoever would come up and put a big political showing against the son of Kaguta.

Not only that. In the last election, Mao instead of campaigning for Bobi or any other Opposition candidate, for that matter, alas! He campaigned for Sevo. Oh yes and this is an open secret on the streets back home in Gulu and we also happen to independently know it. For that good job, the President had suspiciously provided security to Mao from his own elite SFC unit.

Further to that, Museveni’s own son, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba had suspiciously praised Mao as the only intelligent opposition politician that there is in Uganda. These were, frankly speaking, telling signs of what was cooking from behind the political curtains. As the negotiations between Museveni and the opposition figure ensued, a key figure from Mao’s own Acholiland prematurely died. Jacob Oulanyah was his name.

Oulanyah had hitherto belonged to the opposition Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party before decamping to Museveni’s camp. Oulanyah and Mao were very tight buddies. In fact, before passing on, the Parliament Speaker had done a very a ground work of persuading Mao to join the NRM.

Oulanyah’s people had finally stopped their decades-long rebellion against the President, by overwhelmingly voting for him during the 2021 general elections. Museveni had turned the gesture by appointing the Acholis to very key government positions. To this end, Oulanyah had been appointed number 3 in the government. Whilst Alphonse Owiny Dollo, had ran away with the Chief Justice’s slot.

Yet, before he could last a year in his lofty position, Oulanyah passed on! Oulanyah’s people, following his death, had started to make fervent demands to the big man. They were seeking to have their departed son replaced as the country’s number 3 by yet another son from Acholi.

The guerrilla in Kaguta rebelled against such demands. He, as a compromise position, backed Oulanyah’s son to inherit the deceased Speaker’s national assembly seat. Even some, the big man would continue to feel a heavy sense of indebtedness towards the Acholis. Mark you, those people had just generously contributed to Museveni’s re-election.

But see, the same people had now prematurely lost their son. To this son, the President had just bestowed the country’s number 3 position. And this gesture, as recognition of Oulanyah people’s own gesture in respect of the massive electoral support rendered to the big man. Naturally, the president felt obligated to give a big government job to another Acholi. This gesture, as an equalizing measure against the massive loss which the community had just suffered.

Fortunately the searching would not prove so difficult for the appointing authority. Mao was present. Mao is a key figure in Acholi. Mao is a lawyer by profession too. Most importantly, the man who is strikingly proficient in both Luganda and Runyakitara, had over years, proved to be a very good ally of Museveni. Yet, this gesture, even whilst Mao happened to be the leader of the opposition DP!

Needless to state, the powerful government job would prove to be as more alluring to Mao as that of a leader of an opposition party which has, before we forget, remained as such since it’s inception. Museveni would in those circumstances, find the puzzle of rewarding the Acholis for the loss of Oulanyah, plus that of rewarding Mao, a lot easier. Why not, if Mao himself, was too willing to leave the opposition, for Kaguta’s overflowing dining table? And on that note, we beg to sign out. Thank you and keep the faith.

Author Profile

Stephen Kasozi Muwambi: Mr. Stephen Kasozi Muwambi is a seasoned crime investigative writer, majoring in judicial-based stories. His two decades’ experience as a senior investigative journalist has made him one of the best to reckon on in Uganda. He can also be reached via [email protected]