M7 MUST GO, TIME UP; Amelia Tells Cabinet ‘People Are Tired, I’m Not Returning To Exile’
By Our Reporters
The Friday cabinet meeting at OPM building exposed what many had been whispering to be Amelia Kyambadde’s private views about life presidency. The Trade Minister, who is also Mawokota North County MP, spoke candidly saying her submission was based on what she knows from the population.
GCW Ruth Nankabirwa had just left the meeting and asked David Bahati to represent her in briefing cabinet about the Thursday debacle that saw rowdy MPs celebrate the rejection of the Raphael Magyezi motion aimed at getting leave to table a bill scrapping Article 102(b) of the Constitution.
A tough-talking Amelia said no body should be surprised because the MPs’ conduct only manifested the anger the public has towards life presidency. Amelia, who in the same session complained of being used and dumped at her hour of need referring to her husband who continues to languish in Luzira over civil debts, said those seeking to scrap age limit where opportunists who actually don’t love Museveni but are simply out to enrich themselves.
Sources say she assured everybody that whoever loves Museveni must tell him the truth his time is up and that the people of Uganda are tired having had one President for 35 years. She insisted that is the message Bahati should go and tell the President rather blaming Ministers for not doing enough to support the much heckled Rugunda during the Thursday session in Parliament.
“I have been to exile before but now I’m not ready to go back again because of the instability this thing is going to cause. Me and my children we are decided we aren’t returning to exile. Many of you here don’t know exile life. I know it. I was there and I’m not prepared to go back because I can see that is where this thing is going to end,” Amelia said as other Ministers pensively looked on.
She said it’s not hard to see how Ugandans want a new leader and not Museveni anymore and warned colleagues of hard times ahead for whoever seeks to impose Museveni on them after 2021. Feeling the attack on him was too much, a usually well composed Bahati lost his cool and old off the gracefully ageing Minister from Mawokota in Mpigi district.
“Then why are you serving as a minister in Mzee’s cabinet if you think people are tired of him? Why are you still in NRM if those are your views? Colleagues lets not bring personal sentiments to this matter. If you are angry for things that are totally personal, please don’t involve us,” Bahati said prompting Amelia to break down crying to Rugunda who chaired the meeting to protect her.
“Rt. Hon Minister please protect me because Hon Bahati has taken things personal. Why is he attacking me personally for my views? I represent the people and those are their views which we must debate rather than going personal,” Amelia reportedly cried out.
Whereas majority pensively looked on, a few who had guts to speak backed Bahati urging Amelia to sell personal property and get her husband, Wilson Kyambadde, out of jail because government has many other priorities to finance.
“We all have relatives with personal problems and we can’t bring it here to become angry because Mzee hasn’t helped out. Where do you expect government to get Shs3bn supplementary to pay your reckless husband’s debts?” one Minister furiously attacked a sobbing Amelia.
Rugunda tried to weigh in but Bahati was already too charged to listen as he pumped more rounds into the populist female politician from the Senseko Kulubya family of Mawokota. There was also the issue of SG Kasule Lumumba who protested Speaker Kadaga’s indirect involvement in mobilizing against Article 102(b).
She was unhappy people believed to be Kadaga allies, like MP Moses Balyeku, were playing bigger roles in Busoga region mobilization than herself.
She expressed reservations about the campaign where others are being sidelined but ironically the same Lumumba had a week earlier warned colleagues like Tumukunde and Namuganza on the dangers of standing in the big man’s way to get another term in 2021.