In 2016, Speaker Rebeca Kadaga put up a spirited fight to retain her position as head of the legislative body of government.
Kadaga who had just completed a 5-year term as Speaker, argued that her predecessor, Edward Ssekandi had gone 10 years as speaker and there was need for the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party’s top decision making organ to continue with the precedent it had set with Ssekandi.
Kadaga was battling for the post with her deputy, Jacob Oulanyah just like it is this year.
“I think that the party should also be consistent, they were able to give my predecessor ten years. They should not change the rules because it’s me. They should also be consistent,” Kadaga said.
Convinced by her efforts in delivering Busoga sub region for the NRM in that year’s general elections, the CEC forced Oulanyah into a compromise to allow Kadaga complete her 10-year term.
Believing on the word of the party leadership then, Oulanyah allowed to give way for party harmony and cohesion to prevail and allow Kadaga see out her ten-year tenure like she requested.
The CEC now finds itself in pretty much the same position where it has to decide to keep a precedent it set or trash the promise and create another demoralising trend.
And just like 2016, Oulanyah who has every right to ask CEC for the same, helped the NRM capture northern Uganda in the January general elections, a region he now represents in the organ.
While appearing on national Television in March, Oulanyah challenged the CEC to prove that it means what it says to encourage party members’ trust in the top organs, a sentiment shared by majority in the party.
“In 2016, CEC advised both of us to maintain the status quo, I am now waiting for the party processes to choose and this is the opportunity that CEC has to show that it means what it says,” Oulanyah said.
He added, “In order to introduce certainty and predictability of systems of governance, we are going to have to lead by precedent, if no precedent is set and precedents that are set are altered all the time for convenience, then there is a lot of anxiety among the people who believe in the systems.”
“I believe that this is the opportunity that the party has to confirm that the organs work and its predictability, that once they have said something, they mean it so as to collapse the tensions. People will know that if Oulanyah becomes this, he can only do ten years and after that he should leave and another person comes. That will create certainty and stabilise the system,” Oulanyah added to emphasise his point.
Party members are now waiting to see if the CEC will like Oulanyah said, live up to it’s word with many saying a vote against the man from Omoro, will be a departure from the party customs and will set into motion a negative precedent that will fail the party’s efforts to consolidate its support base.
It will also send a wrong signal to party faithful who get out of their skins to ensure the party triumphs like Oulanyah did when he literally delivered Northern Uganda to President Yoweri Museveni and the NRM party.
CEC is expected to sit on Monday (today) and discuss the race with possibility of endorsing a candidate.
And its from this meeting that a decision on who to endorse for speaker will be taken, according to minders in the party.
Oulanyah’s loyalty to the party and it’s chairman is beyond doubt. Accepting the hard decision to allow Kadaga complete her 10-year term, says a lot about the high quality of a man who has come to be known as Museveni yes man, a positive considering what the president revealed while closing the Kyankwanzi retreat for newly elected NRM MPs.
Museveni said he will no longer allow parliament to turn him into a lobbyist, always writing letters asking parliament on key national development programs.
If the president wants to ensure smooth implementation of his promise (manifesto) to Ugandans in the next five years, who heads what organ of government is important.
With his loyalty to the party, events like the one that saw the house pass a motion of displeasure in the President will be minimal.
On May 7th 2020, Parliament considered and passed a motion seeking to express displeasure on what MPs called disparaging statement against Parliament by President Yoweri Museveni who blasted Parliament for using the COVID-19 crisis to award each MP Shs20m to ostensibly fight Coronovirus.
Rebeca Kadaga chaired that day’s session that shocked many loyal party faithful about how she would allow such a motion that put her chairman in bad light.
At the time, MPs with total disregard for the plight of the rest of Ugandans agreed to award themselves Shs20. The President, concerned by the move hit out at parliament because he knew ordinary Ugandans were struggling to make ends meet during the total lockdown.
His caring heart for Ugandans was rewarded with a motion of displeasure overseen by Kadaga. Will CEC allow this among members where they can eat their cake and have it or it will send a strong message about respect for the leader who has ably steered the party up to this time.
With election for the speaker taking place on 24th May, 2021, the ball is in CEC’s court to stand up and be counted!