SECURITY
The incoming Security minister, Muruli Mukasa, is best remembered for declaring Rwanda an enemy state around 2001 when relations between the two states were at their lowest. He will offer the President a trusted hand on the country’s intelligence agencies, which have been fraught with turf and money wars. The job of keeping a leash on the increasingly militant police falls to Eng. Hilary Onek at Internal Affairs. After trying to reform the sector and finding a cobweb of vested interests, Mr Onek’s departure must have sparked off champagne parties in the oil and power company’s boardrooms.
The incoming Security minister, Muruli Mukasa, is best remembered for declaring Rwanda an enemy state around 2001 when relations between the two states were at their lowest. He will offer the President a trusted hand on the country’s intelligence agencies, which have been fraught with turf and money wars. The job of keeping a leash on the increasingly militant police falls to Eng. Hilary Onek at Internal Affairs. After trying to reform the sector and finding a cobweb of vested interests, Mr Onek’s departure must have sparked off champagne parties in the oil and power company’s boardrooms.
ECONOMY
Maria Kiwanuka, the surprise appointee as Finance minister, has the academic qualifications and the technical experience as a businesswoman. What she lacks is the political nous to run a ministry that hosts some of the country’s best brains – but also its most skilled thieving pencil pushers. Hers is the thankless task of trying to keep the patronage wheel cart-pushing politicians and comprador businessmen out of the Treasury. She also has to manage the oil money and work with the Central Bank to keep inflation at bay while trying to get growth closer to double digits.
Maria Kiwanuka, the surprise appointee as Finance minister, has the academic qualifications and the technical experience as a businesswoman. What she lacks is the political nous to run a ministry that hosts some of the country’s best brains – but also its most skilled thieving pencil pushers. Hers is the thankless task of trying to keep the patronage wheel cart-pushing politicians and comprador businessmen out of the Treasury. She also has to manage the oil money and work with the Central Bank to keep inflation at bay while trying to get growth closer to double digits.
UNEMPLOYMENT
With high levels of youth unemployment, job creation ought to be a top priority for the government and a ministry dedicated to creating jobs (say through pushing for pro-business reforms) would have been more useful than, say pork-barrel ministries of Bunyoro, Teso, etc. It remained under the Syda Bbumba’s new ministry of Gender and Social Affairs (did not even feature in the name of the mother ministry) and will be overseen by Mwesigwa Rukutana as state minister for “Youth, Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations”. A long mouthful of a name with very little substance behind it.
With high levels of youth unemployment, job creation ought to be a top priority for the government and a ministry dedicated to creating jobs (say through pushing for pro-business reforms) would have been more useful than, say pork-barrel ministries of Bunyoro, Teso, etc. It remained under the Syda Bbumba’s new ministry of Gender and Social Affairs (did not even feature in the name of the mother ministry) and will be overseen by Mwesigwa Rukutana as state minister for “Youth, Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations”. A long mouthful of a name with very little substance behind it.
Mbabazi’s appointment, critics say, is a subject of two parliamentary investigations over allegations of abuse of office and influence-peddling, as well as Wikileaks allegations involving oil payments (he denies all allegations and none have been proven in court) indicate that Mr Museveni will put loyalty ahead of integrity and efficacy.
ENVIRONMENT
During the last government, then Finance Minister Syda Bbumba banned the sale, importation and production of thin polythene bags (kaveera), which are hard to recycle and clog up drains, leading to flooding in the city. Those profiting from the sale and use of buveera soon started opposing the ban on the grounds that the bags can be recycled. Their biggest supporter? Water and Environment minister Maria Mutagamba. Several months later, the recycling plants are a thin, plastic dream and the bags are still in use. Expect more of the same from the reappointed Mutagamba and more environmental woes.
During the last government, then Finance Minister Syda Bbumba banned the sale, importation and production of thin polythene bags (kaveera), which are hard to recycle and clog up drains, leading to flooding in the city. Those profiting from the sale and use of buveera soon started opposing the ban on the grounds that the bags can be recycled. Their biggest supporter? Water and Environment minister Maria Mutagamba. Several months later, the recycling plants are a thin, plastic dream and the bags are still in use. Expect more of the same from the reappointed Mutagamba and more environmental woes.
CORRUPTION
For a country that has spent decades building a “legal framework” to investigate and fight corruption, there are too many institutions and not a single oversight minister. The former nominal oversight minister, for Ethics and Integrity, James Nsaba Buturo spent most of his time chasing after gays and commercial sex workers. His replacement, the Rev. Fr. Simon Lokodo, a Catholic priest, will certainly have more sermons but hardly any more action. With corruption at the highest levels of government, a state minister will have as much impact on graft as a pocketknife on a Mvule tree.
For a country that has spent decades building a “legal framework” to investigate and fight corruption, there are too many institutions and not a single oversight minister. The former nominal oversight minister, for Ethics and Integrity, James Nsaba Buturo spent most of his time chasing after gays and commercial sex workers. His replacement, the Rev. Fr. Simon Lokodo, a Catholic priest, will certainly have more sermons but hardly any more action. With corruption at the highest levels of government, a state minister will have as much impact on graft as a pocketknife on a Mvule tree.
INEFFICIENCY
Amama Mbabazi’s elevation from self-appointed “super minister” to Prime Minister is President Museveni’s trump card to deal with the inefficiency of his government. He has his work cut out trying to supervise ministers he does not appoint and has no power to fire, and trying to breathe life into a lethargic, corrupt and unmotivated civil service. Having the President’s ear will, of course, help, as well as his good work ethic and personal discipline. However, Mbabazi will have to overcome his legendary aloofness and arrogance to get government teams to work for results and value-for-money.
Amama Mbabazi’s elevation from self-appointed “super minister” to Prime Minister is President Museveni’s trump card to deal with the inefficiency of his government. He has his work cut out trying to supervise ministers he does not appoint and has no power to fire, and trying to breathe life into a lethargic, corrupt and unmotivated civil service. Having the President’s ear will, of course, help, as well as his good work ethic and personal discipline. However, Mbabazi will have to overcome his legendary aloofness and arrogance to get government teams to work for results and value-for-money.
RULE OF LAW
Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has made noise in every ministry he has been deployed to but rarely for the right reasons. His stint in Lands saw widespread and controversial give-aways of public plots in the city while his stint in Trade, Industry and Tourism has seen more fights than you can shake a gorilla permit at. He is only the second [first being Janat Mukwaya] non-lawyer to hold the Justice and Constitutional Affairs docket, and while that is not a fatal flaw, his legendary poor work ethic and his need for incentives to give his best has many worried at a time of threats to constitutionality and the rule of law.
Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has made noise in every ministry he has been deployed to but rarely for the right reasons. His stint in Lands saw widespread and controversial give-aways of public plots in the city while his stint in Trade, Industry and Tourism has seen more fights than you can shake a gorilla permit at. He is only the second [first being Janat Mukwaya] non-lawyer to hold the Justice and Constitutional Affairs docket, and while that is not a fatal flaw, his legendary poor work ethic and his need for incentives to give his best has many worried at a time of threats to constitutionality and the rule of law.
The Cabinet rookies. In other words, Mr Museveni can stay in power by letting his cronies steal in exchange for loyalty to him. Some of the new names in the Cabinet show that Mr Museveni wants to have the omelettes that come with the Presidency – but many of the old names suggest he is not willing or brave enough to break any political eggs.
OIL
Although President Museveni has received parliamentary approval to create a new Oil and Petroleum ministry, the Cabinet list did not name the minister. Deals signed with oil firms in dark, smoke-filled rooms and without parliamentary approval have led to disputes over taxes and widespread allegations of corruption. A minister needs to be named soon to push through the relevant laws – even though many say the horses might have long bolted from the barn door. Whoever is named to the job will need to have the ear of the President but the independence of mind and purpose of duty to reform a corrupt sector.
Although President Museveni has received parliamentary approval to create a new Oil and Petroleum ministry, the Cabinet list did not name the minister. Deals signed with oil firms in dark, smoke-filled rooms and without parliamentary approval have led to disputes over taxes and widespread allegations of corruption. A minister needs to be named soon to push through the relevant laws – even though many say the horses might have long bolted from the barn door. Whoever is named to the job will need to have the ear of the President but the independence of mind and purpose of duty to reform a corrupt sector.
EDUCATION
Under outgoing minister Namirembe Bitamazire, the Education ministry was in safe, if not unexciting hands. It needs to be in reformist hands that are able to clean up the mess in the free education system and add quality benchmarks through the chain. The new minister, Lt. Jessica Arupo, is anything but a tested administrator. Not only is the former soldier still a Master student at Makerere University, she is much younger and much less experienced than her junior ministers. Age, of course, is not everything but building a competitive education system is more complicated than reassembling an AK-47 rifle.
Under outgoing minister Namirembe Bitamazire, the Education ministry was in safe, if not unexciting hands. It needs to be in reformist hands that are able to clean up the mess in the free education system and add quality benchmarks through the chain. The new minister, Lt. Jessica Arupo, is anything but a tested administrator. Not only is the former soldier still a Master student at Makerere University, she is much younger and much less experienced than her junior ministers. Age, of course, is not everything but building a competitive education system is more complicated than reassembling an AK-47 rifle.
FOREIGN POLICY
Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa has many critics at home – and plenty of unanswered questions about his legendary wealth – but he has done fairly well in defending Mr Museveni’s regime abroad. With Uganda heavily involved in Somalia, Sudan, the AU, etc., it probably makes sense to have some continuity in the ministry, hence keeping Kutesa and junior minister Okello Oryem, at least for now. It is the questions at home, however, including over his role in Chogm (where he denies accusations of influence-peddling in the award of contracts), that will ultimately determine how long he stays on the job.
Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa has many critics at home – and plenty of unanswered questions about his legendary wealth – but he has done fairly well in defending Mr Museveni’s regime abroad. With Uganda heavily involved in Somalia, Sudan, the AU, etc., it probably makes sense to have some continuity in the ministry, hence keeping Kutesa and junior minister Okello Oryem, at least for now. It is the questions at home, however, including over his role in Chogm (where he denies accusations of influence-peddling in the award of contracts), that will ultimately determine how long he stays on the job.
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