Stop hiding behind wife, Lukwago tells Mbabazi Photo by Alfred Tumushabe By HERBERT ZZIWA Argument. Lukwago says Mbabazi risks being perceived as a political “lame duck” if he continues with his ambivalent gesture on his perceived political ambitions Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has told former prime minister Amama Mbabazi to stop hiding behind the back of his wife and declare his political intentions publicly. Mr Lukwago said Mbabazi runs a risk of being perceived as a political “lame duck” if he continues with his ambivalent gesture on his perceived political ambitions. “Politically, he is likely to be perceived as a lame duck who is riding on the back of his wife, and there is a more serious danger he is risking. So if he continues to behave that way, I don’t know whether he will have it his way,” Mr Lukwago said. “I am one person who has been disturbed by how Mbabazi is handling his fallout with President Museveni. I respect him for being composed despite the injustices he has suffered, but he is running a very big danger because he knows the internal dynamics of the military regime,” Mr Lukwago said at a press conference at his law chambers in Kamwokya, Kampala on Friday. Mr Mbabazi was sacked as prime minister on September 18, in a move widely interpreted as a punishment for his perceived ambition to stand against his boss President Museveni in 2016. Mbabazi has since neither come out clearly to confirm or dismiss the speculation about his perceived 2016 presidential bid. It is his wife Jacqueline Mbabazi, the chairperson of the NRM Women League, who has attempted to shed light on the controversy. She scorned the ruling party’s resolution in Kyankwanzi in February which endorsed Mr Museveni as NRM’s sole candidate for 2016. She also slammed the resolution as unbinding because the NRM Caucus which passed it has no powers to choose the party’s flag bearer for a presidential election. She also condemned the “unfair” treatment of her husband by the hierarchy of the NRM which she described as a dictatorship. Mr Lukwago’s remarks at the Friday press conference came two days after President Museveni told BBC that he sacked Mbabazi because he was involved in divisive activities and threatened unity. Mr Lukwago said the Opposition is willing to work with Mr Mbabazi if he openly declares his intentions to challenge President Museveni and fight for democratic transformation. “I know Mbabazi has been one of those people who were pushing me out of City Hall. But for me, I have forgiven him now that we are in the same pot. For the record I can give him a desk here in Lukwago and Company Advocates and we fight together,” Mr Lukwago said. Mr Lukwago is in court battling for his crown following a protracted legal battle with the State to keep his office. He was controversially removed from office late last year by a KCCA impeachment which was later nullified by the High Court in March. However, the State appealed to the head of the Court of Appeal Justice Stephen Kavuma who overruled the High Court decision and ordered Lukwago out of City Hall, three hours after resuming office. Mr Lukwago has since appealed against Justice Kavuma’s ruling but his petition is still pending in court. Call for graft probe Mr Lukwago asked the development partners to commission an audit of all the loans and grants given to KCCA since 2011. In a dossier to the World Bank, China Exim Bank, IMF and the European Union among others, he said there has been gross abuse of the funds from development partners and no value-for-money has been realised in the donor-supported projects. [email protected]
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 05:26:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015