Lands State Minister and Bukono County MP Princess Persis Namuganza is back in the news for her resolve to take on the Anita Among – led 11th Parliament in what seems to be a hot and bloody showdown.
Namuganza, now threatened with a censure motion by MPs on allegations of misconduct and misbehavior declined a call by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to apologize to Parliament.
Nabbanja had sought to end the bad blood between Namuganza and fellow Mps who have vowed to take her down over her conduct.
The Princess of Bukono instead delivered an induced apology that MPs immediately rejected.
She is accused of abuse of office and overstepping her mandate when she directed the allocation of land to individuals and companies in the Nakawa – Naguru land estate on a non – existent presidential directive.
Parliament’s report on the subject had asked cabinet to suspend her but the Minister argued that Parliament had no powers to suspend her from cabinet. Besides,she had not allocated land to herself even if the presidential directive wasn’t available.
She sought court orders to quash the report of parliament and expunge the same from the records but high court judge Musa Ssekaana on August 16 dismissed the application.
Since then, Namuganza has lived on tension with voices for her exit from cabinet growing each day from among fellow legislators.
Well as yesterday’s House sitting was presided over by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa,Namuganza took a swipe at Speaker Anita Among and husband Moses Hashim Magogo accusing the couple of procuring what she called a ‘fraudulent marriage that has turned into a personal fight in the house”.
This was a new twist to the disagreement that was earlier thought to be a parliamentary issue of misconduct or was it Namuganza’s plot to blackmail Among and Magogo to abandon Parliament’s pursuit of her actions.
Namuganza’s action now puts her on a collision course with Among similar to her fight against former Speaker and Kamuli Woman Mp Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga.
Namuganza flexed with Kadaga in the last days of the latter’s reign to the extent that she threatened to eject Kadaga from the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the National Resistance Movement unsuccessfully.
Well as Kadaga’s loss of the speakership can be blamed on many other factors including her own leadership style, a deeper analysis will show Namuganza in the broader fight given the standoff that the two great women leaders from Busoga caused in their supremacy war hidden under royalty.
Namuganza who fought Kadaga now says Speaker Anita Among is out to finish her.
Clearly,there is bad blood again between Namuganza and Speaker Anita Among caused by their egos,supremacy quests and their nearness to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.The once very powerful Namuganza has been relegated to a mere silent junior Minister threatening her career,but why?
Media and political analyst Joseph Tamale Mirundi says legislators have been drawn into a veiled mission resulting into perceived attacks and blackmail. Mirundi says Namuganza will defeat Parliament’s scheme to censure her.
While appearing on his weekly talkshow #TheBigStory on Baba Television,Mirundi said the push for Namuganza to apologise was calculated by the state mafia to dent her political career and relegate her into oblivion.He said the pursuit is an indirect one on Mr.Museveni and not Namuganza.
Mirundi says the junior minister is being witch – hunted for using Museveni’s name and being close to General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Is Anita Among fighting Namuganza or her own mischief? If so, how did the war move from Kadaga to Among or does trouble lie in the speakership chair or is it coincidence?
How then does Moses Magogo come into the fight? Is it a mafia scheme against Namuganza or one of those “use and dump” schemes that have characterized Mr.Museveni’s reign!
Will Namuganza defeat Among like she did with Kadaga or will her war with Among seal her career into political limbo? Whatever the result, the lioness of Bukono will not relent or so she vows neither will Maama Bukedea also Maama Busoga whatever the titles carry.
