In her current position as Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga is Uganda’s number three in official political hierarchy, the head of the legislative arm of government and the first woman to head the House in the country’s history.
It is therefore natural that she moves higher up the political ladder if she leaves the Speaker job, something that would mean that she can either be appointed Vice President like her predecessor boss Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, the current VP or compete with President Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 presidential election for the country’s top seat.
Some reports in recent years have claimed that Kadaga despises the position of vice president and wouldn’t take it. However, the Kamuli Woman MP has not come out to confirm or deny this claim.
Also the option of her presidential ambition remains in rumour but her name has been listed among those from the ruling party who could succeed Museveni. Others that have also been listed are former Prime Minister and presidential election flop John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, First Son Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda and First Lady Janet Museveni.
However, on May 07, Aruu County MP Odonga Otto openly talked about the possibility of having Kadaga as President, who would be the first female President of Uganda. MP Otto argued that some people were harassing Kadaga and using the controversial Shs10bn Covid-19 money scandal to make Ugandans hate her as a way of weakening her ability to win an election if and when she chooses to stand against Museveni or any person in National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in which she is the second national vice chairperson.
As Parliament debated a motion by Kira Municipality Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda to express displeasure in President Museveni’s recent attacks on Kadaga, MPs and the institution of Parliament, Otto stood up to claim that there are individuals who are working extra hard to see that the Speaker does not become President of Uganda.
“The Speaker has the highest potential to be the president of this country. So they are trying everything possible to undermine her achievements,” claimed Otto.
Even when Otto didn’t name these individuals, his claim points to the hard times that could be awaiting Kadaga if she decides to challenge Museveni. For the past 20 years, almost all politicians who have attempted to challenge Museveni in presidential elections have tasted the wrath of the state.
Dr Kizza Besigye, the four-time presidential candidate and former President of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has suffered more than all Museveni challengers given the length of time he has spent in political opposition and the magnitude of his threat to Museveni’s presidency.
But even those who have recently declared interest in unseating Museveni have not been spared. Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine and former Security Minister Lt Gen (Rtd) Henry Tumukunde are the most recent examples.
To understand how much trouble Otto could be leading Kadaga into by claiming she is a great presidential material, one has to combine the trials and tribulations of Besigye, Bobi Wine and Tumukunde, then add on the amount of resources Museveni and NRM spent to neutralise Mbabazi’s Go Forward 2016 presidential campaign vehicle.
Before Kadaga makes that decision to challenge Museveni, voices like those of Otto can easily create problems for the Speaker. As of now, some are talking of the State and the NRM supporting Jacob Oulanyah, the Deputy Speaker, to uproot Kadaga.
Otto-like remarks can even force those opposed to Kadaga and her presidential interests (if she has them at all) to make sure she fails in her bid to retain the Kamuli District Woman Parliamentary seat, hence become ineligible for Speakership.
By and large, remarks that point to anyone’s presidential ambitions (provided that person matters and has potential to shake the incumbent) can easily complicate that person’s relationship with the President. The current standoff between Parliament and the Presidency can even quicken reaction from those determined to keep power to themselves, more so because we are close to a crucial presidential election.
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