State Minister of Lands Persis Namuganza has said that her recent candidature at NRM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) was not about humiliating the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga.
She says all she wanted was inclusiveness and involvement of young people at the top leadership of the ruling party.
A few days ago, Namuganza lost to Kadaga in the NRM second National Vice Chairperson (female) seat.
Despite being a known Kadaga nemesis, the Bukono County Member of Parliament said on Monday that the media exaggerated their competition as if it was a war. She said they created an image that Kadaga was unfit to hold office yet her (Namuganza) intention was to show that her party embraces the inclusiveness of young people.
“My candidature was about deepening inclusion and involvement of the young people in key CEC-level decision making in NRM. Because apart from the National Youth Chairman (currently Gadafi Nasur) who sits in CEC on behalf of his league, the young people don’t have any other verifiable or visible yet they form a very significant majority both in NRM and the country,” she said.
She added that the purpose of joining the race with Kadaga was to address the imbalance in the ruling party by having a young person deputize Gen Museveni and Moses Kigongo, thereby being the third in the hierarchy.
Meanwhile, Namuganza, still alleges that the manner in which the CEC elections were conducted was not in favour of the junior candidates.
“The idea of requiring delegates to write their name initials as part of the voting process had a frightening effect as many delegates feared subsequent reprisals in case they elected some people and not others, this favoured the incumbents. Also, the excessive use of money which in one way or the other sabotaged my chances of victory,” she said.
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
