By Spy Uganda
The National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s top organ, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) has Sunday morning approved Omoro county MP Jacob Oulanya as party’s flag bearer for 11th parliament speakership race. This means, the main contender Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga can only contest in the main race which is slated tomorrow Monday as an Independent.
CEC failed to come up with the candidate yesterday as earlier planned and pushed it to Sunday, when they would reach consensus. Kadaga had earlier challenged CEC’s powers to be the one to identify the next speaker and argued that Mps should be given chance to choose their speaker. Kadaga is yet to announce her next step, whether she will come as independent or not. Oulanya will now be facing off with other opposition candidates in the main race like FDC’s Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, DP’s Ssebamala among others.
Currently, the highly contested race remains mainly between Kamuli Woman MP Rebecca Kadaga who has been Speaker for 10 years and Omoro County legislator Jacob Oulanyah who has been her deputy in the 10th Parliament.
The decisions that members of CEC, which President Museveni chairs in his capacity as NRM national chairman, made will be important because it is likely to influence the choice of the ruling party’s caucus that sits later today.
However, while picking expression of interest forms for the position at the NRM headquarters on Kyadondo Road in Kampala on May 19, Kadaga told off CEC that they have no capability to choose Speaker for Parliament.
“Why don’t we do that for the president? Every five years he comes and says there is an election. What do we do? So you can’t come and say for us (CEC) we decided on the speakership five years ago. Are you deciding for us like the way cattle are herded?” Kadaga charged.
Meanwhile, according to our insiders, Kadaga is battling with pressure resulting from CEC’s decision and is allegedly being advised by her close supporters to step down on fear of losing it all to Oulanyah if she gets attempted to go bare knuckles with him.
But secondly, her supporters, majority of whom are NRM members don’t want to be seen like contradicting with their boss, president Museveni and the highest top organ of the party, CEC which Museveni chairs himself. If they continue to mingle with Kadaga who now only has a chance to run as Independent, they fear to have rough times with the Head of state, who by the way is still holding unto his new cabinet list, who wants their names to be crossed at the last minute??!
The election of Speaker/Deputy Speaker is slated for 24 May, 2021 at Kololo independence grounds.
