By Jumah Kakomo
Recently, the president of the republic of Uganda Gen.Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni made a reshuffle in his cabinet ministers where some ministers were dropped and appointed new ones including events promoter Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, who was appointed the State minister for children and youth affairs under the ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development replacing Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi.
On Wednesday, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi officially received the office in the presence of the state minister for disability Hellen Asamo who represented her boss Betty Among, minister for Gender, Lobour and social development (MGLSD).
In his speech Balaam guaranteed to work on rampant teenage pregnancies, poverty, and child labor and youth unemployment across the country saying youth have been greatly affected by unemployment, but in his tenure the situation will not remain the same.
Now the opposition Uganda people’s congress (UPC) Party says Balaam’s appointment was due to favors, sympathy and popularity. Balaam is known to be with an upper hand and firm connection to the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) pressure group whose patron is the first son Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
UPC’s spokesperson Arach Oyat Sharon says the NRM ruling chairman also the president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has a tendency of appointing people to hold big offices basing on favors, sympathy and popularity regardless of competency and qualification which she says affects effective service delivery.
“The leadership gap is deteriorating; let him (Balaam) work beyond our expectations. He is a minister, as UPC we shall give him the benefit of doubt hoping that he will do the work or task assigned to him. However we are not very hopeful on how productive he will be”. Sharon added.
Meanwhile Sharon further advised the newly elected Dokolo district Woman legislator UPC’s Sarah Aguti Nyangkori to execute her work under the party’s ideology and manifesto to fulfill the promises made during campaigns.
Sarah Aguti was declared the winner of the Dokolo District Woman MP seat after garnering the most votes in the By-election. She polled 23044 votes in the total 173 polling stations scattered across the northern Uganda district to beat five other candidates in the race. She swore in on Wednesday to commence her work officially.
Sharon says opposition legislators are bribed by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and end up crossing over which she described as one of the major factors affecting opposition meeting their goals.
“As we have always advocated, we have always promised our voters that what we outline in our manifesto during campaigns is what we fulfill, so I urge Hon. Sarah Aguti to fulfill the promises, foundations, she had made that she is going to do, she made a number of services ranging from service delivery, education among others.” Sharon said.
