Outgoing Information and National Guidance Minister, Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi has questioned why he was left out the recent cabinet reshuffle.
Gen. Muhwezi who appeared on NTV says the people of his Rujumbura county and other parts of Rukungiri are questioning why they were left out of cabinet.
“For the people of Rujumbura, yes they feel they were left out and they are asking questions and they definitely know who put a fight against the opposition given that both Dr. Kizza Besigye and Mr Amama Mbabazi come from the area” Muhwezi said.
He added “So they are asking questions why they didn’t have a share on that cake. However, I wish him well with his new team he has selected to fulfill the manifesto”
Gen. Muhwezi has represented Rujumbura since the 6th Parliament but was thrown out in the last elections when Mr. Fred Turyamuhweza of Forum for Democratic Change. Mr Turyamutunga defeated him with 1, 6859 votes while Gen. Muhwezi got 1, 4587 votes.
Muhwezi said he won’t miss government all that much as he is both a member of National Executive Committee (NEC) and Central Executive Committee (CEC). Nevertheless, Muhwezi said the omission on the cabinet list, will give him hard times to explain to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party members in the district.
Former Constituent Assembly Delegate for Rujumbura and security operative Charles Rwomushana said Gen. Muhwezi shouldn’t blame anybody for his lose and the eventual exist from cabinet.
“Rukungiri has Gen. Henry Tumukunde but that aside, Muhwezi deliberately built FDC and secondly he was a non-performer. He gave FDC a municipality and also destroyed any political talent in NRM in the district” Rwomushana said.
Adding “He destroyed Sezi Mbaguta, Dr. Alex Kamugisha and instead of building capacity inside the party, he was destroying it and so let him go and die.
Muhwezi defeated Rwomushana in 1996 elections and since then, the two have remain political rivals.
Despite the ‘people of Rujumbura and Rukungiri in general’ questioning Gen. Muhwezi’s omission, the district gained in the entry of Gen. Henry Tumukunde who has come in as Minister of Security.
Rukungiri district since 1986 has produced several ministers in every cabinet and the notables are Dr. Besigye, Mathew Rukikaire, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera, Dr. Alex Kamugisha, Gen. Muhwezi, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima and Sezi Mbaguta
Other high profile public servants from the district include Secretary to the Treasury Keith Muhakanizi, Uganda National Roads Authority boss Allen Kagina, Prison boss, Dr.Johnson Byabashaija and Rural Electrification Agency boss, Godfrey Turyahikayo among others.
