Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi, the former state minister for Tourism, has said he is going nowhere after rejecting a big offer from his boss President Museveni to become Uganda’s new Ambassador to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Information from the State House indicates that a cabinet meeting sat on Monday and approved 7 names of individuals to be appointed as ambassadors. These were to represent Uganda in various countries and Kiwanda happened to be on this list.
Kiwanda, on his side, said he is not yet ready to leave the country as he still has a lot to do as the NRM Vice Chairperson Buganda region. And therefore, if he dares leave to go take on the new job, it would interfere with his duties here.
“I’m not going anywhere. Am not leaving Uganda to go work elsewhere. There is still a lot to do here,” Kiwanda said.
However, regarding the matter, Kiwanda said he hasn’t received any calls from the general himself.
He additionally vowed to disregard the offer even when the president calls him because he feels it’s not right at the moment.
Apparently, an ambassadorial job is a polite way of government retiring you from active politics. One is taken far away from their would-be electorate and from the media.
In December 2021, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni appointed new ambassadors and their deputies. While he appointed them, he retained some old ones but also replaced a number of them across the world.
Kiwanda becomes the second to reject the ambassadorial job after former Internal Security Organization Boss Col. Kaka Bagyenda who was deployed to Angola at the uganda consul but turned it down and opted to stay running his palm oil investments in Kalangala.
