Richard Wanambwa
11 October 2008
Kampala — President Museveni has summoned the National Resistance Movement/Army bush war Political High Command to discuss the fate of Security Minister Amama Mbabazi.
According to the invitation letter dated October 1 and addressed to Hajji Moses Kigongo, the vice chairman of the party, the President will chair the meeting on October 19 at State House Entebbe. "This is to inform you that H.E. the President will chair the political high command on October 19 at 11 am at State House Entebbe. For more details our head of protocol Mr Simon Ajiku will contact you," reads part of the letter signed by Ms Amelia Kyambadde, the President's principal private secretary.
The Political High Command, which was active during the Luweero bush war but non-active now because of disagreements amongst members, will discuss the Mbabazi-NSSF Temangalo land deal. The summoning letter was copied to both Mr Mbabazi in his capacity as the secretary general of NRM and Mr Ajiku.
A source who has been invited for the meeting told Saturday Monitor the invitation letter was sent without an agenda, but confirmed that the meeting was called to discuss the increasing political infighting in the party and on the way forward on the fate of Mr Mbabazi.
"Yes, I have seen that letter on my desk," said a source who declined to be identified because the matter is internal and sensitive. "It has no agenda but what to discuss is no longer a public secret. The meeting will handle what you people call infighting in the party and off course the fate of our secretary general."
However, a member of the Central Executive Committee (CEC), an organ of the NRM equivalent to Cabinet, said there was no such organ in the party structures but said this could be a gimmick by the party leadership to eliminate some members of CEC deemed critical during previous meetings.
"Political High Command is unknown to some of us," said a senior member of the party who sits on the CEC but preferred anonymity because he is not authorised to speak on matters of the party. "They want to include some and leave out some of the members on CEC."
This same source said the President used the Political High Command previously as a way of accommodating non-combatant members of the NRM/A when he captured power. Hajji Kigongo refused to comment.
Asked what Political High Command is, Local Government Minister Kahinda Otafiire, who sits on the UPDF Historical High Command of the original bush war fighters, said: "There was a Political High Command but since the Movement system of governance changed with NRM becoming a party under the multiparty arrangement, there is no such organ."
He also said the previous Political High Command consisted of original bush combatants who fought the war, President Museveni inclusive, members of the external political wing who included people like Mr Mbabazi and senior members of government like the Vice President and Prime Minister among others.
Ms Mary Okurut, the NRM spokeswoman, said: "I am not aware of any organ called Political High Command. Call me after [I have consulted] with Ms Kyambadde." But by press time, Ms Okurut had not taken this reporter's calls.
Mr Mbabazi, his business associate and city businessman Amos Nyezi in March this year sold 414 acres of land to NSSF worth Shs11 billion but the matter has since got the attention of Parliament that has investigated it over allegations of price inflation, political influence peddling and whether procurement laws were followed during the transaction.
Public hearings before the committee ended on October 3, after hearing submissions from almost all the implicated parties in the deal, with the Managing Director NSSF David Jamwa confessing to the committee that he was under a lot of political pressure from the finance Minister Ezra Suruma and Mr Mbabazi.
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