Although the national chairperson for the ruling party-National Resistance Movement President Yoweri Museveni asked the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga and her Deputy Jacob Oulanyah to suspend their Speakership campaigns, the recent public statements made by the duo are still echoing.
Some of the statements could have been spoken out of anger but in the public eyes, they have left many people pondering who is telling the truth and who looking for sympathy.
One of the shocking statements that could have perplexed the public is that which was made by the Kamuli iron lady pinning the man from the North of chickening out during the time he was supposed to preside over the August House in the times of age limit debate.
While launching her bid for the third term in office of Speakership last week at Speke Resort, Munyonyo, Kadaga set the pace for the race by attacking her immediate opponent Oulanyah by accusing him of not performing to his expectation. She accused him of telling lies against her.
She went bare knuckles and accused Oulanyah of running away from presiding over the age limit debate and has since turned hostile to her assignments.
“There are some liars in NRM who say I don’t like the Movement. For those who were in Parliament, you saw how tense the situation was during the age limit (debate). I was in America and then passed through London to accompany the Teso people because their cultural leader was visiting. My deputy called me saying there was something he couldn’t handle. I came straight into the fire. The chairs were flying. My deputy runs away out of the country.”
She added. “My deputy has been dodging assignments. In 2019 December he refused to chair the House when Uganda was hosting the East African Parliamentary games. Also during the consideration of the Sugar Bill, which I wanted to distance from due to conflict of interest as a person from the sugarcane growing region of Busoga.”
However, while appearing on NBS Television last week,Oulanyah also took his first swipe at Kadaga when he accused her of spending 30 minutes telling lies.
“You go on public television and for 30 minutes you tell lies. Some of the things that were said were unfortunate. I don’t have to respond to some of them. Did I run away? of course not. Why would I run away? I heard that I made a call to the speaker and told her, “Mummy come and rescue me.” I had a meeting with the speaker that day and we discussed that I postpone the debate on the age limit. I did not run. I have dealt with more difficult situations,” the Omoro County MP alleged.
According to Oulanyah, Kadaga herself had advised him to guide the members to discuss another issue and leave the age limit debate for her, alluding that she would handle it the following week when she returns from abroad.
Kadaga is known for spitting fire. Last year while campaigning to become the second national vice chairman for the NRM, Kadaga alluded that the reason why President Museveni is still in Uganda’s State House since she allowed age limit amendment bill to take stage. She repeated the same statement last week, while campaigning for Speakership.
However, in the recent meeting held at State House Entebbe, President Museveni rubbished her claims and told her she is wrong to think that she helped him to push the age limit bill because Ruth Nankabirwa the government Chief Whip had convinced him that she had mobilized Parliament and he was ready to go for a referendum.
So between Kadaga and Oulanyah, who is telling the truth?
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