“war”between PM Nabbanja and Lumumba escalates to boiling point

The misunderstanding between Uganda’s Prime Minister, Rt Hon Robinah Nabbanja and her deputy, also Minister for General Duties, Hon Justine Kasule Lumumba have a take new twist with the latter saying she will not defend government on the floor of Parliament unless a directive to the Speaker by the former is rescinded.

In 2022, Prime Minister Nabbanja wrote to Speaker Anita Among banning the Minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister from continuing to defend government on the floor of Parliament in her absentia.

In the letter, the Prime Minister only okayed the third deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio Lukia Nakadama to defend government when she is not in the House.

But in the Tuesday Parliamentary sitting, Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu questioned the continuous absence of the Prime Minister in the House to defend government positions.

“We feel betrayed as members of Parliament, when we come here ask questions on behalf of Ugandans and the Prime Minister or another Minister from the office of the Prime Minister is not here to respond to our issues we are raising,” Ssewungu said.

Even when she was in the House, Lumumba could not defend government, arguing that her defence would be in contravention of the Prime Minister’s directive to the Speaker banning her to defend Government on the floor of Parliament.

“I’m an obedient servant and defending government on the floor of Parliament in the absence of the Prime Minister would be defying the directives of my boss,” Minister Lumumba said.

The Speaker also maintained that the Prime Minister has not yet rescinded the directive she made, hence no need of blaming Lumumba for not defending government.