Africa-Press – Uganda. Parliament on January 16 approved the newly reconstituted Electoral Commission, endorsing a new list of commissioners in which two individuals earlier nominated by the President were dropped.
Sources who spoke to press in strict confidence indicated that President Museveni reportedly had a last-minute review of his original nominees initially sent to the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among 10 days ago.
In his late changes, the President is reported to have been persuaded by the constitutional imperative for appointment to top government jobs to always be gender-sensitive, with deliberate attention being paid to affirmative action for women.
As a consequence of this review one of the male nominees was replaced by a female appointee so as to have the new EC now being comprised of five men and two women.
Separately, press investigations revealed that the earlier nomination of Ms Pamela Etonu Okudi was also overturned at the last minute as a result of what our sources said were “political considerations”.
The present acting head of administration at the electoral body was replaced with another woman.
It is understood that senior officials in the Office of the Speaker were dismayed by Ms Etonu’s nomination and reportedly turned openly hostile after it emerged that equally top-level officials in the Office of the Vice President may have had something to do with her appointment.
Other well-placed sources also said there were reports that Ms Etonu is believed to be close to certain very high-ranking officials in the Vice President’s office who are viewed unfavourably by unnamed senior leaders in Parliament.
The House Committee on Appointments assessed and approved all seven appointees to the reconstituted electoral body during a meeting at Parliament on Tuesday morning.
An acting head of administration at the EC, Ms Etonu had been one of three individuals named by the President in his January 5 letter to Speaker Among as replacements for commissioners whose tenure ended in December last year.
Former commissioners, Mr Mustapha Sebaggala Kigozi, Ms Nathaline Etomaru and Mr Justine Ahabwe Mugabi retired after serving two terms as by-law required.
But four days after Ms Etonu had described her appointment as “God-given”, and ruled out any human intervention, government sources, however, linked her elevation to the Vice President’s office.
It is understood from sources that the suggestion that Ms Etonu’s elevation was backed by a political godfather did not go down well in Parliament.
Within the government establishment, sources say, the hostility and rivalry between the two camps may have influenced the President’s decision to drop Ms Etonu.
The President is said to be aware of this “frostiness”, including the reported patronage of opposing factions in a battle for political and other supremacy that has sucked in the top officials.
Some of the vetting committee members who talked yesterday said Speaker Among, who chairs Parliament’s powerful Appointments Committee, informed them that “after wider consultations, the President recalled the first list and sent another list for vetting.”
Commissioners whose contracts were renewed for a second and last seven-year term included EC chairman Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, his deputy Ms Aisha Lubega Basajjanaku, Mr James Peter Emorut and Mr Stephen Tashobya.
In the new list reportedly sent to Parliament on Monday night, the President dropped Ms Etonu and former pro-ruling party MP representing Nansana Municipality, Mr Robert Kasule Ssebunnya.
One Ms Caroline Bainamaryo took Ms Etonu’s slot, while former pro-ruling party MP for Kioga County, Mr Anthony Okello replaced Mr Ssebunya, who is presently head of the Delivery Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Sources close to State House described Mr Ssebunya as having fallen “a victim of gender balance.” In the initial list, the President had included, Ms Etonu, but after reported further consultations, he brought in Ms Bainamaryo in order to reportedly placate certain political interests.
Ms Etonu hails from Teso sub-region in eastern Uganda.
Before his appointment in November 2016 for his first seven-year term, Mr Byabakama was a judge of the Court of Appeal.
Discontent
In an interview with press in the aftermath of the vetting, Ms Aisha Kabanda, a member of the committee on January 16 echoed disapproval by the country’s political Opposition to the reconstituted EC.
Mr Byabakama and his new commissioners are considered to be ruling party cadres and are, therefore, unfit to sit on the Commission whose constitutional mandate requires that it be an impartial body so as to deliver truly free and fair elections.
“We think lots of things have to change and these appointments, not only with the electoral commission but several other appointments. We think a lot of things must change. Regrettably the existing leadership is still adamant to change anything,” Ms Kabanda, a member of Opposition National Unity Platform party said, adding that, “I would like to say that it is regrettable that we are working in systems that we oppose and that we are opposed to.”
WHAT THEY SAY
“We are not aware of any name fixing, neither do we know why the President sent in another list. Probably, State House can talk to the matter. Our role was to vet and send back a report to the President,” Speaker’s Office.
“I don’t have that information with me now. We have been very busy with the NAM summit preparations. However, I think the vetting committee or Parliament is in the right position to give the information regarding the said changes,” Mr Sandor Walusimbi, presidential press secretary
“I cannot speak for the social media letter. I only speak for the letter the Speaker received. What I know, the people who were vetted today [January 16] are the people who were sent to the Speaker of Parliament by the President. The President’s nominees cannot be sent to the public on social media, because social media users are not mandated to [play] any role in this process of nominating or appointing the members of the commission. Equally, the results of the vetting are not made by Parliament, it is the appointing authority to announce them to the public however much they were successfully nominated by the vetting committee,” Mr Chris Obore, Parliament’s director of communication and public affairs.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
