Four newly appointed ministers did not take their oaths of office on Monday as colleagues in the new cabinet gathered at State House, Entebbe, for the swearing-in ceremony.
Addressing President Yoweri Museveni before the commencement of the ceremony, the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, Lucy Nakyobe, said 78 Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State were present and ready to be sworn in. She added that one appointee was indisposed, while four others remained absent pending further guidance from the Presidency.
Nakyobe revealed that, following a directive from the President, she and the Solicitor General met the affected appointees over the weekend and prepared a brief that was submitted to the Principal Private Secretary for consideration.
Although Nakyobe did not name the affected officials, Adonia Ayebare, the designated Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Muganga, the designated Minister of State for Internal Affairs, and David Calvin Echodu, the designated Minister of State for International Affairs, are among the appointees whose appointments have been delayed because they hold dual citizenship.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa told journalists after the Appointments Committee concluded its vetting exercise that four nominees had citizenship-related concerns, but noted that three of them had already initiated the process of renouncing their foreign citizenship.
Meanwhile, the First Lady and Minister-designate for Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, was not vetted after failing to appear before the committee either physically or virtually. In her remarks, Nakyobe reminded the Cabinet-designate that taking the oath was not merely a constitutional formality but a solemn commitment to serve Ugandans with integrity, diligence, patriotism and humility.
“This means putting the interests of your country above personal interests and dedicating yourselves fully to advancing the welfare and prosperity of our citizens,” she said.
She assured the ministers of the public service’s support in implementing government programmes and urged them to embrace teamwork, collective responsibility and constructive engagement with public servants to translate government policies into tangible results.
To prepare the new ministers for their responsibilities, Nakyobe announced that an induction programme would be held from June 14 to June 23 at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi. According to Nakyobe, the orientation programme will equip ministers with knowledge of Cabinet procedures and rules, government structures and systems, Cabinet business, and their key responsibilities as members of the Executive-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
