By Mariam Namakula
“I don’t blame the president at all. The people of Lubaga North influenced his (Museveni’s) decision not to make me Minister again.”
A One-time member of the Forum For Democratic Change Party and Uganda Federal Alliance Party which she formed and abandoned for the position of Minister for Kampala in June 2016, and lands in December 2019 said that unlike the opposition hullaballoo, the five years of NRM have tremendously built her career. Her career had grown tremendously, according to her.
“My entrance in politics has always been to be in government, this is where you can participate in decision making, policy formulation and budgeting, a thing that was impossible as opposition,” Kamya said.
She said that if someone had worked for the opposition for thirty years and couldn’t have any political impact then she really didn’t understand what that person was still doing in politics.
“I explained to the members of the Federal Alliance party that l needed to be in government because that is where policies are made.”
Beti Kamya, who will now be acting as senior advisor on land matters, however attributes her decision to work with government to her tremendous potential and political skills especially her mobilization skills which to her were key for her appointment as minister.
According to her, the president spots potential in opposition, fishes and gives them an opportunity to serve the electorate.
She said that her newly acquired position was mainly determined by the electorate of Lubaga North constituency who never voted her as member of parliament in the recently concluded elections
She advised her predecessor and former minister for ICT Judith Nabakooba to tighten the screws around the land acquisition and eviction policies.
Ironically, Political pundits say the president dumped her because of her failure to deliver as expected in Buganda region during the Jan. 14 elections. Kamya had promised, in 2018, to make President a darling in Buganda again.
Like Kamya, many prominent figures from opposition have switched gears in life to serve under their foe, President Museveni.
The current speaker of parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, and his deputy, Anita Among, once belonged to the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) and FDC respectively.
