For months now, there has been strong speculation that President Museveni could shake-up his cabinet as he prepares for the 2021 elections.
The speculation started at the end of last year after Bobi Wine, the leader of the People Power Movement shook up the youth base.
The argument then was that Museveni was most likely to include more youths in his cabinet to shoot two birds with one stone.
First he would appease young people, who make up a sizeable chunk of the voting population.
Secondly, he would alienate the youths from Bobi Wine come 2021.
But rumour wafting through the political corridors indicates that actually Bobi Wine is likely to eat big in the new cabinet list which will be announced when the president chooses when to announce it (in Amama Mbabazi’s voice).
Apparently, Museveni has already prepared a draft list which he keeps in one of the strong rooms at State House. Not even Mama Janet has seen it.
But our fly on the wall managed to catch a glimpse of it before it was shelved away.
From our reliable sources, Museveni’s new cabinet will have a new ministry: a ministry in charge of the Ghetto.
The ghetto, for those who have follow local politics, is the home base of Bobi Wine.
Sources said the ministry will be headed by a personality who has grown up in a Ghetto.
“For a long time, NRM has taken the people in the Ghetto for granted. They were called lumpens, uncouth, unwashed and all manner of names. But now Museveni has realised that the Ghetto is important especially in his quest to win Kampala,” the source told us.
We have also been told that the ministry will have headquarters in Kamwokya, not far away from Bobi Wine’s office.
For those who are observant, you would have noticed a new structure coming up not far away from a washing bay which is adjacent to Bobi Wine’s office.
That structure will house the ministry and will be officially launched by Museveni after he announces the new cabinet.
Besides mobiling Ghetto youth to support NRM, other the responsibilities of the new ministry, according to our sources, will be to ensure that the Ghetto youths are kept in high spirits (whatever that means).
Our source told us that Museveni has realised that Ghetto youths tend to be more productive when their spirits are high. When their spirits are low, they can be dangerous, we have been told.
We have been told that the person chosen to head the ministry will have to live in the ghetto not a posh and leafy place like Kololo, Ntinda or Muyenga.
“The president wants someone who knows the real problems of the people of the ghetto not pretenders,” the source said. Well, The Rouge cannot wait for the new cabinet list to see how all these plans will unfold.
The Rogue is a satirical column that runs every TUESDAY on The Nile Post.
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