Museveni praises ‘smart, flexible’ Kadaga for accepting a lesser position in cabinet

President Yoweri Museveni has described the former speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga as smart and flexible, saying when he proposed to her that they needed to reorganize, she agreed.

“I want to congratulate my young sister. This time when I made these proposals, because she was already Speaker of Parliament which is a high post… although I did not give her all the reasons, I told her I had strong reasons why I want us to reorganize and proposed this. She agreed,”Museveni said.

“I want to congratulate her. Blessed are the humble for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. People who are smart,that is what they do. They are flexible. Positions are not the important thing; the important thing is the mission.”

Museveni was speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for Kadaga as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs at State Lodge Nakasero.

Kadaga was accompanied by her mother Eva Kadaga, son Timothy Kadaga and daughter Pamela Kaudha.

Kadaga was for 10 years the Speaker of Parliament, one the topmost positions in the Ugandan govenrment but was trounced by his deputy, Jacob Oulanyah in the speakership race last month.

Museveni said he was happy that Kadaga accepted the position given to her in the new cabinet.

“I want to congratulate my young sister Rebecca on being appointed and swearing-in as Deputy Prime Minister. I want to thank her particularly first of all, for being one of the people who rallied to the NRM quite early when it had come to government,”Museveni said.

The president explained that Kadaga started in the LC system in the village committees until she came to National Resistance Council and later as deputy speaker and then, Speaker of Parliament.

“She is somebody who has been contributing for a long time. This time I want to thank her for her modesty and humility,” he said.

Museveni used this opportunity to castigate people who he said go for the peripheral and ignore crucial issues.

“There is a statement which is normally read in the Church of Uganda Prayer book. They left undone what they ought to have done, they did that they ought not to have done and there is no truth in them. This is what has caused problems for Africans. They leave crucial things and go for peripheral,” he said.

Museveni hailed Kadaga whom he likened to Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew for helping to transform the country.

“This is the spirit that I want our people to have. To know that it is not the positions, it’s the mission. As long as mission being pushed we are happy. Lee Kuan Yew must have died a happy man because whatever he was doing, was continued by the young people. I want to congratulate and thank Rebecca on this,” he said.

The ceremony was attended by Vice President Rt. Maj. Jessica Alupo and the Prime Minister Robinah Nabanja.