The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has criticised President Yoweri Museveni’s latest cabinet reshuffle, describing it as a continuation of the status quo and raising concerns over the legality of some appointments.
Speaking at the party’s weekly media briefing on Monday, FDC Vice Chairperson Robert Centenary said the changes announced by the President did not amount to the fresh start many Ugandans had expected following the elections.
“First and foremost, this is not a new cabinet that Ugandans expected. It is just a reshuffle. The same Vice President, the same Prime Minister and the same First Lady in the same ministry. It does not constitute any new direction,” Centenary said.
The opposition party also raised concerns about the appointment of Lawrence Muganga as State Minister for Internal Affairs, citing an ongoing legal challenge over allegations that he holds dual Ugandan-Canadian citizenship.
According to the party, the allegations raise questions about compliance with provisions of the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act that restrict dual citizens from holding certain senior government positions.
“A president who has held power for 40 years should not be making elementary constitutional errors in his cabinet appointments,” Centenary said.
The party further criticised Parliament’s recent approval of constitutional changes expanding the number of Cabinet ministers and ministers of state, arguing that the move was intended to legitimise appointments that had exceeded previous constitutional limits.
“Uganda is a country where teachers go unpaid for months, hospitals lack basic medicines and millions of citizens have no clean water. This expansion is not in the public interest. It is managing the NRM’s internal political factions at the taxpayers’ expense,” he said.
FDC also renewed its call for the removal of Education Minister Janet Museveni, citing persistent challenges in the education sector, including teacher welfare, high school fees and learning outcomes.
As Parliament begins vetting ministers-designate, the opposition expressed doubt that the Appointments Committee would subject nominees to rigorous scrutiny because of the ruling party’s majority on the committee.
Centenary urged Ugandans seeking political change to pursue it through constitutional means, saying the reshuffle represented “the same old story of no change.”
