Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday Sep 19,2014 sacked the east African
nation’s prime minister, a former ally who has emerged as a potential
challenger to the veteran leader.
The sacked prime minister, Amama Mbabazi, had been a long-term ally of Museveni, aged 69 and Uganda’s leader since 1986, but in March he was ousted as party head of Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement amid signs of tensions.
There were also unconfirmed reports that Mbabazi was poised to resign but that Museveni, a former fighter chief and one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, pre-empted such a move by sacking him.
The sacking also comes amid speculation that Museveni has been grooming his son, special forces commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as a possible future successor.
New Prime Minister Rugunda is one of Museveni’s closest allies, and has in the past served as minister for health, the interior and foreign affairs.
A government spokesman confirmed that Mbabazi had now also been sacked from the position of prime minister. “Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda is the new prime minister. The reshuffle in cabinet only affects Amama Mbabazi,” said the spokesman, Ofwono Opondo.
The sacked prime minister, Amama Mbabazi, had been a long-term ally of Museveni, aged 69 and Uganda’s leader since 1986, but in March he was ousted as party head of Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement amid signs of tensions.
There were also unconfirmed reports that Mbabazi was poised to resign but that Museveni, a former fighter chief and one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, pre-empted such a move by sacking him.
The sacking also comes amid speculation that Museveni has been grooming his son, special forces commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as a possible future successor.
New Prime Minister Rugunda is one of Museveni’s closest allies, and has in the past served as minister for health, the interior and foreign affairs.
A government spokesman confirmed that Mbabazi had now also been sacked from the position of prime minister. “Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda is the new prime minister. The reshuffle in cabinet only affects Amama Mbabazi,” said the spokesman, Ofwono Opondo.
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