Sebaggala Rejected By Parliament Appointment’s Committee

Sheila Naturinda and Isaac Imaka

1 June 2011

As the vetting of President Museveni’s weekend cabinet appointees takes to day two, news emerging from the appointments committee indicates that MPs have rejected the appointed Minister without portfolio, Mr. Nasser Sebaggala.

Mr Museveni last Friday appointed former Kampala Mayor Al Haji Nasser Ntege Sebaggala as a full cabinet Minister without portfolio.

Mr Sebaggala appeared before the committee today (Wednesday) morning after Ministers John Nasasira (Chief Whip), Hillary Onek (Internal Affairs), and Ruhakana Rugunda (ICT) appeared and he was the last cabinet minister to appear.

His appearance took more than an hour, rather awkward as the committee has been vetting close to 5 ministers in one hour. And after he came out, the MPs took close to another hour discussing his fate with very sharp disagreements on his fate until a final decision to throw him out was arrived at.

Sources say that although Sebaggala failed to express himself before the committee, his English hitches would have passed but his moral record couldn’t pass him for an executive position.

They also said because he had once served in an international jail for money laundering, he was restricted on travels in some international countries.

Vetting continues with state ministers and the committee has decided to push the exercise to tomorrow (Thursday) because of the numbers.

When he stepped out of the meeting room, Mr Sebaggala told journalists that he had delayed because he has the biggest ministry, “one of portfolio.”

“You know am the only full minister who has no deputy…so I have the biggest ministry and it is the most important,” he said.

AllAfrica – All the Time