Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni, re-elected in February for a third decade in power, has given his
wife a coveted portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle announced late on Monday.
Museveni named his
67-year-old spouse Janet the education and sports minister, two weeks after
promoting his son from brigadier to major general.
The other appointment in
the 80-member cabinet that raised eyebrows was that of Simon Lokodo, a reputed
homophobe, as state minister of ethics and integrity in a country where
homosexuality is punishable by a life term.
Museveni, 71, reappointed
his Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda
and retained Matia Kasaija and Irene Muloni as his finance and energy
ministers, according to local media.
Former lawmaker Ken
Lukyamuzi who served with Janet Museveni in last parliament said her elevation
“was expected”.
“Museveni is pushing (a)
family agenda in Ugandan politics. Recently he promoted his son to the rank of
major general and now (his) wife is reappointed minister,” he told AFP on
Tuesday.
Museveni’s son, Muhoozi
Kainerugaba, has denied claims that he plans to succeed his father, describing
this as a “red herring” used by the opposition.
Tensions have been
simmering in Uganda since the February election, which opposition leader Kizza
Besigye says he won.
Besigye staged his own
mock swearing-in ceremony after the polls, was arrested and jailed in a
high-security prison in the capital Kampala after being charged with treason.
Treason is a capital
offence in Uganda, but the death penalty has not been carried out for years.
A long-standing opponent
of Museveni, Besigye has been frequently jailed, placed under house arrest,
accused of both treason and rape, tear-gassed, beaten and hospitalised over the
years.
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