KAMPALA – President Yoweri Museveni has said that fight amongst Parliamentary aspirants is geared by the MPs who “unilaterally increased their salaries.”
Museveni was on Thursday 10, in Mbarara and Sembabule districts, where he met NRM parliamentary aspirants and other officials from the two districts plus Isingiro, Kirihura and Kazo.
“It is important for those seeking leadership positions in the NRM to appreciate our ideology. People are fighting hard to go to Parliament because MPs unilaterally increased their salaries. They earn more than our scientists and other critical professionals,” he said.
He added “I tried to discourage them but they insisted. Now, people want to leave their jobs and go to Parliament to earn high salaries. And yet this should not be the motivation to seek parliamentary seats, it should be about serving their people.”
According to the President, politics is working for the people, to help them get out of poverty and solve their problems.
On September 8, Museveni, also chairman of the ruling NRM party summoned a meeting of all party candidates in Ssembabule.
Ms Shartsi Musherure, the daughter to the Foreign Affairs Minister and incumbent Mawogola North MP Sam Kutesa is vying for the NRM flag against Mr Godfrey Aine Kaguta, a younger brother to President Museveni.
In Mawogola West, escalation of violence was precipitated between supporters of the current MP, Joseph Ssekabiito Kitayimbwa, who has been taken on by Anifa Kawooya, the district Woman MP. Ms Kawooya was injured in the violence.
The Ssembabule NRM primaries have been a hotbed of violence with the Lwemiyaga poll pitting Minister Joy Kabatsi against Theodre Ssekikubo causing tensions.
Museveni insisted that for those who were violent in the party primaries, including those who masterminded it shall get arrest and prosecute.
“I have spoken to families of those whose loved ones were killed in these incidents, we shall see how to support them,” he said.
On the issue of his relatives getting involved in politics, Museveni said that his name should not come up when his biological relatives are contesting.
“For me, like Jesus, my relatives are all and any NRM member who does the right thing according to the party constitution,” he said, adding that “Read Matthew 12: 46-50. Jesus says His brothers and mother were those who do the will of His Father in Heaven,” he said.
However, he said that he will table in the party CEC the issue of high-ranking party officials backing their relatives to fight other NRM contenders. “That’s not leadership. You should not get involved in supporting your relative and disadvantaging other contenders.”
