Uganda People’s Congress party president Olara Otunnu has reshuffled his cabinet appointing Rev. Jacinto Ogwal as the new Secretary General and Professor Edward Kakonge as national chairman.
On Tuesday, Otunnu also relieved all party publicists including Moses Nuwagaba and Robert Kanusu.
Rev. Ogwal, the Otuke County Member of Parliament replaces John Odit while Prof Kakonge takes over from Major Edward Rurangaranga.
Rurangaranga has been critical of Otunnu’s move to suspend Odit and UPC secretary for mobilisation, David Pulkol. Rurangaranga described the December 12th sacking of the two top officials as illegal and against the party constitution.
Quoting the party constitution, Rurangaranga on Monday said that Otunnu breached the provisions of Article 26 of the new constitution. It states that when the constitution comes into force, all persons holding offices under the previous constitution shall continue to hold office until new elections are held under it.
Otunnu accuses Odit and Pulkol of allegedly working against him. Otunnu on Tuesday told a press conference that he cannot have parallel structures, programmes and appointments within UPC by people who have no powers to act on behalf of the party.
The party has been operating under the 1970 constitution which was also inherited by Otunnu. The UPC Annual delegates’ conference on November 22 2008 amended the constitution when it passed a new constitution for the party.
It was then gazetted on the 5th of December 2011. This means all officials elected by Otunnu will have to hold their seats until new elections are held under the new constitution.
But Otunnu says regardless of the constitution, he still has powers to reshuffle his executive. He says he is saddened by the actions of the party chairman, describing him as having been duped and manipulated by sacked officials.
He attacked Pulkol for what he called a clever manner of deception that the party mobiliser allegedly employs to weaken UPC. He noted that a cabinet sub committee is to sit and decide on how to handle the vacuum left following Pulkol’s sacking. According to Otunnu, the sub committee is chaired by the party secretary general. Both Pulkol and Odit could not be reached as they are reportedly up country mobilizing for the party.
But Rurangaranga sounded ignorant about his sacking saying that he only heard the news from a URN reporter who called to get his comment. He said he is going to take Otunnu to court.
