President Museveni allegedly appoints individuals to his Cabinet as a reward for loyalty and fires or demotes the strong-minded; thereby compromising governments competence, US Ambassador Jerry Lanier has said in a leaked diplomatic cable he authored two years ago.
Mr Museveni, the envoy said in his cable, named his wife, Janet, for the first time to cabinet during the February 15, 2009 reshuffle, to allegedly broaden her access to state resources and perks while hoping on the downside that the Karamoja docket would present the First Lady an intractable problem to allegedly weaken her growing popularity.
The ambassadors views, never before heard in public, are contained in a 2009 diplomatic briefing to Washington, leaked by whistleblower website, Wikileaks.
In it, Mr Lanier says the First couples allegedly frosty relations are no secret in Kampala.
After repeated attempts to get a comment from her, Ms Museveni, through an aide, last evening promised to call and respond to the issues in the US ambassadors briefing, but had not done so by press time.
Mr Lanier reported to Kampala seven months after the 2009 cabinet reshuffle and noted that individuals named ministers at the time allegedly had no conscience and would reportedly pull all stops, including dirty tricks, to enable Mr Museveni win the February 18, 2011 vote.
The incumbent won 68 per cent of the ballot, although his opponents, without adducing tangible evidence, said he allegedly bought the vote using a rushed Shs600 billion supplementary budget approved during campaigns.
In the dossier, the envoy describes the former Finance Minister, Ms Syda Bbumba, as incompetent and also highlights ex-Trade Minister Janat Mukwayas lacklustre performance.
Technically competent ministers in ministries of growing importance to the economy such as that of Finance, Energy, Information, Communication and Technology were replaced with less capable personalities, Mr Lanier noted.
Mr Museveni, the envoy said in his cable, named his wife, Janet, for the first time to cabinet during the February 15, 2009 reshuffle, to allegedly broaden her access to state resources and perks while hoping on the downside that the Karamoja docket would present the First Lady an intractable problem to allegedly weaken her growing popularity.
The ambassadors views, never before heard in public, are contained in a 2009 diplomatic briefing to Washington, leaked by whistleblower website, Wikileaks.
In it, Mr Lanier says the First couples allegedly frosty relations are no secret in Kampala.
After repeated attempts to get a comment from her, Ms Museveni, through an aide, last evening promised to call and respond to the issues in the US ambassadors briefing, but had not done so by press time.
Mr Lanier reported to Kampala seven months after the 2009 cabinet reshuffle and noted that individuals named ministers at the time allegedly had no conscience and would reportedly pull all stops, including dirty tricks, to enable Mr Museveni win the February 18, 2011 vote.
The incumbent won 68 per cent of the ballot, although his opponents, without adducing tangible evidence, said he allegedly bought the vote using a rushed Shs600 billion supplementary budget approved during campaigns.
In the dossier, the envoy describes the former Finance Minister, Ms Syda Bbumba, as incompetent and also highlights ex-Trade Minister Janat Mukwayas lacklustre performance.
Technically competent ministers in ministries of growing importance to the economy such as that of Finance, Energy, Information, Communication and Technology were replaced with less capable personalities, Mr Lanier noted.
