Museveni appoints Norbert Mao Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs

KAMPALA, UGANDA: President Museveni has appointed Democratic Party president Mr. Norbert Mao the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Mao replaces Public Service Minister Hon Peter Muruli Mukasa who has served as Justice Minister in the acting capacity since last year.

The appointment was confirmed in a letter dated Thursday, July 21, in which the President pronounce Mao as the new Justice Minister among other cabinet reshuffles he made.

“By virtue of the authority conferred on the President by Article 113 (1) and 114 (1) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, I hereby appoint persons below as cabinet Ministers and Ministers of state….. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs- Hon. Norbert Mao, Chairman General of the Democratic Party,” Mr. Museveni said in a letter, copy of which this website has seen.”

In the other cabinet reshuffles, Hon Hanson Obua who has been State Minister for education has been named the new Government Chief Whip a position that stayed vacant after the resignation of Thomas Tayebwa who became the deputy speaker of Parliament.

Minister Peter Ogwang has been moved to replace Obua as the new State Minister for Education (Sports Category) while Agago woman MP Hon. Beatrice Okello, has been appointed to replace Ogwang as minister of state for Economic Monitoring.

Mao’s appointment comes exactly a day after the opposition party brokered a juicy deal with ruling National Resistance Movement party (NRM) national chairman who is also the president agreeing to to work together for a better Uganda.

The pact was signed yesterday Wednesday at State House, Entebbe.

President Museveni, who also doubles the the National Chairman of the ruling NRM, signed on behalf of the party, while DP President General, Norbert Mao, signed on behalf of Uganda’s oldest political party.

The NRM secretary General, Hon. Richard Todwong and DP’s SG Dr. Gerald Siranda, also witnessed the signing.

President Museveni, after the signing, congratulated Hon. Mao upon agreeing to work on steering DP to work with the NRM. He noted that this is something that should have happened at the top administrative level long ago.

“You know the history. I keep telling you that DP without Museveni is not a serious group because I was a very active member of DP,” he said.

The President said that DP had good quality and was definitely sincere and more straight forward and revealed that he was very happy with this milestone, saying that all this time although DP has been supporting opposition, they have not been destructive.

“Although DP has been in the opposition, they have not been destructive. They criticise but are not destructive,” he said.

On his part, the DP President General appreciated the milestone on behalf of his party, saying that this is a continuous journey which started before some of them were born.

Mao told President Museveni that he now has the historical opportunity to gather party members scattered all over Uganda.

“You must look for them wherever they are in all the political parties and in all the corners of Uganda,” Mao said.

“This is a living document. It has to continue growing and we have signed it in a good faith,” he said.Mao said the documents signed shows that they have managed to resolve the contradictions that they have been having.

He saluted the courage President Museveni exhibited all through and the risks he has taken saying that Museveni is the captain of the ship called Uganda and that it is important to pray for Museveni as he leads Uganda.