Politics
Full List Of Museveni’s Sworn Enemies Who Are Now His Staunch Foot Soldiers; See How He Lured Them To Join Him And Are Now Serving In Top Government Positions
Gen YK Museveni’s government is currently being run by people who until a few years ago were strong opponents of the indefatigable relentless man from Rwakitura. Previously, these vigorously opposed and demanded for the departure of Museveni from the Presidency on grounds that he had done his part and deserved to retire.
But through relentless engagement, Gen Museveni gradually wooed them over and are now his diehard supporters who are currently holding powerful positions.
1.Henry Mayega
The flamboyant administrator from Makerere University was for decades a well-decorated hater of Gen YK Museveni prompting Dr. Milton Obote to make him (young as he was) Vice Chairman for Presidential Policy Commission (PPC) which was running the affairs of UPC for the years Uganda’s founding President was in the Zambian exile. But in 2010, five years after Obote’s death, Olara Otunnu won the UPC Presidency and resorted to purging many of the guys who had stood against him.
Mayega was one of them the other being Hajji Badru Wegulo. Mayega remained UPC but totally sidelined and it was during that period of involuntary isolation that Gen Museveni came knocking and that’s how an optionless Mayega (who as then VC Baryamureeba’s PA was being mistreated) fell in bed with NRM and hasn’t looked back to this day. Outspoken as always, Mayega currently serves as Uganda’s Ambassador to UAE which currently is one of Gen Museveni’s most valued diplomatic relationships.
Leveraging on Ugandans doing kyeyo there, UAE is currently one of Uganda’s biggest sources of FDI and foreign exchange coming in form of remittances from thousands of Ugandans doing odd jobs there. UAE is where Mayega continues to be based while churning out anti-NUP media articles published mainly in the state-owned New Vision. Supervisors at Foreign Affairs have tried to curtail Mayega’s controversial political activism only to be overcome by the man’s indifference.
During Sam Kutesa’s days, Mayega narrowly survived being sanctioned for breaching diplomatic etiquette which requires him not to over engage in partisan politics. He currently remains one of the fearless and most outspoken Musevenists in contemporary Uganda. This was unimaginable before 2010 because the Henry Mayega of those days greatly despised Gen Museveni.
2. Anita Among
Being Speaker of the 11th Parliament, the Bukedea Woman MP doesn’t require much introduction. The Speaker position makes her Uganda’s undisputed number 3 only coming after Museveni and VP Jessica Alupo. But less than 10 years ago she was a conspicuous activist for political change under FDC where she served as Deputy Treasurer under the mentorship of Jack Sabiiti and Nandala Mafabi.
In 2008, two years after FDC had just swept the Teso vote in 2006, Among (who had previously served as Lira branch manager for Centenary Bank) stood in the newly created Bukedea district for Woman MP on the FDC ticket but lost to Rose Akol. She was allegedly rigged out but didn’t give up. In 2011, she was back once again carrying the FDC flag but was narrowly defeated like in 2008 (even when she had clandestine support of NRMs like Hassan Basajjabalaba and Alupo who resented Akol).By 2016, Among had become wiser and realised that standing as an FDC-leaning independent was the only way to overcome Akol who had the backing of many powerful people in NRM including several UPDF generals.
Among had already secured support of many insiders in NRM including Hassan Basajjabalaba but who feared to embrace her openly as long as she carried the FDC flag. In 2016, even when she associated with the Besigye bid in her Bukedea backyard, Among running as independent carried the day.A defeated Akol coiled her tail and ate a humble pie. But at some point, in what manifested last kicks of the dying horse, Akol tried working with Daily Monitor’s Ivan Okuda to run demonising stories against Among but didn’t go far because the day the newspaper began the Bukedea electoral violence series is the day AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi was assassinated and that became the big story for several months and thereby crowding out any other.
There was also a defamation civil suit which scared the Monitor editors off the Bukedea series.From then on, Anita Among grew from strength to strength. As a backbencher, she had direct access to Museveni and was more powerful than even Ministers in the 2016-2022 Cabinet. Leveraging her old FDC connections, Among frustrated many post-2016 demonstrations and protests organized by Dr. Kizza Besigye, who had declared himself the People’s President.
By 2021, with FDC becoming a shadow of its former self, a grateful Museveni reciprocated by giving Among anything she asked for. She became his favorite for Deputy Speaker and was accelerated to Speakership in March 2022, filling the vacuum left by Jacob Oulanyah’s death. Thomas Tayebwa, backed by the 1st Family, was persuaded out of the Deputy Speaker race to ensure Among’s success. Tayebwa was consoled with the Government Chief Whip position, which he held until becoming Deputy Speaker after Oulanyah’s death.
As Speaker, Among wields enormous powers, including vetting and ratifying Presidential appointments and heading the Legislature, which has the final say on budget allocations. She can save or crash anyone, as seen in the cases of Jennifer Bamuturaki and Geraldine Ssali. In the national hierarchy, Among (just 50) ranks above all officials except Museveni and VP Alupo. Joel Senyonyi, Francis Zzake, Parsis Namuganza, and Twaha Kagabo have discovered that Among can effectively crash anyone she chooses to. The Observer newspaper recently profiled Among’s ability to severely sanction and persecute her critics, including NUP activists Habib Buwembo, Moses Bigirwa, and Francis Matovu Butto.
Earlier, acting on Among’s behalf, the Kira Division Police crashed Busoga Kingdom tourism Minister Hellen Namutamba for posting uncharitable content about Among. Similarly, Radio One journalist Judy Mutawe and Drone Media’s Pidson Kareire faced similar wrath for disparaging Among online.
3.Thomas Tayebwa
Thomas Tayebwa, as Deputy Speaker, is more or less as powerful as his boss Anita Among. In his extreme days as a regime opponent, Tayebwa one time teamed up with Vincent Nuwagaba and others to physically go after then Minister Prof Tarsis Kabwegyere who was one of the few Musevenists who had guts to drive to Makerere to participate in public debates against the opposition. Those debates of the early 2000s used to be organised by Henry Kasacca (now a Buganda Lukiiko member) who used to chair the Makerere Debating Club.
The debates would be held at the famous Lumumba Hall terrace. Tayebwa, who gradually eased out of the FDC politics to do lucrative business in South Sudan, was that militant in his anti-NRM politics and has ironically since grown into a more powerful regime actor than even Gen Kahinda Otafiire who initially lured him from FDC into NRM.Otafiire loudly cried out when mere Capt Donozio Kahonda defeated him for NRM primaries in 2016 and his supporters went about claiming that Tayebwa [aka AGIP (which means Any Govt in Power)] is the man haters inside the First Family had used to humiliate him in favour of Kahonda.
Even when it was him who introduced him to generals and lucrative printing deals in South Sudan, Gen Otafiire (feeling betrayed) is currently not on good terms with Tayebwa anymore even when they hail from the same district. Months ago, the two threw veiled barbs at each other after Gen Otafiire (who secured reelection in 2021 with inadvertent support of Tayebwa) implied part of the reason he wasn’t coming to Parliament for plenary sessions anymore was because he was contemptuous of the current leadership in Parliament.
This was construed to be a veiled reference to Thomas Tayebwa who, not prepared to go down without a fight, pushed back as he presided over the ACME awards night by making it clear the likes of Otafiire had better realise that they had had their time and now is the moment for younger cadres to shine.Gen Otafiire’s beef notwithstanding, Tayebwa (barely 10 years in NRM) remains one of the key decision-makers in government and his source of power largely derives from being a blue-eyed boy to First Lady Janet Museveni whose leadership of the education sector he effectively enabled while serving as member of Makerere Governing Council whose Investments subcommittee he headed for several years.
It was in that capacity that Tayebwa rescued vast University land in Kololo, Makindye and other places to the total detriment of the Buganda Government Among other powerful entities.
4. Norbert Mao
Until he became Justice Minister in Museveni’s government, the DP President was struggling to even raise 50k! Ironically, this was after serving as Gulu Municipality MP for 10 years and LC5 Chairman for 5 years. Barely a year ago, he was named Justice Minister after the docket had been vacant for sometime. And by the way, his becoming Justice Minister had a lot to do with his mentee Anita Among closely working with AG Kiwanuka Kiryowa and 1st Son-in-law Edwin Karugire who actually drafted and advised on the DP-NRM Cooperation agreement on behalf of Museveni whose original choice for the position of Justice Minister was some female Judge from Teso sub region.
Currently Mao, who is still addicted to criticising as opposed to praising the regime, easily ranks among the most conspicuous Ministers in Museveni’s Cabinet though many predict that his days in there won’t be many. Members of the deep state are increasingly becoming uncomfortable with the frequency and independent-mindedness with which he has lately been bashing the regime on especially human rights. His attempts to alter the rules so that his Acholi co-ethnic Alfonse Owiny Dollo stays on longer as CJ, even after clocking 70 years in January 2026, has intrigued many power brokers making them uneasy towards Mao whose intentions in building his own powerbase are increasingly being suspected.
We can confidently reveal that the much-awaited Constitutional Review Commission won’t be constituted because the power brokers inside Museveni’s Palace want to check on and clamp Mao’s personal ambitions.
5. Kasule Lumumba
Kasule Lumumba, until a few years ago the SG of NRM and now Minister in Museveni’s Cabinet, was one of those who in 2004/5 teamed up with fellow MPs to found PAFO, which worked to ensure Museveni’s Presidency didn’t go beyond 2006. But the President counter-mobilized, defeated the PAFO group, and wooed the politician from Samia-land/Bugiri back to the NRM mainstream with lucrative positions, which she has used to distinguish herself as a materially very successful Ugandan.
6. Emmanuel Ddombo
Emmanuel Ddombo, currently the powerful Director for Communications at NRM Secretariat, was one of those at the forefront of demanding Museveni’s exit. This was around 2004-2005 when Dombo led Parliament-level opposition to Museveni under PAFO, which united all MPs opposed to the lifting of term limits, as a result of which Gen Museveni would have ceased being President of Uganda in 2006.
Dombo was the national coordinator of PAFO but was later managed and rehabilitated back into mainstream Musevenism, which enabled him to continue serving as Bunyole County MP until 2016 when he was felled. Even after being rehabilitated off PAFO, Dombo remained a thorn in Museveni’s flesh, including during the 2011-2016 Parliament when he teamed up with Chris Baryomunsi as Parliamentary Commissioners to embolden Rebecca Kadaga as she attempted to assert her independence as Speaker of Parliament.
So hurt was Museveni (with especially the stand the Dombo-era Commission took on the Cerina Nebanda saga) that the position of Parliamentary Commissioner ceased to be elective to prevent other Dombo-like rebels from ascending office at that level. Nebanda had actually been mentored as a rebellious Butaleja Woman MP by Emmanuel Ddombo, aka Sr Back Bencher. Much earlier on, under the 6th Parliament, Ddombo rubbed the mighty the wrong way when he teamed up with the likes of Winnie Byanyima to spearhead the dramatic censure of Ministers Jim Muhwezi and Sam Kutesa over corruption allegations.
In the subsequent days, Ddombo paid a huge price when explosives were dropped onto his house back home in Bunyole. Perhaps because of age, experience, and lessons learnt over the years, this once very combative Makerere Guild President has since softened into a moderate politician.
7. Chris Baryomunsi
Chris Baryomunsi, the Information and National Guidance Minister, has always been NRM but there was a time he was perceived as being at loggerheads with Gen Museveni, who as of that time was resented for merely looking on as Amama Mbabazi mistreated cadres from Kigezi who had refused to be subdued and bow before him. Baryomunsi hailed from Kanungu district and represented Kinkizi East as Amama Mbabazi handled Kinkizi West.
Not only was Baryomunsi a rebel MP with others determined to reject SG JPAM’s autocracy, but he also led the battle against the Executive over the mishandling of the Cerina Nebanda investigations. Being a medical doctor and Commissioner, the Kadaga-led Parliament tasked him to work with Mulago pathologist Dr. Sylvester Onzivua to inquire into claims that the controversial Butaleja Woman MP had been poisoned. Gen Museveni felt insulted by this insinuation that the GoU could ever consider poisoning such a young MP simply because she was critical, and Baryomunsi became the sacrificial lamb onto which all Museveni’s anger was unleashed.
The man, who one time treated Museveni’s finger when still a medical student at Makerere, ended up jailed over the Nebanda fallout, which also complicated the relationship between Museveni and Parliament as of that time. The subsequent fallout between Museveni and JPAM made necessary and accelerated the rehabilitation of Chris Baryomunsi into mainstream Musevenism as the big man from Rwakitura panicked over the possible loss of Kigezi after Amama Mbabazi declared his ambition to become President in 2016 when he attempted to galvanise the entire opposition against Museveni.
Since that time, Baryomunsi has been state Minister at Lands and Health Ministry, whereafter he was made the very powerful and effective Minister of Information and National Guidance, on whom Museveni currently relies to counter the opposition in Parliament, on media talk shows, whip fellow Ministers into line, and generally run the country.
8. Joyce Sebugwawo
She deputies Chris Baryomunsi for the ICT docket and was until recently a diehard Museveni critic under the FDC party which she co-founded with Dr. Besigye and others in 2005. Sebugwawo had began on her opposition to Museveni when still Minister in Kabaka’s government at Mengo and was among those who begged the Kabaka to release them in the year 2000 to go and popularise Dr. KB among Baganda during the 2001 elections.
Her resentment towards Museveni related to the regime’s refusal to grant Buganda its much-cherished federal status.Sebugwawo, who subsequently cracked largely because of mistreatment by POA, under whom she was serving as Deputy FDC President, became very much frustrated politically especially during the 2021 campaigns when Dr. Besigye became suspicious and kept away from the FDC chaos.She struggled to put things right but was overwhelmed by the POA mediocrity and the defeat by NUP for the Rubaga Mayorship seat finally broke what remained of Joyce Sebugwawo and she quit to go and serve in Museveni’s cabinet.
She has since added value by driving a wedge between the Kabaka and Clan Heads Council whose members these days access the President more than ever before courtesy of Sebugwawo who is destined to be promoted to full Cabinet of Gender, Finance or something thereabout.Bottom-line is that Gen Museveni is extremely grateful to God who enabled him to finally get Joyce Sebugwawo on board: in just under 3 years, she has done and delivered political things which Gilbert Bukenya, Edward Sekandi, Amelia Kyambadde, JC Muyingo and others failed to deliver in decades.
9. Henry Musasizi
Even when he is state Minister, this MP from Rubanda initially started out in 2011 as a rebel MP under the mentorship of Henry Banyenzaki, Chris Baryomunsi, Theodore Sekikubo, Wilfred Niwagaba, Fred Bahati, Shem Bageine and others who were beginning to become resentful of Gen Museveni because of crude mistreatment by then Super Minister Amama Mbabazi who had clearly distinguished himself as Museveni’s 2nd in command.
JPAM then was the only man who would sway Museveni’s view on security, NRM party and government. Today, having been rehabilitated over time into a good cadre, Musasizi is a blue-eyed boy of the First Family who actually is the one running the show at the Finance Ministry as elderly Matia Kasaija (over 75 years) continues sinking into irredeemable frailty.
10. Tanga Odoi
For roughly 10 years, he has served as Chairman NRM Electoral Commission and this was unimaginable in the early 2000s when he passed off as one of the informal PAs to Col Kizza Besigye’s wife Eng Winnie Byanyima. Then cruising in a greyish Pajero short chassis, the history don was at Makerere generally perceived and accepted as a diehard supporter of the Reform Agenda whose eloquently proposed reforms had initially been accepted by many as the best way forward for Uganda beyond President Museveni who was supposed to ease out in 2006.
In fact, his outspokenness against poor prioritisation by the NRM government led to Dr. Fred Tanga being noticed by Amama Mbabazi who subsequently marketed and popularized him to the President.Subsequently, the Ofwono Opondos added on popularising the same history professor as adequately morally upright for the position of NRM EC head whose previous occupants like Felicitus Magomu had miserably failed. The staff welfare crusade he led as Muasa chairman at Makerere also enabled Gen Museveni to clarify a lot of things about incorruptibility and other values that Dr. Tanga Odoi stood for.
11. Andrew Mwenda
He is a key propagandist and advisor to General Museveni, many of his Ministers and army generals. But until the early 2010s, the proprietor of the struggling Independent news magazine was a leading critic of the President, his UPDF and ruling party.Today not only is Mwenda a leading defender of Uganda’s Crown Prince Gen MK but is also brother to State Minister for health Margaret Muhanga and UPDF Land Forces Commander Gen Kayanja Muhanga.
He is also a close acquittance of the First Family with persistent rumors indicating that his initial aggrievement had to do with refusal by one of the President’s daughters to get married to him. In protest to that rejection, Mwenda has since remained a bachelor without much being known about his marriage life.
12. Amama Mbabazi
In 2016, he led the joint opposition under TDA against Gen Museveni (both in elections and Court petition) only to subsequently get rehabilitated (deal was brokered by his daughter Racheal Mbabazi) back to working for the system which he had previously described as “tired and inefficient.” Though not very officially, Mbabazi is currently the man doing much of the President’s foreign policy-related errands with an effective office fully funded, facilitated and enabled by Gen Museveni personally. Word on the grapevine is that he could soon be unveiled as the Makerere Chancellor taking over from Prof Ezra Suruma.
Others are Ambassador Mohammed Kezaala who for long was DP national chairman and coordinator for Busoga; Prof Ephraim Kamuntu who was UPC diehard and Obote blue-eyed boy until he made peace and became Minister under Museveni (mbu he had initially even been groomed to succeed Obote as UPC President) and Abdul Katuntu who had always been opposed to Musevenism until barely 5 years ago when he made peace and demonstrated willingness to do business with the regime (after Gen Museveni, whose interests he currently serves as chairman of the Rules & Privileges Committee of Parliament, began considering him objective and reasonable).
Katuntu’s effectiveness as an ally recently manifested when he relentlessly counted former colleagues on the opposition side as Parliament debated the issue of missing persons. He single-handedly contradicted what lethal opposition actors like Medard Segona and Muwanga Kivumbi were saying while cleverly swaying the Speaker to decree that a Judicial Commission of Inquiry be instituted.Even Don Wanyama, now Vision Group CEO, started out crudely criticizing Gen Museveni and his regime.
At Monitor newspaper, where he grew to become Managing Editor, Wanyama penned a column titled ‘Letter from Kireka‘ which he used to demonize regime officials. Along with Chris Obore, he also used to appear on KFM’s Hot Seat which specialized on contradicting everything Gen Museveni stood for.