The tenets of leadership do not only demand for academic qualifications, it also demands for sound mind, moral integrity and indeed support from electorates. But look at the house and count, how many are in who are accused of corruption?
Through ranks he grew, through valleys he conquered lives and offices to become the chief civil servant at the Ministry of local government; he was more than a permanent secretary there. He made it a home before becoming the head, rode on tummys and feet, saw but could not touch and yeah, his time got off, he retired.
As a permanent secretary, Mr Patrick Mutabwire executed great strides of killing the Uganda local government authorities (ULGA), urban authorities association and definitely the speakers association. The Districts he pushed into the grave.
From chief administrative officer at Ntungamo district local government in the 1990s, he grew to become Director local government administration in the ministry of local government, to acting permanent secretary (replacing Mr John Muhanguzi Kashaka who had been jailed over Ushs 4bn meant for bicycles for LC1 and LCII chairpersons loss) and then permanent secretary a position he retired at. His leadership was all through turbulence from all positions he held, yet he solved none. When he inherited the ministry, it had been plunged into serious corruption challenges he was expected to address.
Not even the bicycles that had gotten lost under Kashaka was bought and delivered, instead further losses were incurred though he remained protected.
To many at the ministry, he was a very great divisive administrator that to cub what he found he killed all the institutions, bribed everyone who would wish to do investigations, made all associations that were exposing the mess either puppet or flabby and what he said was all that had to work.
Joined by a former colleague and fellow Bushenyian Rafeal Magezi as the minister for local government in his term later, he enjoyed the wave and shook everyone around. No one will mention little about recruitments at the ministry.
Understanding how decentralization was making districts active and making them demand accountability, he recentralized decentralization itself and made sure that everyone thought decentralization was back using payroll management tools as back to districts.
As the permanent secretary, there was great hemorrhage of resources. In October 2015, the IGG ordered for interdiction and dismissal of Mr Mutabwire from office of permanent secretary.
“Our preliminary findings indicate that he participated in the willful and unexplained diversion of funds, sanctioned factious payments to a large number of employees in the ministry which was channeled to their personal bank accounts purportedly to carry out official work.” IGG Justice Mulyagonja wrote then.
https://www.igg.go.ug/updates/media/ps-mutabwire-faces-axe-over-sh12b-loss/
The IGG said in the same letter that she was reliably informed that over UShs 12bn had been lost under his watch only that financial year which had just taken three months.
Using his connections, impunity and general system malaise, he survived and was never touched.
In the recent NRM primary elections and at the National delegates conference, Mr Mutabwire came up to contest to represent the elderly in Western Uganda to parliament. He lost to Ms Jaqueline Mbabazi, wife to former secretary General NRM and former prime minister and past leader of the Diaspora wing for the NRM/NRA John Patrick Amama Mbabazi. Ms Mbabazi is former women league chairperson of the NRM treasured by many bush fighters as Mama- Chama.
Ms Mbabazi polled 215 while Mr Mutabwire got 162 votes. Even without looking at the vote count, not the petition before the NRM tribunal, we should ask the question did he have the moral integrity to stand?
Looking at parliament without mentioning names, most civil servants at a high level formerly accused to have achieved a degree in corruption, resigns or retires, puts a lot of money in elections and becomes MP. Parliament is a house we expect maximum integrity and morality. Now if suspects are running to the house, do we call it a remand centre, a parliament, prison or a holding cell for the corruption suspects.
The tenets of leadership do not only demand for academic qualifications, it also demands for sound mind, moral integrity and indeed support from electorates. But look at the house and count, how many are in who are accused of corruption?
The elders in western Uganda have this to save the country from shame. The founder of the association for the elders in eth region had no integrity enough to represent them. As he runs to the NRM party tribunal to seek solace arguing on how he was cheated, in the first place was he qualified to stand?
I only sympathize with voters who some are moved by where the candidate comes from, how much they give for the vote and the nature of mobilization. The elders must look at integrity and I congratulate them.
Now as he cries, some of us believe he should have been disqualified before contesting. Ugandan elders have more people with integrity to show to the young than the accused to be at the helm.
