Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi goes on leave as NRM Secretary General

Former Uganda  Prime Minister   John  Patrick Amama  Mbabazi  has  finally  gone on leave till December 31st. The former  government  officer  and   National Resistance  Movement  Secretary  General   sent the leave letter to the NRM party President on  Monday 20th October. According to Monitor newspaper, The letter  dated  October ,20^th,2014  read as follows;

“As you are aware, I have been performing the duties of Secretary General of NRM without a break for the last nine years. I wish now to take leave of absence from duty from October 20, 2014 until December 31, 2014. During my leave, the Deputy Secretary General, Hon. Dorothy Hyuha will perform the duties of Secretary General,” read part of the letter written to President Museveni as the NRM National Chairperson.

Mbabazi was  fired   from  the   government   top  job  by  the  President Yoweri  Kaguta  Museveni    and  replaced   by  former  Health Minister  Ruhakana  Rugunda.

Who  Is  Amama Mbabazi ?

 He was born on 16th January 1949 in Mparo County in Kinkizi District in Kigezi sub region. He is a High profile and one of the most influential and Inspiring Personalities in Uganda. He is married to a fellow freedom fighter Hon Jacqueline Mbabazi who is currently serving as the National Chairperson of the Women’s League of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Amama Mbabazi attained a Degree in Law from Makerere University.He is a holder of a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Law Development Centre.

Amama Mbabazi is the Secretary General of the National Resistance  Movement Political Party since November 2005. He is also the Honorable Member of Parliament representing the people of Kinkiizi West constituency in Kanungu District. He is the Chairperson of the NRA Historical’s High Command; he is a member of the Uganda Law Society, a distinguished Lawyer and Advocate of the Courts of Judicature-High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Uganda since 1977.
Amama Mbabazi is a true Patriot, Revolutionary and a Freedom Fighter.

His love for Uganda and its people, led him straight to the path of armed struggle when the country needed it in 1972, with an indomitable spirit for self-sacrifice and readiness to pay the supreme sacrifice in the quest for liberty, sustainable peace and development of Uganda.

After the fall of General Idi Amin Dada, Mbabazi was appointed Director of Legal Services of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). In 1981, He fled to exile where he set up the External Committee for what later became the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

This committee oversaw strategic mobilization of resources for the National Resistance Army (NRA) as well as the overall intelligence operations, cadreship identification and mentorship, and covert operations of the military wings of the NRA.He carried out security duties and operations with other comrades including the recruitment and military training of the NRA Combatants in friendly countries.

When President Yoweri Museveni took over power in 1986, Mbabazi was appointed the first Director General of the External Security Organization (ESO), a post he held from 1986 to 1992 while at the same time a member of the NRC.
Mbabazi has held various political posts, which include Constituency Assembly Delegate (1994-1995),Chairperson of Movement Caucus in the CA (1994-1995), First Chairperson Movement Parliamentary Caucus (1996-1997),Minister of State for Defence 1992 to 1996, Minister of State in the Office of the President of Uganda in Charge of Political Affairs (1996-1997), Minister of State for Regional Cooperation (1997-2001), Attorney General of Uganda (2004-2005), and the first Minister of Defense in the NRM Government (2001-2006),Chairperson NRM Manifesto Committee (2005),Chairman of the NRM Constitutional Committee that drafted the NRM Constitution.

With his pragmatic approach, Amama  Mbabazi has participated, influenced and supported the debate in parliament that introduced various fundamental reforms amongst which is the Economic Liberalization Policy that has helped the country to register High Economic Gains yet transforming our motherland from a purely peasantry based nation to a modern self-sustaining economy.

His early involvement in politics dates back to the late 1960’s when he was part of a group with people like Ruhakana Rugunda, Kisimba Masiko and others.They formed a group of leftist-leaning students at a time when Ruhakana Rugunda was campaigning to head the National Union of Students of Uganda.
When Idi Amin took over power in April 1971, Amama Mbabazi spearheaded the formation of a clandestine movement and linked up with activists like Tumusiime Mutebile (Current Bank of Uganda Governor), Late Prof. Dan Nabudere and Edward Rugumayo to start the campaign that led to over throw of Idi Amin.

In 1974-75, he made links with Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and joined hand to plan the overthrow of Idi Amin and they have since been close friends. Amama had established good contacts within Amin’s State Research Bureau and his wife Jacqueline Mbabazi became a Telephone Operator at the State Research Bureau where she managed to communicate with Museveni using a false name. In 1976, there was an attempt in Zambia to unite Uganda Liberation Forces. The group preferred Col. Zed Maruru to lead the liberation, while Museveni and Amama, who represented FRONASA, insisted on Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Amama Mbabazi became the local contact of the struggle and as soon as they arrived in Kampala, he was put in charge of the Western Axis Front of FRONASA-Front for National Salvation. Soon after, Museveni appointed him Secretary of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA).

From 1978-79, Mbabazi worked as Museveni’s Principal Assistant and as the 1980 elections neared, it became evident that there would be another armed struggle. It was at this time that Yoweri Kaguta Museveni tasked Amama Mbabazi to meet with other groups like Kayiira’s for the next struggle, but they disagreed over the methods of struggle because Kayiira wanted to organize uprisings in Kampala as opposed to the Mbabazi and Museveni option of a protracted Guerilla war.
Mbabazi’s active involvement in the NRA Liberation struggle starts on the eve of the attack on Kabamba Military Barracks, when Yoweri Kaguta Museveni sent him  to Kabamba Barracks on 5th February 1981 and he led a mission consisting of himself,the late Sam Magara,and the Late Col Akanga Byaruhanga to Kabamba in preparation for the start of the protracted liberation war on 6th February 1981. When the attack took place, all the officers who were rumoured to have met with Mbabazi were executed. The only survivor was Gen. Jeje Odong (now Minister of State for Defense) because he was a cousin to Peter Otai, who was then State Minister for Defence and an Obote loyalist.

On February 8 1981, Amama fled the country to Nairobi and adopted the false name of  Dr. Kalyaburo. His stay in exile became untenable and he was relocated to Sweden together with Rugunda and Museveni’s family where he contined to oversee external political mobilization and intelligence operations of the Liberation War.
He has dutifully stood by his master without asking questions and executed his duties brilliantly, always mindful of the appointing authority’s profile against a rising tide of negative publicity by the opposition. He is considered by NRM Young Cadreship as a true, honest and loyal leader not only to H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni but also to the entire Party leadership and the National Resistance Movement as a mass political organization.
Amama Mbabazi has carried out innumerable and effectively executed assignments as a Special Envoy of the National Chairman H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.He ably defended Uganda at the United Nations Security Council against accusations contained in the Panel of Experts on Alleged Exploitation of Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), He defended Uganda at the International Court of Justice-The Hague in the Case of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Verses Uganda. He successfully chaired the Political Committee composed of all the six belligerent Countries and the Congolese parties to cover the Implementation of the Lusaka Peace Accord.
As a freedom fighter, Amama Mbabazi was extremely bold,brave and courageous and it is upon this that in 1974, he worked closely with Comrade Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in the re-organization from scratch of the political and armed resistance against the dictatorship.This was the time when Mbabazi recruited several cadres into the forces of Liberation, including Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire,Gen David Tinyefunza.