In June, President Museveni nominated Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Sarah Kanyike as the Director for Gender, Community Service and Production as part of the changes at Kampala Capital City Authority.
Museveni who was witnesses the swearing on of Sarah Kanyike as the minister for the elderly and people with disabilities on Monday claimed that his move to appoint the former staunch Democratic supporter was on the basis of “Unity to solve Uganda’s problems.”
“I would like to advise all the decent politicians who have a burden to help their people to rally with the NRM. I am happy to welcome our people who have been insisting on separation rather than unity. Uganda needs unity more than breakaway factions,” he added.
He tipped Kanyike to endeavor to solve problems of the ruling government.
“This is a strategy to bring all the serious elements together, around a program of unity for Uganda and Africa so that we can solve our problems, I welcome Sarah in this endeavor of unity to solve our problems.”
Sarah Kanyike is a Ugandan politician, who was appointed State Minister for the Elderly and the Disabled on 24 July 2020. Before that, she was the Deputy Lord Mayor of the city of Kampala, Uganda, the capital and largest metropolitan area in the country. She was appointed to that position on 16 June 2016.
Following Museveni’s nomination, the members were vetted and their credentials presented for appointment to the Public Service Commission (PSC), but only three of the four names managed to return approved.
On July 17, 2020, the Minister for Public Service, Wilson Muruli Mukasa wrote to the Public Service Commission chairperson regarding appointments, but one name was missing- Sarah Kanyike.
In simple terms, Kanyike had not met the requirements for the position to which Museveni had seconded her.
Kanyike, a degree holder in the field of education required an extra academic achievement to qualify for a director role at KCCA.
Initially, the former Deputy Lord Mayor had said she had one and this was the basis of her appointment but when she was asked to present the same, she couldn’t
Consequently, Kanyike could not go past the vetting level, prompting officials from public service to write to Museveni detailing to him, how one of the candidates he had seconded (Kanyike) did not make it.
Kanyike caused headache to the appointing authority on how to proceed with her since she had already resigned her position as Deputy Lord Mayor and a new person, Doreen Nynajura had already been appointed by Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
The pressure was also on Kanyike because despite requests by Lukwago for her to reject Museveni’s appointment as a KCCA director, she had not heeded to the calls.
It would look awkward for a former deputy Lord Mayor to return to the KCCA council as a mere councilor for Makindye.
“I want to congratulate Sarah upon being appointed to the high office of State Minister of Gender, Labour, and Social Development. I want to express my sympathy to my son Lukwago who almost got a heart attack because I captured a big fish from my old party the DP,” Museveni joked.
