The secretary Office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande wants disciplinary actions taken against Diana Mutasingwa for reportedly disrespecting the Buikwe Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Hajjat Hawa Ndege Nabugenyi while on duty.
Hon Mutasingwa, who is the minister of state in the office of the vice president and also the Buikwe woman Member of Parliament last week nearly fought the RDC who was in the field to settle land disputes.
In a humiliating turn of events, the minister ordered the immediate arrest of the presidential representative an action many described as disrespect to the appointing authority.
Although by hierarchy, a state minister is bigger than an RDC, respecting one another and handling issues as responsible officers of government is key especially in service delivery.
Despite the fact that the RDC might have erred and didn’t fall the necessary steps of eviction, many say Mutasingwa would have not insulted her in public and ordered the police to close the President’s Office in Buikwe since it is a public office and not for Hawa as a person.
“How do you break someone’s house? We don’t want you in our district. I have ordered that this RDC shouldn’t return to the Buikwe office. These people should get out of districts,” Mutasingwa fumed against RDC Ndege before residents.
Arrests were made, and several individuals, including energetic youths who were demolishing the fascinating house, were apprehended and recorded statements at Njeru police station on orders of the minister.
Hajji Kakande on Thursday June 20, 2024 ordered minister Mutasingwa to appear before the disciplinary committee effective Friday this week.
“If the minister observes that the RDC has some challenges, she tells us and we go for her (RDC) that this is how you perform. But it shouldn’t be formal for them to fight in the field. We shall rectify that,” Hajji Kakande said to the media.
Kakande suspects the minister to be playing politics of cheap popularity to humiliate the RDC whom he suggested she was doing her job.
“If the president is appointing these people, he makes sure that the appointed persons are genuine and qualify to be presidential representatives. You never know the RDC was doing the right thing,” he said.
Kakande mentioned that if probe finds that the minister was ignorantly accusing the commissioner, the matter will be handed over to the top boss, president Yoweri Museveni himself.
“I am not saying that it is the first and it is last. We shall continue sitting with cabinet minsters that it is not good to go and fight with the RDCs, but instead, to inform us as their (RDC’s) supervisors and we handle,” he added.
Kakande highlighted that his men and women, the RDCs are competent enough to serve the community and they shouldn’t be demeaned by the ministers.
“The minister can never order for the closure of the president office. The office of the president can not just be closed like that. She just used a lot of anger. It is the administration to close the office,” he emphasised.
