KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni has revised the Cabinet list recently submitted to Parliament, reassigning Justine Kasule Lumumba to the Ministry of Information, Communications Technology and National Guidance while appointing Dr Jane Ruth Aceng as Government Chief Whip.
The changes were announced Friday morning in a statement issued by the Presidential Press Unit, days after legal and procedural questions emerged over Lumumba’s earlier appointment as Government Chief Whip.
Aceng had initially been named Minister for ICT and National Guidance in the Cabinet reshuffle unveiled earlier this week. Under the revised list, she now takes up the politically influential role of coordinating government business in Parliament.
The adjustment follows growing debate among legislators and political observers over whether Lumumba, who is not a sitting Member of Parliament, was legally eligible to serve as Government Chief Whip under Uganda’s parliamentary rules.
Former Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda had publicly challenged the appointment, arguing that it conflicted with both the Administration of Parliament Act and Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.
Section 6 of the Administration of Parliament Act and Rule 15 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure require that the Government Chief Whip be appointed from among Members of Parliament representing the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Lumumba, a former NRM Secretary General, is currently not a member of Parliament, a factor that triggered criticism from sections of the opposition and parliamentary observers concerned about compliance with legislative procedures.
Speaking before the revised appointments were announced, Ssemujju described Lumumba as a “stranger” in parliamentary terms, noting that anyone who is not an elected or designated member within Parliament technically falls under that classification.
He argued that the office of Government Chief Whip was originally intended to coordinate ruling-party legislators, mobilise attendance in the House, manage voting patterns and support the government’s legislative agenda.
According to Ssemujju, successive governments have gradually transformed the position into a fully-fledged Cabinet office, increasingly blurring the institutional separation between Parliament and the Executive.
He also questioned the dual facilitation of the office by both Parliament and the Executive, arguing that some of its responsibilities overlap with those of the Leader of Government Business and other senior government officials.
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The latest revisions appear aimed at addressing the immediate legal and procedural concerns by assigning Lumumba to a conventional Cabinet ministry while placing a serving MP in the chief whip position.
Aceng, the Lira City Woman MP, has served as Uganda’s Minister of Health since 2018 and became nationally prominent during the country’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health emergencies.
As Government Chief Whip, she will now be responsible for coordinating government business in Parliament, mobilising NRM legislators and ensuring support for the government’s legislative priorities.
Parliament is expected to vet and consider approval of the revised Cabinet list in the coming days.
