Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo has said President Yoweri Museveni may force Jennifer Musisi Ssemakula to stay as KCCA executive director.
Musisi handed in her resignation letter on Monday ahead of her office handover in mid-December.
She cited political differences, seven years since she took up the job.
Ofwono Opondo on Jennifer Musisi Resignation
Citing examples of people whose resignation attempts Museveni once rejected — Gen Kahinda Otafiire, Tom Butime, Apollo Nsibambi and Gerald Ssendaula — Opondo said Museveni could decline Musisi’s resignation.
“There have been instances where senior people tendered in their resignation and the appointing authority in his wisdom declined to accept those resignations,” said Opondo while appearing on Saturday’s Capital Gang show.
Museveni has previously revealed that he had to convince Musisi to take on the KCCA executive director role after she declined appointment as a judge.
Musisi insists KCCA will still run effectively, even without her in the driving seat.
The president now has less than two months to convince Musisi to retain KCCA job.
Ofwono Opondo: Why Government Officials Fear to Resign
Opondo also weighed in on why it is still difficult for government officials to resign.
Opondo said “not many of us [government officials] have the courage to resign”.
He admitted there were discussions on resignation, even among workers close to the president.
“But also in the discussions that we have, for instance where I work with the president, and other political colleagues, sometimes we say, ‘if I resign, so what?’” revealed Opondo.
He also talked of the fear of uncertainty of what people will say.
“There is also the fear to be misunderstood. For instance I have been government spokesperson for 19 years. I became director of information at the NRM Secretariat in December 1999,” he said.
“Even if I was to wait for my contract to end and say that I don’t want it renewed, what are the colleagues going to say; what will the media say? Those fears unnecessarily hold us back.”
