Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo has said junior minister for investment and privatization Evelyn Anite and deputy attorney general Mwesigwa Rukutana are unlikely to be sacked.

There have been calls on government to relieve Anite and Rukutana of their duties over their bickering relating to an audit on Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL).

The bickering took a new twist last week when Anite claimed the mafia who didn’t want an audit of UTL were also baying for her blood.

Rukutana was later quoted as suggesting that Anite needed to be taken for a mental a check-up.

There have been some calls from some sections of the public who felt the ministers’ outbursts had flouted rules of ministerial conduct.

Opondo agrees that the ministers’ conduct was unbecoming.

“Why should senior government officials [such as] a minister quarrel with another public servant?” wondered Opondo in a series of posts, from an interview with a local media house, posted on the Uganda Media Center social media pages.

“When ministers are appointed, they are given induction and are therefore we expect that they know basic etiquette of how a member of cabinet or indeed a permanent secretary should behave.”

On Monday, opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party deputy spokesperson John Kikonyogo said Anite and Rukutana should have resigned if Uganda was a civilised country.

“If it was a cabinet of civilized countries, where Uganda was supposed to be a member of those civilized countries anyway, those two ministers would be out of cabinet tonight,” said Kikonyogo.

But Opondo, also the head of Uganda Media Centre, said it was

“It is not anticipated that we shall sack people or reprimand them merely on allegations,” said Opondo.

“Every allegation should be subjected to a proper, legitimate, lawful investigation.”

He further acknowledged there were corrupt officials in government but reiterated government’s position that there were no mafia.

“There are corrupt people in government [but those don’t] qualify for mafia. To say there are a mafia means they [officials in government are untouchable,” he said.

“We are running a rule of law. If you have evidence about somebody complain to the appropriate authority.”

According to the government publicist, President Yoweri Museveni was not “just looking on” but would address the matter.

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