UGANDA PEOPLES CONGRESS (Office of the President)

24 March 2005

STATEMENT BY A. MILTON OBOTE

UPC TO BE UNDER ONE MANAGEMENT ORGAN.

INTRODUCTION

1. Having been advised by a cross section of the UPC leaders and members to streamline the National internal organs of the Party at home into one and having been aware since January when the Party's Application for registration was submitted that registration would mean a return to the Party Constitution and therefore management under one organ elected by the Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) and now that the UPC has been registered, I have decided to appoint under Article 4(10) of the UPC Constitution, the Constitutional Steering Commission (CSC) to manage the UPC until the Delegates Conference in August or September which will elect the PP and his or her team to manage the Party. The consequence of the Registration is that some of the improvisation organs will cease to exist as from midnight on 31st March, 2005. To avoid any doubt the improvisation organs which shall cease to exist from midnight on 31st March, 2005 are Presidential Policy Commission (PPC) including all its committees, Party Representative Council (PRC) and the National Organising Committee (NOC) (became an improvisation organ because it was also appointed under Article 4(10)) otherwise it is something the Party had to do to sensitise the Branches about pending elections which the Party did in 1961 and 1980.

BACKGROUND

2. During the last 19 years of the NRM one Party cum military dictatorship Party organs from the Branch to the Annual Delegates Conference have been debarred from functioning. Over the two decades, elected members of Party organs have either died, been forced into exile, became too old or some have abandoned politics and also the Party.
3. To avoid a vacuum in Party leadership and to keep the Party alive, the Party president has had to invoke his powers under Article 4(10) of the Party Constitution by appointing improvised organs to run the affairs of the Party namely, the Party Representative Council (PRC) to act as the National Council and the Presidential Policy Commission (PPC) to act as the Central Executive Committee (CEC). In the circumstances in which the PRC and PPC acted, they have done a commendable job.
4. As the dictatorship was forced to consider a return to multiparty governance there was need for the Party to plan ahead and as an act of defiance, start reviving, re-activating and putting in place its organs. Again the Party President drawing on the 1961 and 1980 precedent and invoking Article 4(10) of the Party Constitution appointed the National Organising Committee (NOC) to revive, re-activate, and where they did not exist, open Party Branches and Organs. The NOC through District Organising Committees (DOC) has done a tremendous job and DOC's job is to get NOC to the Branches.

WAY FORWARD FOR CSC

5. In spite of the commendable work of the PRC, PPC and NOC, the Party has now been registered to return to Constitutional Order where the PP and his/her Team must be elected by the Annual Delegates Conference. The UPC could have organised a hurried and rigged fraudulent ADC elections within one month of Registration but any such election for a Party which in 1980 received in the multiparty elections more than 4,000,000 votes would have been to cater for the interests of the organisers and not of the members.
6. The UPC can still organise a free and fair election to the ADC by CSC which is not an improvisation organ which can only operate against the dictatorship and CSC is specifically appointed to operate in a situation where there is no dictatorship and also in place of the improvised organs.
7. The solution is therefore for the Party President to again invoke Article 4(10) of the Party Constitution and dissolve PRC, PPC and NOC which are diverse centres of authority and establish in their place one centre called the Constitutional Steering Commission (CSC). The Commission would direct the management and organisation of the Party to a constitutional path. Constitutional in this Para refers to the Constitution of the UPC.

MANDATE OF CSC

8. Under the guidance of the PP, the CSC shall in the interim period act as the Party's National Council and Central Executive and shall accordingly:
1. Take over the work of NOC and complete the formation of DOC's and through DOC's supervise the revival, reactivation and opening of Party Branches throughout Uganda.
2. Supervise the internal Party elections of Branch Executives, Constituency Conferences and Executives, District Conferences and Executives, and representatives to the Annual Delegates Conferences. The proposed detailed time table for these elections is as follows:
1. Elections at Branches - in April - May, 2005.
2. Elections at Constituency in June, 2005 (first two weeks)
3. Elections at District in June, 2005 (last two weeks).
3. Prepare and organise for the holding of the Annual Delegates Conference in August or September, 2005.
4. Draw up a programme and mobilise resources for the Party covering manpower, equipment and money.
5. Formulate Party policies and draft a campaign Manifesto to be approved by the Annual Delegates Conference when it meets in August, 2005.
6. Solicit proposals from Party Membership for amendment of Party the Constitution to be considered by the Annual Delegates Conference in August, 2005.
7. Carry out day to day administration of the Party
8. Carry out research and documentation
9. Carry out any such other necessary activities as assigned to it under the Party Constitution by the Party President.
10. Convene a Consultative Group Conference (CGC) meeting in April, 2005.
11. Appoint any number of Committees as its sees fit.

MEMBERSHIP OF CSC

9. Under Article 4(10) of the Party Constitution I hereby appoint the following as members of CSC:
1. Haji Badru Wegulo - Chairman
2. Mr. Okello Okello - Vice Chairman
3. Mr. Peter Walubiri - Secretary General
4. Hon. Margaret Ateng Otim - Asst. Secretary General
5. Mr. Ignatius Barungi - Treasurer
6. Mr. Hamza Sewankambo - Asst. Treasurer
7. Dr. Nkwasibwe Ezra
8. Haji Kazimbiraine Muhammad
9. Mr. Mugwisa Samuel
10. Mr. Kawama John
11. Mr. Henry Mayega
12. Mr. Patrick Kirunda
13. Mr. Siango
14. Mama Irene Emulu
15. Mr. Awori Aggrey
16. Mr. Prof. Patrick Rubaihayo
17. Dr. Kilama Moro
18. Mr. Opio Chris
19. Haji Akbar Adoko Nekyon
20. Hon. Margaret Ateng Otim
21. Mr. Yuma John
22. Mr. Michael Apiliga
23. Mr. Kolibi Paulex
24. Mr. Joseph Ochieno

COMMITTIES OF CSC

10. For the efficient discharge of its functions I hereby appoint the following committees of CSC:
1. Party Structures Committee [to cover 8 (a),(b)]
1. Mr. Walubiri Peter (Secretary General) - Chairman
2. Mr. Kazimbiraine Muhammad.
3. Mr. Kawama John
4. Mr. Opio Chris
5. Dr. Kilama Moro
6. Mr. Apiliga Michael
2. Annual Delegates Conference Committee [to cover 8(c)]
1. Mr. Sewankambo Hamza (Asst. Treasurer) - Chairman.
2. Prof. Rubaihayo Patrick
3. Mr. Samuel Mugwisa.
4. Mr. Kobibi Paulex
5. Hon. Margaret Ateng Otim.
3. Resource and Logistics Committee [to cover 8(d)]
4. Mr. Barungi Ignatius (Treasurer) - Chairman
5. Mr. Patrick Kirunda
6. Mama Irene Emulu
7. Hon. Awori Aggrey
8. Mr. Yuma John.
4. Manifesto and Constitutional Review [to cover 8(e), (f)
5. Mr. Okello Okello (Vice Chairman) - Chairman
6. Dr. Nkwasibwe Ezra
7. Mr. Mayega Henry
8. Hon. Cecilia Ogwal
9. Mr. Siango
10. Haji Akbar Adoko Nekyon
11. Mr. Joseph Ochieno
5. Administration and Public Relations [to cover 8(g),(h),(i)]
6. Haji Badru Wegulo - Chairman
7. Mr. Okello Okello - Vice Chairman
8. Mr. Peter Walubiri - Secretary General
9. Mr. Ignatius Barungi - Treasurer
10. Hon. Margaret Ateng Otim - Asst. Secretary General
11. Mr. Hamza Sewankambo - Asst. Treasurer

WOMENS AND YOUTH LEAGUES.

11. Since there is urgent need to bring women and youth into the mainstream of the Party, we propose that the nuclei of the members of both leagues be drawn from among existing Youth League at the Party Headquarters, the women and youth members of DOCS (including their Sub-County Committees) and Youth and Women members of party branches at higher institutions of learning. The PP should constitute these leagues under Article 4(10) of the Party Constitution.
12. For purposes of constituting the interim Youth and Women League leaderships , the country shall be divided into the original 18 sub-regions, namely, Masaka (Masaka, Rakai, Sembabule, Kalangala); Mubende (Mubende, Kiboga); West Mengo (Wakiso, Mpigi, Kampala); East Mengo (Mukono, Luwero, Nakasongola, Kayunga); Busoga; Bukedi; Bugisu; Teso; Karamoja; Sebei; Kigezi; Toro; Ankole; Bunyoro; West Nile; Acholi; Lango Madi. Each of the sub-region DOCS shall nominate 5youth and 5 women for the youth and women's leagues respectively while all the higher institutions of learning shall nominate 20 youth and 20 women to the respective leagues. The existing youth league at Party headquarters will nominate 5youth and 5 women. The Party Structures Committee will immediately arrange elections of the interim executives of these leagues.

ADVISORY TEAM

13. Under Article 4 (10) of the Party Constitution I hereby appoint a team of advisors composed of the following:
1. Dr. James Rwanyarare - Chairman/Leader
2. Mr. George Masika - Member
3. Mr. Ocen Nicholas - Member
4. Mr. C. J. Obwangor - Member
5. Mr. E. S. Isiagi - Member

The Advisory Team shall advise CSC on the following matters:

1. Relations between UPC and G6
2. Relations with NRM on level playing field.
14. The CSC is hereby given authority to announce these changes as it sees fit.
15. I present this message in the spirit of our National Motto: FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.