Highly placed multiple credible State House sources confirm to Ono Bwino that the deal that led to outgoing Mawokota South Member of Parliament (MP) Yusuf Nsibambi joining President Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) was sealed on Monday night at State House Entebbe.
Sources said that Museveni assigned the Speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among who is also the party’s first national vice chairperson in charge of women to lead the mediation with Nsibambi after confirming personally to him in the several previous meetings that he was ready to join him.
Sources said that Among has been briefing the big man on the proceedings of the negotiations until they agreed to meet on Monday at State House Entebbe to finalise everything.
The meeting was held at night with the President who had spent much of his day time in Northern Uganda where he presided over the celebrations of Bishop Jonan Luwum day.
Sources divulged that when the President went to State House, Nsibambi was driven in speaker Among’s car and the convoy setoff at parliament in the evening of Monday to State House. They waited for minutes as the President was flown from Northern Uganda to Entebbe International Airport.
“There was no agreement signed because anything involving signing agreements or legal issues would require the presence of Edwin Karugire as it was with minister Norbert Mao.” a source said.
After the meeting, the President was the first to exit State House as Among’s convoy followed minutes later.
On Wednesday, Among unveiled Nsibambi at the NRM headquarters in Kampala as a new opposition leader who joined them as the new comer boasting that he comes with a wealth of political experience into the NRM.
State House sources divulged that before the President agreed on Nsibambi’s deal, even though Among has been steering the negotiation, he widely consulted his junior minister in charge of National guidance also a former minister in Kabaka Ronald Mutebi’s government Owekitiibwa Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo also a former FDC member.
“Among is not the one who introduced Nsibambi to Museveni on issues concerning political deals, it was Nabbosa, so the big man was supposed to consult her before any positive step was taken,” a source said.
He added that Nsibambi has been a bridge that connects many opposition leaders to President Museveni but one of the reasons why he decided to publicly join NRM is because of the new power centres in the government which have no interest in him as it was before and the scare that after losing political office as MP, he could end up losing everything.
“Healthwise he is not doing well, he needs a lot of money for medication like minister Mao, he also has issues with banks yet he still wants to be in that showy life,” a source said.
Before joining parliament, Nsibambi was the chairperson of Kampala district land board and according to Justice Catherine Bamugemereire’s land probe, he committed a number illegalities in selling public land especially schools, roads and public open spaces to business people in the city and powerful government officials.
He admitted before Bamugemereire’s commission of committing the said illegalities and pleaded for forgiveness explaining that he did the illegalities to maintain his public status as a rich man and a powerful person in the city.
He narrated how being a chairperson of Kampala district land board helped him to get in touch with rich men in the city like Sudhir Ruparelia who helped him to solve his financial problems.
He added that he also got in touch with chairpersons and headmasters of the powerful schools in the city who helped him to give his children spaces in their learning institutions.
Nsibambi was a secretary to late Sulaiman Kiggundu’s Greenland bank which was closed over allegations of mismanagement.
He is also a known Makerere university law don.
