Ono Bwino can exclusively report that intelligence sources have tipped John Baptist Walusimbi the former Buganda Kingdom Prime Minister as a suitable candidate to replace Jessica Alupo to execute the duties of the Vice President in President Museveni’s 2026-31 term.
Highly placed multiple credible sources in intelligence confirmed that since 2011, Walusimbi’s name has been prominent as a possible VP candidate but he has always missed because of the political calculations at hand.
“This is probably his time for a juicy job with big retirement benefits. In 2011, he missed because all factors in Buganda and in the catholic church were favouring Kiwanuka Ssekandi who was retiring from the office of the Speaker of Parliament. The ground is now fertile for him to shine,” a source said.
The source divulged that in 2021, there was no opportunity for Walusimbi since the big man was bitter given his and his party’s poor performance in Buganda and he was told that he was defeated by National Unity Platform’s Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) because of the support he received from the catholic church and the Buganda Kingdom officials who mobilized voters to vote for their own son of the soil.
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During the course of verifying this story, State House sources said that in the last three months, Museveni have met Walusimbi two times, in Northern Uganda and in Buganda.
Ono Bwino has established that in one of these meetings, Museveni and Walusimbi’s delegation which included former Kabaka Mutebi’s ministers Dr Masagazi Masaazi and Florence Bagunywa, their discussion concentrated on their campaign drive theme; “Omukago gwa Buganda ne Museveni gudeewo”.
It was through this campaign drive that Walusimbi has been mobilizing Buganda clans heads to endorse Museveni and they have contributed a lot to Museveni’s good performance in Buganda.
Since the announcement of Museveni’s victory in Buganda, loud voices have been heard from different circles in the kingdom asking for top positions in Museveni’s government especially the office of the Vice President.
“It is the high time for the people of Buganda to also receive the services and positions Teso region and other parts of the north have enjoyed in this ending term. We have done our job by mobilizing support for our president and people responded positively dispite a lot of intimidation. Now all our eyes are on the president,” Muwada Kanamwangi the chairperson of the children and grandchildren of the 1981 war veterans in Luwero triangle said.
Junior lands minister who is also President Museveni’s long time personal lawyer Dr Sam Mayanja recently told this website that Museveni feels comfortable working with Walusimbi because he is incorruptible, disciplined and more open minded than other people currently running the Kingdom administration.
Being his longtime friend, Museveni trusted Walusimbi to lead a team of engineers who renovated Entebbe State House and other sensitive government installations.
Walusimbi was also very instrumental on containing the 2009 Buganda riots which threatened Museveni’s power.
