Two ministerial nominees are expected to miss today’s swearing-in of President Museveni’s newly appointed Cabinet after Parliament’s Appointments Committee failed to approve them during last week’s vetting process.
Ms Janet Kataha Museveni, the First Lady and outgoing Minister of Education and Sports, was reappointed to the same portfolio but did not appear before the committee during the two-day vetting exercise held from Monday to Tuesday last week.
Dr Lawrence Muganga, who had been named Minister of State for Internal Affairs, was also not cleared after questions were raised about his reported citizenships of Rwanda, Canada, and Uganda.
Under Schedule 5 of the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act, 2009, Ugandans holding dual citizenship are restricted from occupying certain sensitive public offices, including Cabinet and State ministerial positions in Internal Affairs.
Records indicate that Dr Muganga was granted Ugandan citizenship on November 12, 2024. President Museveni announced his new Cabinet and State ministerial appointments on May 26, before the nominees appeared for vetting on June 1 and 2.
While most of the nominees attended the vetting sessions, Ms Museveni did not appear and may not take the oath of office unless she is vetted before the swearing-in ceremony.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, who also serves as deputy chairperson of the Appointments Committee, said after the vetting exercise that 80 of the 82 nominated ministers had been approved.
“One is still pending because they have not yet appeared before the committee, and another, we found issues with, which we are going to communicate to the appointing authority to look into,” Mr Tayebwa told reporters.
Mr Paul Mwiru, the Jinja City East MP and a member of the Appointments Committee, identified the Education and Sports minister-designate as the nominee who did not appear.
“She was supposed to appear before the committee for vetting, but she didn’t present herself, so we didn’t vet her,” Mr Mwiru said.
The First Lady has recently been absent from several public engagements where she had previously been a regular presence. Her last indication of attending a public event was on March 21, 2026, when she posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she had attended a fundraising event for the construction of a science block at Seeta High School in Mukono District.
Ms Museveni also re-shared a post from Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans, an organisation she founded in 1986 to support children orphaned by the Luweero Triangle civil war and the HIV/Aids pandemic.
Since then, she has not appeared publicly or posted on her social media platforms. She was also absent from President Museveni’s swearing-in for his seventh elective term at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on May 12.
During that ceremony, Bishop Sheldon Mwesigwa, the Dean of the Province of the Church of Uganda and Bishop of Ankole Diocese, referred to the First Lady in a prayer.
“We thank you [God] for the health and recovery of the First Lady, Mama Janet Museveni,” he said.
Ms Museveni has previously been a familiar figure at major public functions attended by President Museveni. During the recent General Election campaigns, she frequently appeared alongside him at rallies across the country.
Asked whether the committee had considered allowing the First Lady to appear through an Internet-enabled platform, Mr Mwiru said the committee would apply the same standard used for other nominees.
“We vetted Mao through Zoom because he was out of the country, so why would we not give the same to her (First Lady)? Of course, we shall give her another chance to appear,” Mr Mwiru said.
Another committee member, who spoke anonymously because they are not the official spokesperson, said Ms Museveni would still be required to appear for vetting before she can assume office.
“What we demand is her appearance for vetting either physically or through other platforms. This means that she cannot become a minister until she is vetted. I think you have seen from the previous appointments that there were some people who did not come on the appointed days, but came later, and eventually they were cleared for their ministerial positions,” the source said.
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi earlier said the Speaker had promised to contact the Office of the First Lady for an explanation, but none had been received by the close of the vetting exercise last week.
Attempts to obtain clarification from State House officials about the First Lady’s absence from vetting and recent public engagements were unsuccessful by press time.
Mr Sandor Walusimbi, the senior presidential press secretary, did not respond to repeated calls and messages sent to his known phone contacts. Ms Irene Kisaka, the personal assistant to the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, also did not respond to repeated calls for much of the day.
At the Ministry of Education and Sports, where Ms Museveni has served as minister since June 6, 2016, sources said she had not been seen there for some time.
However, ministry spokesperson Denis Mujimba said the ministry was not responsible for confirming her whereabouts and referred inquiries to State House.
“You know where she stays; you know the spouse. Contact that address. That is not a matter for the Ministry of Education to respond to,” he said before ending the call.
