PROFILE! Amelia Kyambadde: Unmasking M7’s Daring COVID-19 Minister

By Henry Mulindwa

For the second time in the history of Museveni’s weekly address to the nation regarding COVID-19, one minister stands out.Amelia Ann Sserwaano Kyambadde;  the minister for trade and industry.

Last time when Museveni addressed the nation, Amelia engaged him in all angles to have cleaners also be classified among the essential service providers in order for them to be given stickers so that they could work. Some of these cleaners also clean ministry offices where government sits.

The president listened but he didn’t grant this request.

However, out there in the public, Amelia was viewed as a pro-poor people minister.

Yesterday, the same Amelia, while all other ministers except; minister Karooro Okurut feared to utter a word, Amelia engaged the president again on the issue of confiscated boda bodas and also the junk food that was being distributed to people by the OPM.

Whereas the OPM had kept mum about the existence of substandard food relief being given to people, Amelia brought it to the attention of the president that actually some relief items weren’t meeting standards as required by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards ( UNBS).

She said UNBS Executive director Ben Manyindo was already complaining but this concern seemed to have not reached the president.

As she said this, it was evident during that Sunday address that Amelia rattled fellow ministers as she pushed on with her statement.

Karooro whom Museveni refers to as ‘Maama Maria’ saved the situation when she gave some explanation to the president suggesting that remedial measures had been undertaken to address this.

No wonder even Karooro initially worked with Museveni as his press secretary before joining parliament in 2004 following a by-election in Bushenyi.

The president went ahead at asked Relief minister Musa Ecweru to explain more at the media center but also threatened to terminate contracts of local suppliers if they were not doing well and instead he starts importing food from abroad possibly Mexico.

Some ministers could even be seen trying to boo Amelia saying the alleged food was just a drop in an ocean though the statement had already been made as Amelia got all ministers unawares.

“Ministers met somewhere without Amelia. They cooked up stories to mislead (president) Museveni but Amelia busted the cartel. Amelia is a heroin” says one of Museveni’s political functionaries Adam Buyinza.

The president immediately granted her request to have bodas which were confiscated by police returned.

This has since won her another name of a heroin on some social media platforms.

Others are even opining that the president should always consult her for better information about the wanainchi before he addresses the nation.

“She is clearly in touch with the public. She knows what the people are going through. She’s the only minister who can engage Museveni on people’s concerns. Other ministers either fear to challenge him or they simply want to feed him on lies” says a source.

BUT WHO IS AMELIA?

To begin with, she is the long serving principal private secretary to the president.

During her reign as PPS,  sources stated Amelia was two in one. She’s the first PPS to ‘combine’ the roles of statehouse comptroller and also that of PPS.

“She was involved in finance at the same time working as PPS.  She would make all decisions on finances. State House was all under her authority” sources revealed adding that, this only died out after she left.In fact, our sources suggest that when now fired Molly Kamukama was appointed PPS, she tried to assert herself trying to revive Amelia’s power prowess.

This, however, reportedly created a power struggle between her and state house comptroller Lucy Nakyobe as the two ladies tried to fight for supremacy in respect of who controlled state house.

“Molly tried to assert herself trying to merge the two roles like Amelia did, but this failed. Molly’s role was left  to that of a clerk fixing appointments for the president and taking his notes. Nakyobe remained in charge of state house. Because of their power struggle, one of them had to leave. This partly explains why she was appointed to cabinet to reduce on tension” sources revealed.

Our sources said that during those days when Amama Mbabazi was so powerful, he had direct access to the president.

He could even pass through security checks without being subjected to checking.

However, it was stated that Amelia as PPS decreed that no one would pass without being checked.

Secondly, sources said, Amelia would be the only person to ask him the topic for discussion even if the president had a scheduled appointment with Mbabazi.

It was reported that even after leaving state house a decade ago, Amelia up to now still does some secret work for the president.

For example, she is running a classified list of students whom are on state house sponsorship.

Apparently, the president has some students whom he assists with fees and these kids belong to his personal pals some of whom are veterans known to him personally.

It is Amelia to ensure that such a list is fully catered for.Coming to cash disbursement, Amelia according to sources invented a secret method to help the president who was (at the time) faced with financial demands by many beggers.

Apparently, whenever Museveni wanted to give someone money, he would announce it and had no way he could tactfully dodge the begger.

This made running state house very expensive venture as more beggers continued to ask for higher amounts of dimes.

As such, Amelia reportely invented a classified policy in which every office papers were tagged with a specific amount of money depending on its color.

This was an internal arrangement known to Museveni (giver) and Amelia (implementor).

For example, if Museveni gave someone money totaling to shs400m but he wrote on a paper that represents shs10m, Amelia knew the whole idea and would pay you shs10m. Upon paying this 10m cash, Amelia would promise to ‘call’ the recipient for his or her ‘balance’ of shs390m at a later date.

It is actually this secret practice that gave birth to numerous ‘unfulfilled’ presidential pledges.

“The president would tell you that I have given 400m yet he has written on a paper that represents shs40m. The begger would leave state house smiling hoping that he got 400m yet that was a lie. Amelia knew the meaning of each color of paper she gave to the president to write on” sources said. 

Amelia according to sources invented this project to reduce on unnecessary pressure on the president by those seeking financial bailouts.

“Amelia was innovative and it’s the reason she keeps catching the president’s eye. She will always help him where necessary unlike other ministers who are hell-bent on making money” sources added.

She was also too powerful that even when the Kabaka had an icy relationship with Museveni during her reign as PPS, Amelia continued to mediate the two.

For example in 2009 fall out, Museveni had spent two years trying to call Kabaka’s telephone line but the monarch reportedly snubbed the calls and yet when Amelia called him, Kabaka would pick her calls.

This rattled Museveni hence resulting into the deadly Buganda riots of September 2009 until the two leaders met and made good their differences. She would later play a big role in having Buganda radio CBS reopened after a year of closure by the State.

When she was appointed a minister, Amelia picked up a big battle with then powerful KCCA executive director Jennifer Semakula Musisi over the destruction of the structures at centenary park.

Amelia with tears almost rolling down her cheeks even threatened to resign and described Musisi as a terrorist.

Her disgust also led to rumors that she had tendered in her resignation letter but the president rejected it.