Former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations Dr Elioda Tumwesigye has not turned up Wednesday morning to hand over office to her successor Dr Monica Musenero.
It remains unclear if Dr Elioda refused to attend the formal ceremony marking change in the Ministry or he was engaged. There is no explanation to that effect.
State House, which directly supervises the Ministry earlier Wednesday invited journalists to cover the function but later announced that the former Minister was a no show and the event had been postponed until further notice.
Elioda was defeated twice in his quest to return as Sheema Municipality MP in violent polls. Former URA commissioner Dickson Kateshumbwa defeated him both in NRM primaries and main election with a landslide, an indication that the Minister who had been in Parliament twice had lost popularity among his voters.
To add salt to an injury, President Museveni dropped him from cabinet in June. Whereas the President couldn’t justify his decision to kick out the Minister, reports indicate that Elioda was a non-performer.
On the other hand, his successor exuded an aura of competence to fight Covid-19, right from the day Uganda announced its first case last year.
She has been at the vanguard of finding a solutions to the monster- Covid-19.
She was serving as senior presidential adviser on epidemics. She looks forward to showcasing what the country and Africa is capable of when it comes to science and innovation.
Dr Musenero said she wants science and innovation to be one of the greatest contributors to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“I want to make products of science and technology appear on the chart of Uganda’s GDP. You see how coffee is contributing to the GDP, it has brought so much money,” Dr Musenero reacted to her new appointment.