Katuntu: I work with NRM but I haven’t crossed

Bugweri County Member of Parliament, Abdu Katuntu, has clarified that while he collaborates closely with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), he has not officially joined the party.

Responding to a recent report by The Observer, Katuntu stated that current laws prevent him from formally crossing over to the NRM until at least one year before the end of his current term in office.

In his first public statement since the report was published, Katuntu admitted that he has worked with the NRM since the start of the 11th Parliament.

“I can confirm that since the beginning of this parliament, the government talks to me about some of their positions. Because I’m an independent, they ask me to speak or vote for their position, which I do,” he said.

However, he emphasized that joining the NRM is not possible under the law at this time.

“You can’t join any other party before six months to the end of your term unless you’re prepared to lose your seat,” Katuntu explained.

The Observer had earlier reported that President Yoweri Museveni informed a closed-door meeting of the NRM parliamentary caucus that Katuntu and Ojara Mapenduzi, MP for Bardege-Layibi, had joined the party. During the meeting, Museveni reportedly referred to Katuntu as someone who had “seen the light” of the NRM, contrasting his earlier 2005 description of Katuntu as a “poisonous mushroom” that the people of Bugweri should avoid.

Lydia Wanyoto, chairperson of the NRM Women’s League, has congratulated Bugweri County MP Abdu Katuntu for reportedly joining the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Speaking on Capital Gang, a weekly political talk show on Capital Radio, Wanyoto welcomed Katuntu and Bardege-Layibi MP Ojara Mapenduzi into the NRM fold.

“I would like to join the NRM fraternity and my chairman to welcome Katuntu to the NRM caucus and Hon. Ojara Mapenduzi. Every effort and value addition to our country and the leadership of our party is welcome,” she said.

However, during the same program, Katuntu sought to clarify his political stance, distancing himself from claims that he had officially joined the NRM. While admitting that he currently collaborates with the ruling party, he stated that he has not yet made a formal decision.

“If you are a beautiful girl in the village, everyone would wish to have you, but you eventually make a choice,” Katuntu said, using an analogy to explain his current position.

Katuntu, who has served in parliament for 23 years, also acknowledged that the positions he currently holds were facilitated by the NRM. He serves as the chairperson of a parliamentary committee and as a member of the Pan-African Parliament, both roles that were designated to him by the NRM.

“The position I hold today as chairperson of the committee, I was designated by the NRM. Even the position I hold in the Pan-African Parliament, I was vetted by the NRM organs. Do I work with them for parliamentary business? Yes, I do, and I have no apologies. Any independent MP should do that,” Katuntu explained.

He emphasized that working with the sitting government is essential for effective parliamentary business, stating, “You either choose to talk to them or talk at them. Others have chosen to talk at NRM; I have chosen to talk to them.”

During the same discussion, Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda expressed his view that Katuntu has effectively joined the NRM, based on his close working relationship with the party.

“From what Abdul has said, I would do the same story The Observer did. If the NRM confides in you, appoints you, and consults you, I don’t think Abdul just works with the NRM; I think the president consults him,” Ssemujju said, referencing President Yoweri Museveni’s recent statement that Katuntu had “seen the light” and was no longer a “bad mushroom.”

Ssemujju, a former opposition chief whip, expressed his surprise at the apparent transformation of Bugweri County MP Abdu Katuntu. Ssemujju recalled how President Yoweri Museveni once described Katuntu as a “bad mushroom” and took measures to prevent him from entering parliament.

Now, however, Katuntu is being consulted by the government and appointed to key positions.

“That transformation would naturally lead anyone to draw the conclusion that he has joined the NRM,” Ssemujju stated.