Lukwago Should Be Humble Before Gen. Saleh Tables More Evidence- Minister Nobert Mao

By Uganda Online Media

Democratic Party President Norbert Mao who also doubles as the Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister has revealed that he has been receiving help from General Salim Saleh for many years and he is not ashamed of it. 

According to Mao, Salim Saleh helped him secure his election victory and they have remained on good terms.

Mao made the revelation while commenting about the current fight between Gen. Saleh and Kampala’s Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago. 

Gen. Saleh has allegedly threatened to withdraw his political support from Lukwago over remarks the Lord Mayor made. Lukwago has rubbished the claims that he has ever received help from Saleh. 

But Mao urged Lukwago to rethink his position because “That (letter) is genuine because I talked to the author and he said there is more on the way. I think I can quote him without any contradictions because I met him and he still has many pages in the notebook.”

“The issue was that you had battles and you were helped and you (media) already know the battle I am talking about. There was a Kampala Minister who had already surrounded him. Do you know how that Kampala Minister was removed and taken away? Do you know how the case was settled?” he asked.

“Gen. Saleh I know even helped me. He didn’t help because I was a member of NRM, I think he had a bigger picture and I think he is such an idealist. He lives in an ideal world and I think that is why he is not in politics because he wouldn’t manage politics. He is not a hypocrite,” Mao said.

Mao praised Saleh as better than many politicians in this country who played a big part in saving him when his election was being rigged in Gulu in 1996.

“I appealed to him. The big people in NRM were against me coming to Parliament but I think he saw a broader picture and he did what he could to contain the situation. And I never met him because we were speaking mainly on the phone. So, would it be fair to say I have never met him? There is nothing wrong with being helped,” he noted.

He claimed that those who want to destroy Lukwago are people he thinks are his friends but not Gen Saleh.

“Gen Saleh was hurt by Lukwago remarks. He paid a very high price for saving Lukwago when he was going to be impeached. He was attacked by people inside the government. But now listen how Lukwago is speaking badly against him,” he said.

While appearing on NBS Television this week, Lukwago denied that he has ever worked with Saleh, ever met or received any kind of support from him.

Gen Saleh has been purportedly writing chits revealing that he had withdrawn his support to Lukwago’s political fights unless he comes out to apologise to him over comments he made about him in the public.

 But Lukwago maintained that he needs to hear from General Saleh verbally, adding that the city has been captured by certain “cartels”.

Additional Reporting By Nilepost