Uganda's Museveni reappoints wife as minister in massive Cabinet of 83 people

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has completed an extensive Cabinet reorganisation, naming a total of 83 ministers in one of the most expansive reshuffles of his long tenure, retaining several long-serving loyalists while removing 28 incumbent ministers from their portfolios.

Among those reappointed was First Lady Janet Museveni, who retains a ministerial role — an arrangement that has drawn recurring criticism from opposition politicians and governance advocates who argue it represents an inappropriate concentration of authority within the first family. Janet Museveni has held Cabinet positions across multiple electoral cycles, most recently overseeing the education sector, making her one of the most prominent presidential spouses to hold a formal executive role anywhere in East Africa.

The size of the Cabinet has itself become a subject of debate. Critics contend that an 83-member executive places an unsustainable burden on Uganda's public finances, particularly given that significant portions of the population continue to experience poverty and limited access to basic services. Government supporters counter that the appointments reflect the ethnic and regional diversity that inclusive governance across Uganda's varied political landscape demands.

For Kenya, the reshuffle carries practical relevance beyond regional interest. The two countries are deeply integrated through the East African Community framework, with shared border infrastructure, active trade corridors, and cooperative security arrangements making Cabinet continuity in Kampala a matter of ongoing interest to policymakers and business communities in Nairobi.

Several ministers with direct responsibility for portfolios relevant to cross-border commerce were among those retained, a detail noted by Kenyan trade associations who said they would monitor developments as bilateral negotiations on transport and customs harmonisation continue under the broader East African integration agenda.