President Museveni has appointed new acting ministers to oversee the Education and Sports and Foreign Affairs ministries following the absence of substantive ministers in the two portfolios. In a statement issued on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the President appointed Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo as Acting Minister of Education and Sports with immediate effect. The appointment […]
President Museveni has appointed new acting ministers to oversee the Education and Sports and Foreign Affairs ministries following the absence of substantive ministers in the two portfolios.
In a statement issued on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the President appointed Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo as Acting Minister of Education and Sports with immediate effect.
The appointment was made under Article 99(1) of the Constitution, which grants the President powers to make such appointments.
The move came just a day after Museveni appointed Hon. Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The appointments have drawn attention after the President revealed that First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni, who serves was appointed the Minister of Education and Sports, has been recovering from a serious illness that struck her in March this year.
It should be recalled that while ministers were being vetted by Parliament’s appointments committee, the first lady didn’t show up for the process. Then, rumors’ flew around that she was unwell and hospitalised after she was already long absent from the public eye on a number of occasions. Its untill Wednesday that Museveni let the cat out of the bag.
In an emotional message marking her 78th birthday on June 24, Museveni disclosed that the First Lady faced a major health battle on March 21, 2026.
“Sitaane, three months ago, on the 21st of March, 2026, launched an attack on the life of Maama. However, Sitaane miscalculated,” Museveni wrote.
The President said the First Lady survived the ordeal after receiving medical treatment and is now steadily recovering.
“God, using good doctors, saved Maama’s life and she is now recovering well,” he said.
Museveni used the birthday tribute to praise his wife for her role in raising their children during the bush war years between 1981 and 1986 when he was away fighting in the National Resistance Army.
He also commended her work through UWESO, her contribution to NRM politics in Ntungamo and her religious ministry.
The President further reflected on their relationship, recalling how they reunited outside Nairobi’s Inter-Continental Hotel on Christmas Day in 1972 after years apart despite having grown up in the same area and attended Kyamate School together.
As he celebrated her recovery and birthday, Museveni prayed that both of them would live to celebrate 100 years and witness the realization of the East African Federation.
“I pray to God to get us to 100 years respectively so that we, among the other good things, see the birth of the East African Federation,” he stated.
Muyingo remains State Minister for Higher Education. The appointment does not permanently change his portfolio or make him the new full Cabinet minister. He is only an Acting Minister, meaning he performs the duties of the Minister until a substantive appointment is made or the President directs otherwise.
While acting, Muyingo can legally perform functions assigned to the Minister of Education and Sports, including: Providing policy direction to the ministry, Representing the ministry before Cabinet and Parliament where applicable, Supervising implementation of government programmes in Education and Sports, Making decisions and issuing directives within the powers of the Minister. Overseeing the ministry’s political leadership.
The Constitution also allows the President to appoint ministers and assign them duties. Therefore, the President can designate an existing minister, including a State Minister, to act in a senior ministerial role when the office is vacant or the substantive minister is unavailable.
First Lady Janet Kataaha Museveni remains the substantive Minister of Education and Sports unless the President changes that appointment. The appointment of Muyingo does not remove her from Cabinet.
As for Haruna Kasolo, who is the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Regional Cooperation). President Museveni appointed him as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs in the absence of a substantive minister.
Kasolo remains a State Minister. The appointment does not automatically promote him to a full Cabinet Minister.
He remains the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Regional Cooperation), but he has been given temporary authority to perform the duties of the Cabinet Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs. He temporarily takes charge of the entire ministry
While acting, Kasolo can oversee the broader functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including: Providing political leadership to the ministry, Representing the ministry in Cabinet business when required, Guiding Uganda’s foreign policy implementation , Supervising ambassadors and diplomatic missions, Making administrative and policy decisions within the authority of the minister.
The two appointments follow the same legal principle:
John Chrysostom Muyingo , State Minister for Higher Education , Acting Minister of Education and Sports.
Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo , State Minister for Foreign Affairs (Regional Cooperation) , Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs.
