The Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development in charge of Elderly Affairs, Jacqueline Mbabazi, has urged political leaders to remain humble and prepare themselves and their families for life after public office, saying power and privilege can disappear unexpectedly.
Speaking during the 10-day Cabinet induction retreat for newly appointed and returning ministers at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi, Mbabazi shared her family’s experience after her husband, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, left government.
In an emotional address, she said the sudden loss of official privileges taught her the importance of resilience, humility and emotional intelligence.
“I want to give a testimony about having power and losing it,” she told fellow ministers and senior government officials.
Mbabazi recalled waking up one morning to find that the family’s official security detail had been withdrawn, marking the beginning of a major lifestyle change.
“I wake up one morning, and all of a sudden, somebody is withdrawing the entire security. Oh my God. The cars are gone,” she said.
She added that the abrupt changes left her family in shock, with their children struggling to understand what had happened.
“The children are running around asking what’s going on. You sleep in a home where you don’t even have a dog because you’ve never thought of owning one. Security gone. The former Prime Minister became the driver,” she said.
Mbabazi said the experience forced her to abandon the luxurious lifestyle she had become accustomed to and adjust to a more modest way of living.
“I used to shop in New York and London… I had to go to Kihihi to find a tailor to make me some nice dresses. This is real,” she said.
However, she said accepting the new reality became one of the most valuable lessons of her life.
“The beauty of it all is that I brought myself to that level. I thank God for putting me at that level,” she said, adding that she became comfortable wearing locally made outfits and found fulfilment in a simpler lifestyle.
The minister also cautioned fellow leaders against allowing their children to become consumed by the status that comes with holding public office.
She recounted meeting two young children at a family gathering who proudly introduced themselves as “children of the minister” and appeared surprised that she did not know which minister they were referring to.
“That statement by those kids disturbed me a lot,” Mbabazi said.
She urged ministers to instil humility in their families and prepare them for the reality that political office is temporary.
“As we deal with our emotional intelligence, let’s also train our children not to think that they are up there,” she said.
Mbabazi noted that before returning to Cabinet, her primary source of security had become “two nice dogs,” saying the experience taught her not to depend on the privileges that accompany public office.
She stressed that her return to government was not motivated by a desire to regain the status she once enjoyed.
“I’m not back because I miss the past. I’m back because of the conviction to help some vulnerable older persons of this country,” she said.
Amama Mbabazi, once one of President Yoweri Museveni’s closest allies, served as Prime Minister from 2011 to 2014 and previously held the position of NRM Secretary General. He later challenged President Museveni in the 2016 presidential election after falling out with the ruling party leadership.
He currently serves as the President’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
