Government critics such as Betty Nambooze, an opposition legislator, say old age is taking its toll on the politicians.
"They are too old and their attention spans have been reduced," Nambooze, 45, told Al Jazeera.
Deputy prime minister Ali is one of the most senior members of cabinet, second only to Henry Kajura, 80, another deputy prime minister and minister of public service. Museveni, in power since 1986, will hit 70 this September.
However, the president has infused some youth into his cabinet. Presidency Minister Frank Tumwebaze, one of the most influential members of the cabinet, is 38.
In a further dig at the government, Nambooze said: "The president never has anything new to say and his colleagues know in advance that this is the case [so they doze off]."
She claims that what the politicians exhibit in public is not different from what they do in the comfort of their offices, negatively affecting the productivity of ministries.
"If the honourable ministers cannot attentively listen to their boss speaking in parliament, do you expect them to pay attention to briefs from technocrats in their ministries?" asked Nambooze.
Rose Namayanja, the government spokesperson, however, claims that Nambooze's statements are made "out of ignorance of how [the] government works".
"Those senior members of cabinet she is trying to disparage make tremendous contributions to the workings of government," said Namayanja.
She added that it is "natural that people will close their eyes to process" what is being said.
"Managing [the] government is a mental process and it must necessarily involve thinking," she adds.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=78989.0