The ruling NRM party’s National Conference yesterday adopted and approved a raft of constitutional amendments that substantially change its character and sets the pace for the country’s future political direction.

With effect from today, the party will no longer have an elected secretary general, deputy secretary general, national treasurer and deputy national treasurer. President Museveni, who is the party chairman, has been given powers to hire and fire members of the national secretariat.

The NRM meeting at Mandela National Stadium in Namboole effectively sanctioned the dismissal of the current party secretary general and former prime minister Amama Mbabazi among other party officials.

Other analysts Daily Monitor talked to said the amendments aim at narrowing the participation space since the hand-picking of the executive is going to deny NRM ‘dissenting views’ and ‘alternative views’.

Many supporters of the NRM have welcomed these ammendments as Ms Namayanja aserts that the amendments were carefully debated and passed by Central Executive Committee (CEC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC). She said the amendments were moved in “good faith” and seek to empower the chairman to sack non-performing members.

“Under the new arrangement, the secretary general and other appointed cadres will be full-time officers of the party to ensure that the secretariat is functional and effective,” she said.