Last week Dr Besigye on NBS pointed out that after 35 years of bad rule by Gen Museveni, it’s nolonger important to blame him or NRM but rather it’s the Ugandans to blame for our compliance & obedience to this bad rule.
In my write up I will excuse Ugandans from this debate and focus on the leaders. I would be unfair to blame Ugandans, many of whom are too lazy to even read such a piece of article, many in universities who forge or forged course works, many who know more players in English premier league than they know in Uganda cranes.
Ugandans who don’t even cast a vote but are good at blaming government or at worst who are used by politicians to steal votes can he execused from this debate!
Ugandans who enjoy watching uncut kalakata than NBS Frontline, who forward messages on WhatsApp without reading through, who enjoy discussing which celebrity is dating who rather than the state of economy should be execused from this debate!
So allow me now to focus my debate on our leaders!
Last month, some news blog reported that Rt Hon Ruhakana Rugunda was retiring from politcs, somehow this blog was helping him to have a safe exit. But because he was dellusioned or perhaps posesed, he went to the media to claim that revolutionaries don’t retire. He seemed not to know that here, we only have one Sabalwanyi called Gen Tibuhaburwa.
In his mind Rugunda thought he was still relevant in Museveni government, yet he was now an exhausted rag, awaiting to be thrown away!
Rt Hon Rabecca Kadaga was seen cruising with Gen Tibuhaburwa in Kisozi farm, somehow she thought she was part of the ruling equasion.
When she was advised to step down on Speakership & go for Vice Presidency, a good transition to retirement, she claimed that she would not accept being under someone where she has no budget, power or influence.
Whereas the Vice President has no power, Kadaga would maintain her title of Right Hon, would be the second in order of precedence and obviously would be assured of delivering condolences of Gen Museveni & representing him on birthday parties!
After refusing a position of number two, Tibuhaburwa gave her position number nine which she embarrassingly settled for, now she will be delivering condolence messages & reading speeches written by Hon Nabanja!
But this is same Kadaga who helped Museveni to gang rape the constitution, an act that she even defended in supreme Court & media! Was Kadaga too naive to not to have detected this? Couldn’t Kadaga have learnt from past conduits like Gen Kale Kayihura or Gen David Sejussa or she learn nothing & forgot nothing?
Did they say that emptiest tins make loudest noise? Now this brings me to Hon Kibule Ronald who carried a pistol to Parliament to secure life Presidency for his boss, is he anywhere near Cabinet? What about Hon Anite who said she had the support of the majje, did the commander in chief send the majje to secure her future in Koboko or she was helplessly embarrased? What about Hon Kiwanda who codenamed himself as number four, is he still number four? Maybe yes – number four from the bottom!
Did you hear of Prof Bukenya when he called himself Mahogany? He used to dress & even walk like Sabalwanyi while on his countrywide tours promoting upland rice. Who knows where mahogany is rotting from?
Do you remember when Prof Bukenya declared that he had never seen a good leader like Gen Tibuhaburwa? It was my first time to see a professor reasoning like a UPE drop out! And shortly we started seeing the mahogany cry of mafias, let me hope they aren’t the ones who scientifically sorted his son, all we know is that this was used to hoodwink the Baganda that they had the next President!
We used to have the super Minister, Rt Hon Amama Mbabazi. He enjoyed some power both in government & in NRM party, during his time as security minister he crafted the phone tapping law to which he fell the first victim, he crafted a move to edge out rebel MPs accusing them of demanding for a transition and before the year ended, he was successfully edged out of the NRM!
His removal was a surgical operation, the damage was minimised to the extent that when he weighed himself against his boss, his score was less than one percent!
The last time I saw him he was carrying a parcel, possibly with an application letter! Recently rumors circulated that he would bounce back but it was not yet his time. Museveni only forgives his enemies when they are too vulnerable and only need him as a life saving machine, it seems media hyped Mbabazi making him appear a threat and Museveni chose to postpone his pardon until Mbabazi is too vulnerable to pose a threat to him.
Any way the list is endless; Beti Kamya who said Museveni was more intelligent than 80 minister’s combined is now in Museveni’s garbage pit, Edward Sekandi who was very royal & humble is now in limbo, Christopher Kibanzanga who was used to neutralise his brother Rwenzuru King Charles Mumbere in exchange of a ministerial post can not now even call the state house switch Board and he is picked! The list is endless!
Museveni has not only used individuals for his political survival but he has also used Baganda & Mengo to fight his war & legitimise his struggle, but how has he paid them?
The Swahili say Asante ya punda ni tekke; loosely translated that the appreciation of a donkey is a kick; Museveni has paid the Baganda by kicking them out of their land. He has answered them by making them squatters, baggers & petty traders in their motherland.
Buganda which used to be a food basket and which used to produce coffee is now producing comedians & hawkers!
Now it’s the turn for Acholi & Lango to be used! Rt Hon Jacob Oulanya, Rt Hon Owiny Dolo, & Rt Hon Richard Todwong are now the torch bearers. Hon Beatrice Anywar, Okello Oryem, Hillary Onek are too on the list, I hear now Hon Nobert Mao talks well with Tibuhaburwa, I can’t tell what the talk whenever they meet. I don’t know whether these will be smarter than their predecessors who were used in the past and dumped!
The question still remains; who is the problem? What is the problem? Is it Museveni who uses or hoodwinks people or is it us Ugandans, both ordinary & leaders that are responsible for the mess? Have we given up on defending our country that we are eager to take the crumbs that Museveni throws in our face or do we have the stamina to stand tall to be seen & to speak loud to be heard?
Muhimbise George, muhimbiseg@gmail.com
The author is a member of Alliance for National Transformation Publicity Committee
