Kabaka’s Private life- Media -Headlines Are Meant to bury the bad headlines in the country
28 Jan 2012 11 Comments
in Buganda, Legal issues, media in Uganda
The only official picture released by Mengo since the birth of Prince Semakokilo
The apology to the Kabaka by the Newvision boss, Robert Kabushenga, was a good step but they should not have followed it with publication of another picture of a woman who they claim to be the mother of prince Richard Semakokilo. It sends out a bad message to the one you are apologising to. Newvision was once again giving the ‘two fingers’ to the Mengo administration. They should have learned from that ‘Kutesa-Kabaka- land tittle’ story some years ago.
Yes, Newvision might have made millions out of this story, probably more than shs.500 Mrs Barbara Patience Kirabo is demanding from them, but they should not have rubbed salt in the wounds again by publishing another picture they aren’t sure of. Now, what if Mengo embarasses them and produces a different picture of the mother of prince Ssemakokilo? Will they apologise again or what?
Barbara Patience Kirabo, the lady whose photograph appeared in the state-owned Newspaper - The New Vision and its sister publication vernacular daily Bukedde on Wednesday as the mother of the Kabaka’s new son, Prince Richard Ssemakookiro
Newspaper columnists have the right to express whatever opinion they want, but they do not have the right to disseminate inaccuracies, distortions or fabrications and present them as facts. The way Newvision wrote their apology was like as if they have got some beef to settle with Kabaka, and i think this is what is hurting some Baganda.
I had avoided commenting on Prince Richard Semakokilo’s story ever since it was broken on the Ugandans At Heart(UAH) forum because of the mistakes that have so far been committed by both Mengo and the state. The story reminds of the day my daughter asked me if I was ‘uncle dad’ not ‘dad.
The world is laughing at us not because we have a king who cheated on his wife and never lied about it but it’s because we have made a great deal about it yet we have a lot of problems in our country. Please let’s cut the Kabaka some slack.
Yes! Kabaka has fathered a kid out of the wedlock. So are many other rich, poor and famous Ugandans. What I’m trying to figure out is don’t we have other issues to handle in Kampala other than Kabaka’s private life?? There are ‘snake-filled’ hospitals and corrupt government officers running rampant within the State House and all we are talking about is whether what Kabaka did was Christian or not. We should not really give a damn about where a traditional leader sticks his pecker because it’s so likely that the majority of kings in Uganda have boinked someone other than their wife while in office. This has only become media-worthy since the people in power figured out that it could take their bad headlines out of the media for a while. The Kabaka’s mistress story or whatever one wants to call it, is meant to bury the bad headlines for a while but I don’t think it’s gonna work.
Speaking of the bible and polygamy, I think, in the Old Testament, God had no problem with polygamy; the Bible does not prohibit it, and some of God’s favourite and most-beloved kings had wives by the dozens or even hundreds! For instance, King Solomon is said to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Also, King David is said to have had many wives and concubines (2 Samuel 5:13). In Exodus 21:10, a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how many he can marry.
Another picture produced by Newvision as the mother of the prince
With King Solomon, he loved many foreign women. For example, he married the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, E’domite, Sido’nian, and Hittite women. So, Kabaka Mutebi can marry in any tribe outside Buganda if he fancy doing it. It’s indeed not very pragmatic to weaken the Kabakaship over something so trivial.
Marriages in Western culture are based on monogamy and high-pair-bonding and this is something some Africans have come to appreciate. As a result, compatibility, age difference and long-term attractiveness is a matter of consideration before people get married. But I think this is not something Kabaka Mutebi had in mind when he went for the mother of Prince Richard Semakokilo.
In other words, he went with the universal view that other things are more important than wealth, age and status, because he(Kabaka) has got all the means to marry a woman whom he does not need to hide away from the media especially after having a son with her. There are a lot of families with ‘status’ that would have been willing to offer their daughters( young or old) to the Kabaka for anything, but may be he is silently trying to redefine ‘statuses. Today’s warped view of “status” is entirely dependent on wealth but let’s face it, majority of the highest “status” men and women in Uganda are arguably criminals, and most of them are hypocrites. You bring them near you, they can destroy you. So, why would a leader who is arguably ‘enemies’ with the state wish to marry from such influential families in Uganda at the moment?
Historically, marriage was a business arrangement. The bride was a commodity, her dowry a deal sweetener. And the groom was likely to be an unwitting pawn in an economic alliance between two families. For example, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) married his daughter to his cousin, Ali, to cement the friendship between families. Then two of his caliphs, Othman and Omar offered their daughters to him to also cement their friendship with the prophet. There was no paperwork, no possibility of divorce, and more often than not- no romance. But there was work to be done: procreation, the rearing of children and the enforcement of a contract that allowed for the orderly transfer of wealth and the cycle of arranged matrimony to continue.
Similarly, the birth of Prince Semakokilo should be looked at in that spectrum and we put this issue to bed. Marriage as some Ugandans know it today didn’t exist 90 years ago. I think the Kabaka is trying to balance the seesaw here (as we used to call it in my little physics at Kibuli.S.S). He could have ”married” another woman but he did not do so presumably because he did not wish to upset the church; he could have got another lady from an influential family but he decided to tap into the working class (‘commoners’) to balance things up. Buganda needed another prince and he found a way to offer it. End of story!
Now, he needs to man up and take that extra step as a social and cultural revolutionary, and tell the world the mother of his newlyborn son. He has not done anything wrong in the eyes of the law. The moment he introduced the prince to the media, more questions were definitely going to be asked, and the most important of all questions is:’’ who is the mother to the prince?’ Let Mengo come out with it and shut up the people that are making a great deal out of it. It does not matter whether the mother is of higher status or not as long as the Kabaka did whatever he did for the right reasons.The truth is that Mengo made some mistakes in the way they handled this issue, but I don’t intend to discuss their mistakes in a public forum out of respect and love for my Kabaka.
Nze bwendaba
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
COMMONER
Male Organ Size: Homosexuality, Economy and Uganda’s Domestic Relations Bill
08 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Corruption, culture, cultures, Politics, social issues
Friends,
The demand by Uganda women to have a clause in the Domestic Relations Bill that allows them to divorce men with bigger organs is something interesting because it confuses one on what exactly women want. This bill has got a lot of controversial stuff in it but let me concentrate on this issue for now to see if it makes sense to people out there.
I’m afraid I look at this issue in different ways but either way, I think when people decide to get married, these are some of the things they should be ready to put up with. It will be a travesty to marriage if people start divorcing each other because either of their sexual organs has ballooned for some reason. It can only make sense if the divorce is asked when the relationship is at its early stages because there it can be argued that the person did not know exactly what they were getting themselves into, but not when the relationship has been there for a long time. People should learn to appreciate certain things about each other outside the bedroom, and I believe it is what has kept our grandfathers in marriage for ages.
Penis size and economy
Some research shows how strongly the average sizes of male organ were associated with GDPs of various countries between 1960 and 1985 according to a paper presented by Tatu Westling of the University of Helsinki in 2011. It was argued here that the average size [the erect length, to be precise] of male organ in population has a strong predictive power of economic development during the period. The exact causality can only be speculated at this point but the correlations are robust. The `male organ hypothesis’ put forward here suggests that penises carry economic significance.
Male organ was found to experience an inverted U-shaped relationship with GDP in 1985. The GDP-maximizing length was identified at around 13.5 centimeters. One striking result is the collapse in GDP after male organ exceeds the length of 16 centimeters. At that time, it was noted that countries where men have penises below 12 centimeter were less developed and these were mainly the Asian countries. Let’s leave Africa out of this argument for reasons I will explain below.
The average growth rates from 1960 to 1985 were found to be negatively correlated with the sizes of male organs: unit centimeter increase in its physical dimension was found to reduce GDP growth by 5 to 7% between 1960 and 1985. Furthermore, quite remarkable was the finding that male organ alone could explain 20% of the between-country variation in GDP growth rates between 1960 and 1985.
The physical dimension of male organ varies considerably across countries, the average being 14.5 centimeters. For example, South Korea and Zaire [now Dem. Rep. of the Congo] have average sizes of 9.66 and 17.93 centimeters, respectively according to everyoneweb.com on the link http://www.everyoneweb.com/worldpenissize/. France’s average size is 16.1 centimeters while that of UK is 13.9 centimeters. To be honest, I don’t know how these guys got all these results but the figures here are interesting.
Now Africa is still poor compared to other continents yet it is well known that men of all long and big sizes come from there. The researchers put this down to other factors other than the size of the penis, i.e. poor political governance, diseases, malnutrition and regular conflicts on the continent. But then again, may be our current leaders have got smaller penises and that is why we are in this mess. I wish there is a way we can find out about this to test this theory. May be if we all chip in and bribe the first ladies on the continent, it will make this research a bit easier. But if this argument is true, then it looks like the Americans may get out of recession soon if they stick with Barack Obama in the White House for a second term running.
Bill Frist
May be this argument may have helped Obama become a president in the first place following a report compiled in 2006 by some newspaper about the penis sizes of Republicans. A reporter was allegedly able to obtain medical records of over 100 leading politicians and Cabinet members in Washington. Condoleezza Rice was asked what a good penis size was and how it might affect the female vote in the elections. Ms Rice stretched her fingers to indicate a good size and it was apparent that most of the men among the Republicans did not measure up. She thought as far as the female vote was concerned, it would hurt them. Bill Friest, Republican United States Senator representing Tennessee, spoke up and said “His wife said that size did not matter and he thought most women felt this way”. Ms Rice responded “What women say and what women want are two different things”. Friest apparently looked puzzled by her response. The rest is history because Republicans indeed lost the elections to democrats.
However, it has been found that there is no coleration between a man’s height and the length of his penis. Why many women still think “height” is more important than other physical features of males, I guess we will never know. Put height together with penis size, for example, and explain the aesthetics and beauty that some women use in mate selection. For instance, average heights did increase between 1750 and 1875 among European populations because of improvements in diets and increases in intakes of calories but this did not necessarily reflect an increase in their penis heights. Indeed the evidence that dimensions of body parts and penile lengths are correlated is mixed. Also there is no evidence to suggest that a man’s shoe size and penile length are related.
Homosexuality
A columnist in USA wrote in 2006 on website World Net Daily that use of soy products leads to reduced penis size and higher rates of male homosexuality. I guess scientists are still trying to find out why some people claim to be gay since their childhood after findings revealed in 1980s that higher testosterone levels among gay men are as often as among heterosexuals. In 1984 Heino Meyer-Bahlburg, a neurobiologist at Columbia University, analyzed the results of twenty-seven studies undertaken to test the hormone theory which used to be claimed by some people as explanation for being gay. He found that there is no difference between the testosterone or estrogen levels of homosexual and heterosexual men.
This columnist wrote that when you feed your baby soy formula, you’re giving him or her equivalent of five birth control pills a day. A baby’s endocrine system just can’t cope with that kind of massive assault, so some damage is inevitable. At the extreme, the damage can be fatal.
He also revealed that Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to a decrease in the size of the penis, sexual confusion and homosexuality. That’s why most of the medical (not socio-spiritual) blame for today’s rise in homosexuality must fall upon the rise in soy formula and other soy products.
To carry that theory a little further, maybe penis size is the reason for gay men not having normal relationships with women; they are embarrassed by the size of their members. Therefore, those who systematically engage in anal sex have smaller than normal penises, affording their partners less damage. It is a fact that many men obsess over penis size, weaker minded males often engage in transference.
So guys, it looks like penis size does not really matter in anything depending where you are standing. I guess my Chinese friends would say: ‘Dude, the only one who has an issue about your penis size is you and the brainless ladies in Uganda. I have enough on my mind with trying to figure out how to become a superpower, calculating different responses I get from Americans by supporting dictators in Africa, and trying to fit in enough time for sleep and work, which I wish I had the luxury of time to think about what size penis you have. I really don’t have that time, so it looks like I’m out of luck.’’
Anyway, the bottom line is that this issue should be carefully looked at when writing the final piece of the Domestic Relations Bill. Think about it: a chap in Australia killed his wife after she teased him about his penis size and this is something that may cause problems for us in future if we put such issues on a paper. This is a genuine Australian case, but even as a hypothetical one, it’s interesting.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Besigye-M7 Pending talks is a ”Bone-head” idea but a bit exciting
03 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Corruption, FDC, IPC, kingdoms, media in Uganda, Museveni and NRM, Politics, Presidency
The Observer front page headline on 02/01/2012
The story in the Observer about Besigye and Museveni planned talks is more like a replay of what happened between Zanu-PF and the MDC in Zimbabwe a few years ago. You remember those talks that were mediated by then South African president,Thabo Mbeki. The difference here is that Mwenda and Conrad Nkutu seem to be the big players in this whole thing which is a bit strange. I know Andrew Mwenda is a bit influential in the Museveni government but he is also someone who is not in good books with Besigye at the moment. So, anything where he is involved may raise suspicions.
It is also obvious that the story was intentionally leaked to the press to see the reaction from both camps: Besigye and Museveni’s, and the elites who read such stories published in English. So far, both sides have remained silent about it which confirms that something is in the pipeline. Even the big ‘mouthed’ Tamare Mirundi has not come out yet with his ‘bullets’ to shoot those ‘Nagendaising’ the situation, which shows that this is a big thing in the corridors of power in Uganda. The story has appeared both in the Newvision and Observer newspapers.
However, the whole exercise of these talks is a misdirected effort because the majority of Ugandans would be happy if president Museveni offers a quick time frame to step down from the presidency, but this is not something we expect from these talks. Museveni is not ready to give up power to anybody soon despite the recent Daily Monitor headline of ‘I will not stay in power forever’. The man has no intention at all to give up an inch of power, and I’m sure Besigye is aware of it, and we assume he (Besigye) is bothered by it .So what will be the basis of these talks, I wonder.
On the other hand, senior FDC officials are increasingly aware that there is a need to start planning for a political future after Dr.Besiggye, but do not quite know how to achieve that end. Besigye has already announced his intention to stand down from the FDC presidency despite his undoubted popularity among Ugandans. So, why involve himself in political deals he may not be there to supervise and see to it that they are fully implemented? Let’s say, for instance, Museveni agrees to a power sharing interim government, what will be Besigye’s and the new FDC president positions in the new government? Who will be the superior decision maker in the new government? This whole thing may ultimately weaken FDC if not handled properly.
Seriously, I don’t have a problem with the idea of talks between the opposition and Museveni government, and it is indeed encouraging to see that some people want it to happen, but there is a lot of water under the bridge at the moment- which makes it a bonehead idea at the moment.
A lot of people are in prison or exile because of the fights that have been going between these two guys, and I’m wondering if they have got any stake in these talks. Will there be an unconditional amnesty granted to all those perceived to be enemies of the state? Will all political prisoners be pardoned and let back on the street to do whatever they want before or after these talks? What about other stakeholders, such as the Mengo administration and Ssubi, which formed an alliance with Besigye in 2011 elections to see that Buganda achieves its demands from the central government? Will the Kabaka be involved in these talks? What about the religious leaders who are tired of corruption in government offices and would like the government to also get tough on homosexuality? What about those who just want to see the back of president Museveni for good as soon as possible and Besigye was seen as a representation of such feelings?
That’s why I think that the idea of talks between ‘Ajja Genda’ and ‘Mpekoni’ or ‘do u want another rap’ guy makes very little sense. Yes, looking for the “good”, or looking for the “truth” both proceed by talking and also by investigation and neither, in and of themselves, result in the creation of a sustainable political climate. However, looking for good as opposed to truth is precisely what has led Sub-Saharan Africa to its present downward spiral. Instead of recognizing truths which require little study and even less talk, western governments, media and academe have consistently tried to see good at the expense of recognizing such clear and obvious truths. The damage that this has done is just as evident and all in the service of a corrupt concept of natural equality.
If, therefore, we are to have meaningful talks between the government and opposition, president Museveni must publicly state that he is going to resign from the presidency at a specific date. Short of that, we may as well say that Besigye has betrayed the people who put too much trust in him. All the truth about everything evil this government has done must be put on the table as enough reason for the president to hang his boots as soon as possible. Truth is truth and looking the other way helps no one.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Semuwemba
Besigye remains the best ‘Chocolate’ in a x-mas box and Otunu Shouldn’t fire all his enemies
21 Dec 2011 9 Comments
in FDC, Museveni and NRM, Obote and UPC, Politics
Friends,
Most of the NRM mobilizers will be relieved when Besigye retires from FDC leadership because he still remains the best ‘chocolate’ in a box. Love or hate him, he is the most courageous, toughest and principled politician in Uganda history. The guy is undoubtedly the best opposition politician in Uganda’s history. He’s the best at what he does. When he talks on politics, he usually has been worth listening to more than any other FDC politician. Historians and political analysts will write endless books about him. The only thing missing in his political life is becoming the president of Uganda which he almost did in 2006 if Dr.Badru Kiggunud’s EC were not cowards. They reportedly allowed themselves to be intimidated but most political observers ‘believe’ that Besigye won those elections.
Museveni only outsmarted him in elections and I think this is the reason why he wants to retire, not forgetting the famous Gilbert Arinaitwe who liked playing with Besigye’s head using tear gas. What makes Museveni to stand out is that he thinks 10 moves ahead when it comes to rigging elections, and he planned for the presidency for a long time. The rest of the opposition leaders think two moves, and are proud of it. Museveni is probably the best politician of his generation in Uganda- at least of his NRM party; even Besigye would have to agree.
As for UPC, the way there are treating Dr. Otunu now has made me feel the slightest for them. He does not deserve to be treated this way just because he is not a Langi or related to late Obote. The smears his political enemies are now flinging mark them, not him, as beneath contempt.
Olara Otunu is the current UPC president
It’s good that Otunu has fired some of the UPC ‘rebels’ especially David Pulkol and Rurangaranga. The former chairman made it clear that that he will use whatever means necessary to incriminate the UPC president which was unacceptable. So he had to go. As for Pulkol, I have never trusted him even one little bit. He is one character that can give you a poisonous injection on the bum while feeding you a samosa at the same time. He was previously working for the Museveni intelligence system; then he moved to FDC temporarily before joining some funny political party I have forgotten. When Otunu came back, Pulkol went UPC mad with the famous bandwagon song of ‘we are coming back home’. Oh God, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read in the paper that Otunu had given him an executive position in UPC.
Anyway, it’s good that Otunu has started learning Uganda’s complicated politics on a table very slowly. In Uganda, all surviving party leaders have been sleeping with one eye open. Otherwise, Otunu should copy some of Museveni’s ugly tactics to survive the current situation. If he doesn’t’ he is a goner not a ‘gunner’ (like Arsenal supporters). If he wants to know some of these tactics, he should freely consult me privately and I help him out, but I will charge him some fee because I need to buy presents for my daughters before the New Year. But overall, he seems to be catching up with the game.
Of course there is a limit to what Otunu can do since he is not as ‘executive’ as president Museveni. The later allegedly uses the intelligence organs and URA to obtain innuendo and political ammo against his enemies, and the police and army to harass his enemies, but otunu can do a little bit of Museveni’s tricks that are less than that to survive his enemies. USA’s Richard Nixon too used IRS to target his political enemies. Bill Clinton also reportedly used to keep files of his political enemies.
Nevertheless, I think Otunu should have kept Robert Kanusu in his team. I don’t know Kanusus personally but he seems to be a people’s person and a grass root politician. He should have won that election in Jinja if NRM had not resorted to Museveni’s ways of survival. If it is true that Kanusu too had also been comprised, Otunu should have deployed him somewhere else but kept him in his team, while at the same time keeping an eye on him. Otunu should know that not everybody in Museveni’s cabinet are his friends. In fact, he does not trust most of them. But he has got his boys that keep an eye on all of Museveni’s ministers. They are people in Museveni’s government whose job is to monitor the likes of Edward Ssekandi (VP), Saida Bumba(Gender ministry), even Mbabazi( PM), and others. The man allegedly keeps a file in his office on all his political enemies in and outside NRM. He uses them when very necessary.
Actually, if people had ears, they would not come out to publicly portray themselves as Museveni’s friends because the man has often said that his only friends are his wife and kids, and he is right. In Uganda politics, you don’t trust anyone if you want to survive for a long time. So, Otunu should forget about New York or UN politics and sort out the mess in UPC. He should not fire all his enemies as he is doing because some of them are better to be kept in the party while keeping an eye on them.
I would say it has more with keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer. For example, The Nazis and the Soviets were on opposite sides during the Spanish civil war. But why did Stalin and Hitler sign the Non-Aggression Pact on August 19, 1939? Why did they agree to the division of Poland and invaded it together? Meanwhile in the period just before that pact, Stalin had been warning all the British, the Americans, and the French that the Germans were getting to be dangerous. In addition there were elements of the German intelligence service that had been trying to work with British MI to assassinate Hitler. These German agents were ignored. The capitalists at that time thought that Nazi Germany would be a good bulwark against the Soviet Union.
Otherwise, let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy X-mas and new year. Besigye said recently while at Makerere University that 2012 is gonna be ‘bloody’. So, let’s keep our eyes on the ball.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Jeniffer Musisi’s salary of $178,509 (shs.432m) annually is very disturbing
13 Dec 2011 10 Comments
in Corruption, Economics, Politics
Kampala Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi
I have been saddened by the salary that has been accorded the executive Director of Kampala City, Jeniffer Musisi. Apparently, she is to earn shs.432 million (US. $178509.08) annually as a salary excluding other financial privileges. I find this kind of extravagancy so hurting and unbearable especially for one person to earn that much in country where the biggest part of 33 million people are barely having any food.
How does someone doing cleaning or teaching as a job in Uganda feel about this. I don’t know how much exactly people make in these jobs but I equate them to someone flying burgers in Europe or USA. Let’s take a look at a McDonald’s burger flipper. Here they make between £6.50 to £7.50 an hour. That may be what a burger flipper makes next year and the year after, as well. That does not matter if the cost of living does not rise either. In fact, it is to be expected in a non-inflationary economy. The value of any given labor is going to remain the same relative to the overall economy, unless for some reason that particular labor becomes more important.
But why would Jeniifer Musisi get that kind of salary in a country that is clearly facing a financial crisis? Is this selfishness of the highest order or our leaders are just heartless? The simple fact is that the NRM party does not care about poor Ugandans and low-level working people in general. They either seem to be stronger believers of the theory of trickledown economics, by which if we let rich people make more money, jobs would be created, and it would then trickle down to the rest of the society, or they are purposely making people poor to keep them at the bottom of Maslow’s theory of needs. They want them to keep thinking about basic needs instead of changing governments.
Under Gordon Brown leadership here in the UK, when we were in recession, the government was borrowing money and increasing spending where it is necessary.
‘Where is necessary’ here involved pumping more money into the banking system or nationalising some banks but not buying expensive jets for the executives or presidents or increasing the salaries/bonuses of company executives ( as is the case with Jeniffer Musisi’s shs.36m per months[US.$ 14875.76]or other public workers. This is where Uganda has got it wrong. They should not allocate biger salaries to public officials in such a poor country. Even bigger salaries are questionable in developed nations.
All countries or local governments around the world are reducing on their budgets because of global recession. In USA, according to the centre on Budget and Policy Priorities, 44 states have reduced their budgets by more than $350 billion dollars since 2009.
In the UK, bodies such as the Association of British Insurers, the Investment Management Association and Pirc, a consultancy advising shareholders, believe the bonus culture should be reformed during this recession period. Both in Nigeria and Tanzania, there are finding ways of reducing on public spending.
It is also true that different countries deal with recession using different theories of economics which I prefer not to go through today. However, the theory people are familiar with is the Keynesian theory which was welcomed by former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, with open hands, before David Cameron switched to cutting down on public spending. This is where governments advocate for deficit spending.
With Keynesian theory, when you are heavily in debt, the only way to keep spending is to keep borrowing. I supported Gordon Brown but his Keynesian theory was more of a political survival decision rather than anything else. The whole thing was a gamble from the start. Yes, consumer spending is the main driver of the UK’s economic growth but an increase in people saving to pay off their debts normally results in companies’ profits falling. Companies in turn tend to lay off staff, leading to a vicious cycle of people losing their jobs and being unable to pay their debts and mortgages.
The only reason why Gordon Brown could not easily reduce on public spending was basically because he had been on TV telling people that reduucing public spending means worse public services, so he couldn’t turn around and start slashing it. So the only real option for the UK government then was to spend some of the money that was saved during the good times combined with less borrowing to beat the recession. After all, the UK economy had been booming for years. UK had not had a recession since 1992.
But the reality is that any government under financial crisis should be trying to cut debt by trimming public spending. But that is suicide to some political leaders especially if all they care about is keeping themselves in power.
The main downside to Keynesian style of economics is that government borrowing is exactly the same as consumer borrowing. At some point, you have to pay it back. And the way government pays off borrowing is through higher taxes.
One Ugandan wrote on the Ugandans At Heart(UAH) forum in 2009 when recession had hit big nations such as UK: ‘To say that Uganda has recession is like talking of a chicken with a toothache’. Basically, the statement would have been:’ to say that Uganda has got no recession, it is like a man sleeping with a woman with HIV for a long time without a condom, and then turn around and say that he has got no HIV before he even goes for a check up’.
Uganda has been sleeping with the donor countries who have got HIV (recession) for a long time. Uganda is basically married to the donors ( USA , UK , Canada , France, Japan , Dubai ,…) and there have got a lot of children (Ugandans abroad) together. Donors support over 30% of our budget at the moment.
Ugandans abroad gave Uganda about $1.4 billion in 07/08 alone and there are the major source of foreign exchange in the country. Each of these guys looks after a lot of families in the 75% non-monetary sector. So because the ‘’Nkuba Kyeyo’’(unpaid Ugandan ambassadors abroad) or donors are affected financially, less money is being sent back home at the moment, and as a result the following services have been affected one way or the other: Construction boom in Uganda has declined; Quality of life of families is affected especially those depending on Ugandans abroad; Businesses in Uganda cities like the hospitality industry are feeling it because of reduced spending; Uganda’s general export industry has been affected because of less spending in USA or UK . We don’t have enough market within Uganda to consume the goods we produce. Let’s hope that the donor countries don’t shut down their markets from us as was the case in 1930s.
NGOs are already reducing their activities in Kampala because donors have squeezed funds. Tourism industry is already in decline in Uganda and this is directly affecting the so called CHOGM hotels and travel agencies. Foreign investment is in a decline as few foreign investors wish to bring money into the country. Food prices have become high in Uganda such that I was told a sack of charcoal costs over shs.90,000 and I kg of sugar is at shs.4000.
This country needs to make some changes. It has to start with Campaign Finance Reforms, corruption and the excesses there. To get that passed, we need a new Executive leadership, and it certainly can’t be NRM to get this done.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
‘Cold War’ is Back but i Still think the Russians and Chinese will lose out
04 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Africa, international, International Issues, Museveni and NRM
vladimir putin
The rebels in Syria are reportedly being armed by Qatar, Turkey and CIA. With more defections in the Syrian army, it will be just a matter of time before president Assad goes. Russia will lose out in the Middle East as it is the case in North Africa today. The Russians are still feeling their losses in Libya after the fall of Gaddafi. Putin has sought the presidency again to revive the Russian supremacy in international affairs and to be fair to him, he tried it in his first reign, but the world has changed so much since he left the presidency.
The major threat to the western powers now is the continued cooperation between Russia and China on international stage. In the UN Security Council, both countries have got veto powers and they tend to use them together against the others. They seem to have increased trade links and alliances recently. So, the western think tanks must be scratching their heads 24/7 over this.
I think we have officially gone back to the cold war days. The Americans want to squeeze China out of Africa and in this process; some African leaders are going to become victims of the whole process. Uganda’s Museveni has been a bit clever so far by inviting all sides to share the oil cake but at some point he is going to have to decide who to give the biggest piece of the cake to.
The British, French and Germans have also gone for the Indians like flies on a rubbish pit. Everybody wants a piece of India on their side. PM Cameron was there last year. Several British officials have been visiting India in the last 5-10 years, including Prince Charles. So, we are in for a game of international chase but my money is on Russia being the biggest loser.
Russia’s top ‘friend’ in the Middle East is Iran. They have been building nukes for them for years. Russia has been equipping Iran for war for a long time. So, what is happening in both Iran and Syria is about Russia & China Vs Europe & USA. China gets a lot of natural gas and oil from Iran. I can’t say I’m looking forward to any form of war in the Middle East because most of the people there are my Muslim brothers and Sisters. More so, I hate wars.
Actually the Russians reportedly sold some missiles to Syria in 2005. Russia is a great manufacturer of Surface-To-Air missiles. Of course, Surface-To-Aircraft missiles are still an elusive dream for Syrians. Syria has been buying Russian military stuff for years but Iran is well armed. So, Europe has got to handle it with care.
Putin’s downside is that Russia is now dominated by ex-KGB gangsters who control almost everything. He is ex-KGB himself. Putin is unable to shed his former role as a lieutenant-colonel in the KGB. He likes always being the first point of contact, and I think that is why he has gone back to contest for the presidency. This makes Russia look more of a dictatorship than anything else. Actually, Russia is worse than the dictatorships in Africa. The mafia-ship in Uganda is nothing compared to that in Russia, and I guess Gilbert Bukenya would now be dead if he was in Russia.
Obama in a meeting with the president of Russia in July 2009
The reason why I’m saying that Russia will still lose is because history shows that they have always been losers. So, I don’t think that power is going to shift soon to Russians and Chinese just because Europe and Americans are in a financial crisis. In any case, it is better for the Arabs and dictators to have Russian arms than American arms. Israel always handily defeated Russian arms in its previous wars, but the American arms in the hands of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other Arab states constitute a real danger to Israel. Saudi has a lot of US weapons than any other country because they can afford anything money can buy.
Israel’s own tank, the Merkava, is more in use in Israel than the USA’s M-1 tank precisely because Israel found its own tank to be superior to the M-1s that are now being manufactured in Egypt under license. M-1s are the third generation battle tanks originally produced in the USA in the 1980s and they remain the principal main battle tank of the USA army.
If the US and Europe choose to attack Syria or Iran, those Russian arms will be about as effective as Russian arms have proven to be in the past. From the Korean war onwards the US and Israel have always found superior answers to Russian arms, and will do so in the future, especially since so many US and Israeli defense companies work together these days. If Europe and USA attack Iran first before Syria, Israel will support them. If they attack Syria before Iran, Israel may be reluctant to support them because the former(Syria) is a mine field of all sorts.
Russians used to have MIGs and they used to be effective in war fare. Actually, I’m now wondering what kind of planes the Russians sold to Museveni recently because Russian weapons have never been stronger than those of the Americans. I know the MIG aircrafts are still in use today and the Chinese have a lengthened and upgraded version of it. I think it’s called the F-9??? I’m not sure as I read about these ages ago, but if I was a serious buyer with serious money, I wouldn’t go for Russian weapons. What Russians can do in arms manufacturing, the Americans can do better, and that is where Museveni should have spent our oil money.
I still think the Russians will do everything possible to make sure the west don’t take over Iran even if it means secretly helping Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb. The Americans have always cheated the Russians in ‘gentleman’ agreements made between leaders. For instance, before the Iraq war, there was reportedly an agreement between Bush and Putin. The war was about controlling the price of oil, which was very important for Putin. The war was started in March, 2003 to help Presidential campaigns of Putin and Bush, who had been together since 1999. It was beneficial for Bush and Putin not to pump oil from Iraq or Iran, which was also beneficial for OPEC.I guess Tony Blair, was just a middleman who knew everything. MI5/6 and CIA tries to control global political economics that may surprise a lot of people, which is why Tony Blair met Vladimir Putin in 2000. Global political economical dynamics have not really changed.
However, after the war, the Americans cheated the Russians flat out basing on the fact that Putin did not come out openly to support the war. American companies ended up benefiting more from the war than any other country. Even the British lamented about this on our TVs, i remember. That’s why Europe has kind of wizened up after the Libyan war though their plans may be spoilt by the Islamists that are likely to eventually take over power in Libya.
Anyway, Now that the cat is out of the bag: we are back to cold war days, let us watch how leaders in Africa will deal with this situation. Obama has already stationed US forces in Uganda, Ethiopia and west Africa, but how far are the Americans willing to go? What about the Chinese? What is in their stock apart from giving aid to dictators, like Zimbabwe’s Mugabe, without any serious conditions attached?
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
The Murder of Charles Ingabire reminded me of my grandparent’s ordeal in Bugerere in 1990s
04 Dec 2011 6 Comments
in Bahima and Banyarwanda, Museveni and NRM, Political murders
Charles Ingabire, editor of the Inyenyeri News
Dear friends,
It was very sad to learn of the murder of Rwanda journalist, Charles Ingabire(RIP), who was gunned down in Kampala on 30th November 2011. He was a known critic of Paul Kagame, and if it can be proved that the state of Rwanda is responsible for the death of this journalist, it is the responsibility of every African to make it a life mission to make sure that the culprits are brought to justice. I have always admired Kagame’s leadership compared to other African dictators but I think this is one of his weakest points, i.e. killing his political opponents abroad instead of calming things down. This is where Uganda’s Museveni is better than him, i.e. at least, he kills some and bribes some. Killing is allegedly a last resort for Museveni, at least. He uses mainly ‘amafalanga’[money] to cool down political opponents which is ethically wrong but it is effective and saves lives. Otherwise, people like UPCs Hajji Badru Wegulo and Henry Peter Mayiga, NRM’s Eriya Kategeya, former chairman of FDC who replaced late kiggundu, and others, would all be dead. But the president reportedly paid them off to stop opposing him and that was the end of the story.
I would not say that I would not be looking over my shoulders while in Kampala because Museveni is more of a ‘MAFALANGA’ guy compared to Kagame who targets the part between the eyes, but all I know is that Museveni and NRM do not kill their opponents in broad day light unless if you are protesting on streets as we saw with the ‘Walk to Work’ this year, and he only eliminates serious opponents but then again, I may be killed by some people to prove otherwise. Please don’t kill me. OK!
Secondly, I have a feeling that Kagame is a very emotional, no- nonsense, unreasonable guy compared to Museveni. The later, on the other hand, is reportedly a good listener, very patient, and knows how to control his anger and emotions. In other words, he can kill you when you least expect it, he can be easily become anybody’s friend or he can easily sense danger before other people. I don’t know whether this makes him more dangerous than Kagame because of the unpredictability around him, but I think he is the best political strategist Uganda has ever produced.
Kagame comes across as a sadist/ mafia: he can easily put a bullet in one’s mouth without thinking twice. I’m sorry to say this but I think most Rwandese/Banyarwanda (35 years and above) are like this. Their past especially the 1994 genocide has had a big effect on their value of human life. They find killing someone so easy compared to other nationalities in Uganda. I have watched documentaries about the genocide but the stories there are so horrible.
Let me tell you a story that happened when I was doing my O’ Levels. I used to help out with the management of my grandfather’s farm in Bugerere during the vacations. We employed a lot of Banyarwanda as our ‘Balalo’[herdsmen]. So, one day one of my uncles from Canada, Dr. Abdullah Kirumirah, visited us in the village. During those days, whenever someone’s son or daughter from abroad visited, the whole village got to know about it. So when Uncle Abbey (as we used to call him) arrived, I personally had to take him around the village to say hello to almost all the elders in the village.
Hajjati Mayimuna Nabagereka, my grandmother
To cut the whole story short, there was this group of men who used to rob people’s homes at night. One of the boys in that group called Katende Mabilizi, was very well known to our family because he used to work for us in our shambas. My grandfather had a policy of treating workers and the family members as the same: we could eat the same food; share milk; some slept on boys’ quarters, e.t.c. We even used to treat former employees as part of the family.
So, the third day uncle Abbey was at the village, this boy Mabilizi managed to sneak into the house, got himself under one the bed of one of my cousins, and later opened up for other robbers in his group to come inside our house. Like I said, Mabilizi was known to us but we did not know that he had joined this gang when he left our home. In any case, his father was a good friend of my grandfather, and I also used to treat him as a friend.
On that terrible night, his gang friends first broke into my grandparents’ room and started chopping their bodies in pieces demanding for Canadian dollars. Mabilizi had locked us up in our rooms while we were sleeping. So we could not come out to help at all yet we could hear the noise and screams from our grand’s bedroom. Actually, the thumb of my grandfather was chopped badly such that we had to fly him to USA to repair it later on. Mulago could not fix it. He sustained serious cuts on the head and arms too. I even don’t want to remember this because there was a lot of blood in the bedroom before our Banyarwanda/ Balalo came to my grandfather’s rescue. There was never any noise from grandma as she was the first to be silenced.
Fortunately, one of the ‘Balalos’ managed to break the window to my grandfather’s room from the outside. So the thieves run away but my grandmother was assumed dead because she lay on the floor breathlessly with a serious deep cut on her head. Uncle Abbey later came out and found some pulse on her but we had all thought that she was already dead. So, we rushed them to Nagalama hospital before they were transferred to Mulago.
The following day, the whole village (Kisega, to be precise) was hunting down the gang leaders including Mabalizi. The mother of the gang leader helped us to track down his son as we found him hiding in some hut somewhere in a forest. He had built a hut for himself in the bushes and it was only his mother who knew about it. He was dragged out and the decision was made by the villagers to take him to Kangulumira police station.
While on the way to police station, one of our Banyarwanda ‘Balalo’ got his pang out and cut his throat in broad day light, as if he was cutting a goat’s head. I still remember his first name as ‘George’ but he actually looked like Kagame in the face. He used to be the head of the ‘Balalo’ but he was as tall as Kagame, and he used to keep a smile on his face. I will never forget his face. The gang leader died immediately and his body was left in the middle of the road by the villagers for almost a couple of days.
My grandfather made it 100 years old in 2011
It was the saddest moment of my life ,i.e. watching both my grandparents/guardians in pain in Mulago hospital for over a month. We could not transfer them abroad straightaway till they had gained some energy and life in them. My grandfather had lost his memory as soon as he was discharged from Mulago. He had developed some form of mini-dementia but the experts in USA did everything possible to help him get back his memory. With God, everything is possible. He celebrated his 100th birthday this year. My grandmother came off worse as there was a large concentration of blood around her brain and she could not talk. So, she was taken to Canada with my uncle as soon as she left Mulago.
I believe there are lots of families out there that are facing such ordeals everyday because there is no security and hospitals in their regions. Instead of the government investing in police departments, they have instead allowed people like the president’s brother, Salim Saleh and Prime minister’s daughter, Nina Mbabazi, to start up security firms that fill in this void in urban centers, but people in the rural areas have been left with no teeth to bite anything. As a result, so many Ugandans lose their lives carelessly because the nearest hospitals are miles away and have no means to reach there. It is really sad.
Since that day, I give myself an arm’s length whenever I see a Munyarwanda who has got a pang or knife or those long sticks of theirs. Their faces are beautiful but their minds need serious counseling. They can easily kill anyone. May be Kagame finds it easy to order for the murder of anybody because of his past? Just think about it! Will African leaders ever find a different way of treating their political enemies other than killing or poisoning them while in prison? Why do some people cheaply look at human life? Why do they find it easy to kill someone?
May be I’ve generalized a little bit about the Banyarwanda/ Rwandese but frankly it is the feeling I have got for the present generation of Banyarwanda/Rwandese because they have all been affected by the genocide. I, however, have hope in their kids. They will hopefully value life more if we don’t get another genocide in Rwanda.
Anyway, let me end this by sending my condolences to the family of Charles Ingabire. Nobody deserves to be killed like that. The decision to have a life was taken out of his hands by some people with ugly hearts and minds. Till when we find a long lasting solution to such people, the society will continue to lose young people, such as Charles [RIP].
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Saif Al-Islam cannot get a fair trial in Libya yet he deserves one
19 Nov 2011 9 Comments
in Africa, international, International Issues, Legal issues, Museveni and NRM, Political murders, Revolutions
saif-al-islam-gaddafi
Saif Al-Islam is in the hands of the Libyan authorities but I don’t think he is enjoying his food right now. A lot of people may not understand why I still support NTC after the way they handled Gaddafi on capturing him but let’s give them more time. To be fair, they are doing better than some people expected. Yes, militias are still independently controlling some regions but I’m still optimistic that the situation will change for the better. I’m not like the owner of the Independent Magazine, Andrew Mwenda, who has been exaggerating on capitalfm from the start that Libyans will slaughter themselves as it is in Somalia, as soon as Kaddafi goes. These guys seem to be a bit more organized and nationalistic compared to the Iraqis after the fall of Saddam Hussein or Afghanistan’s after the fall of the Taliban.
I’m, however, a bit worried that Saif Al-Islam may not get a fair trial in Libya because there are a lot of emotions running deep in the country as far as the Gaddafi family are concerned. The ICC still has an upper hand over this if they sense that Saif may not get a fair trial in Libya but the international laws allow the host country to try their guy first if they assure the ICC that he or she will be given a fair trial.
Let us also remember that ICC lost some kind of credibility as far as project ‘Saif-Al-Islam’ is concerned. The court was viciously ridiculed by critics after it “confirmed” Saif’s capture by rebels in August, saying it was in the process of bringing him to The Hague for trial. He embarrassed them when he appeared in a Tripoli hotel — supposedly under rebel control —later that day to lead a crowd of cheering supporters and foreign journalists on a tour of the city.
I don’t know which kind of evidence the ICC or the Libyans have got against Saif but by the look of things so far, it looks like the evidence is not as strong as the one Ugandans have reportedly got against our first son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Gaddafi tried to keep him away from military affairs as he was mainly responsible for the financial management of the country’s affairs rather than military or intelligence. It was the other brothers that were reportedly more involved in military and intelligence affairs.
That’s why I still think that president Museveni made a mistake to involve Muhoozi in the military because it is very easy for anyone to build a case against you if you are involved in matters of life and death. Already people are saying he is responsible for the death of people at Kasubi tombs and somewhere in Karamoja, and it’s kind of difficult for any judge to rule against that if your father is no longer in power. Judges are human beings like anybody else, you know.
So, I think Saif should be handed over to ICC but that is a real dream because there are people who want to see his neck on a platter. Even the two tribes: Gadhafi and Waffala tribes, that highly protected him, cannot protect him anymore while in Libya.
There is an argument that people like: Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi and their sons will never have a fair trial anywhere in the world. The end result is always the same: death. So, instead of wasting people’s time and money, they are usually eliminated on the spot. They are usually assassinated as soon as troops find them hiding in some cave, drainage or house somewhere. For instance, Saddam’s sons were shot down on the spot but their father got a ‘fair trial’ that ended with his death. The Saddam supporters could not argue that he did not get a fair trial; after all, he continually received 100 percent of the votes during Iraqi elections. They loved him there! On the other hand, Gaddafi and two of his sons were killed on the spot but Saif Al-Islam may also end up with another ‘fair trial’ with the same predicament as Saddam’s if he is tried in Libya.
What do you think would be the reaction in the U.S. if Osama bin Laden got a smart lawyer like USA’s Johnnie Cochran (RIP) or Uganda’s David Mpanga, and got himself acquitted like O.J Simpson. It is possible for anybody ‘guilty’ to walk out of the court ‘not guilty’ with a good lawyer. There is something in legal terms called “exclusionary rule” where even perfectly good evidence can be thrown out on the basis that it was illegally obtained. I don’t know whether we have got this too in Uganda but it is common in developed nations. A murderer who confesses his crime can still be acquitted simply because the cop forgot to read him his rights first.
Nonetheless, I personally still think people deserve a fair trial whatever the circumstances and I can’t see Saif Al-Islam getting one in Libya. Let us examine one historical trial in USA where Alger Hiss, an American lawyer who was one of the founders of the UN, was accused of being a Soviet spy in 1948 and convicted of perjury in connection with this charge in 1950. There was massive government misconduct against Hiss, including: 1. An FBI agent who knowingly lied on the witness stand, 2. the withholding of evidence by the FBI which would have acquitted Hiss, and 3. the infiltration of the Hiss defence team by the FBI. The Hiss defence team contained an FBI informant.
If any of these three major areas of government misconduct had come to light at the time, the Judge would have declared a mistrial and he probably would have prohibited any further prosecution of Hiss by the government. The single witness against Hiss, Whittaker Chambers, had changed his story many times, including his grand jury testimony, in effect making him guilty of perjury, had the government prosecuted him.
Hiss spent the rest of his life trying to clear his name, and struck pay dirt with the Freedom of Information Act, when, in the mid-1970s, the knowledge of government misconduct at his trial became public. Courts reversed his disbarment and he was allowed to practice law again.
Unfortunately for Hiss, when his case finally reached the Supreme Court, it was loaded with Nixon appointees. Rather than confirm Nixon’s deceit in convicting an innocent man, the Supreme Court let the Hiss conviction stand. Hiss died shortly thereafter (in 1996).
So, we all need a fair trial whatever our backgrounds. Hopefully, Ugandans treat the Museveni family fairly in case the Libyan experiment becomes a reality in Uganda some day.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Nabakooba’s ‘’Bodaboda’’ Thighs may help us understand what beauty is.
05 Nov 2011 5 Comments
in culture, history, international, cultures, social issues, Africa, Women issues, International Issues
Judith Nabakooba on a motorcycle downtown in Kampala
It is well known that insecure men make fun of powerful women to hide their own feelings of insecurity. So I was not surprised at the pictures in the Redpepper newspaper showing police spokesperson, Judith Nabakooba, being ridden on a bodaboda, that raised a two-day debate on Ugandans At Heart (UAH) Forum. While I personally thought most of the male debaters were ‘crazy’ for not seeing the attraction in the smile always on her face, I saw nothing wrong in them finding her seemingly ‘big’ thighs the real point of discussion.
The fact is that a woman’s body has historically been a subject of regulation, discipline, debate and management. The woman’s body represents the place to project the memories and fantasies of racial,religious and cultural authenticity. Most African men tend to be attracted to the ‘big’ thighs and bums in women, and it is the main reason body image dissatisfaction, dieting, and disordered eating are more common in white than Black females. Racial differences exist in attitudes towards physical appearance and the stigma placed on weight gain and obesity. A black woman can be overweight but black men will still find her attractive which may not be the case with white men.
As a matter of fact, female beauty has always been so pervasive, so profoundly ambiguous such that we all interpret it differently. In her book The Character of Beauty in the Victorian Novel (1987), Lori Lefkovitz provocatively argues that ‘we have actually been trained to ignore descriptions of beauty’ (1984: 1), claims as applicable to the debates men tend to have everyday about women, such as Nabakooba legging it on a motorcycle in tight jeans. But I would argue that beauty has always been something we feel individually. Let me give you an example, I was told by some mates of mine about some beautiful girl in a place where my wife works, but I did not recognise her beauty the first time we met till when I came to appreciate her character( after some regular interactions between us). This girl may have been beautiful by default (because mum and dad are beautiful) but I only recognised her beauty after knowing her properly as a person.
This particular girl has long hair which even the Bible bases on to define beauty: ‘’If a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering’’—1 Corinthians 11:15, but I never appreciated her hair till when I started appreciating the inside of her, but then again, how do we explain the fact that some guys noticed her beauty before knowing her? Does this mean that we are different as human beings in this context?
Among the blacks, during the black Movement of 1960s and 70s, blackness was redefined such that afro centric or “naturally” Black hairstyles became associated with the authentic. As such, the only authentic Black hairstyles would be dreadlocks, afro, cane-row and plaits. However, this has changed tremendously in this century as most black women would love to look like other races. Eurocentric beauty standard of straight, long and flowing hair is now almost the dream of any black woman who visits a hair salon. They just hate the authenticity that defined them in 1960s and 70s. Even Nabakooba’s hair as she relaxingly looked on a ‘bodaboda’ (motor cycle) is not an authentic hair style. These changes have also been reflected in the way black women dress, talk, and smile or sometimes treat themselves in public. There is a semi erosion of Black/ African culture in all aspects of life.
One possible explanation about this change can be explained by Leon Festinger’s Social Comparison theory(SCT) that suggests that people compare themselves to others when they are not certain about themselves. Before slave trade, black hair styles were a reflection of cultural and spiritual meanings, and some of these historical styles are still in existence today, for example: twists, braids, Zulu knots, Nubian knots, and dreadlocks. When slave traders were transferred to other countries, they found it difficult to keep African hair styles, so they resorted to wearing head scarves or handkerchiefs atop their heads, something we still see in Afro- American ladies especially in some black American films.
SCT was also shown among black men in the 18th century where some resorted to wearing wigs just because it was fashionable for white men of the upper class to wear wigs at the time. I guess this explains why Michael Jackson (RIP) and his brothers used to wear wigs when their music band had just started up. It is something that started when blacks (slaves) got jobs in influential white homes or plantations. They adopted all sorts of white cultures in order to fit in.
Already some black women have started seeing beauty in the same way white folks do due to assimilation into mainstream culture and acceptance of mainstream culture ideals of attractiveness as thin. As a student of public health promotion, I should probably go with my brain on this one rather than emotions, by accepting that fat is causing a lot of health problems to people. May be this black evolution in definition of beauty may be a blessing in disguise as it will encourage healthy eating and also control the ageing process of our black women which wasn’t the case in the past.
I know its fashion to some people and probably most men like it, but I still think that women with big hips should not wear clothes that accentuate their girth. If you are a Muslim lady, try to ‘fashion-out’ with a ‘hijab’ as it may give you the same confidence as Nabakooba in tight jeans.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Would Mwenda would have published the information about the oil documents if Karuhanga had not presented them in parliament?
23 Oct 2011 3 Comments
in Corruption, media in Uganda, Museveni and NRM, oil
Walter Duranty
With due respect, Andrew prides himself for digging up news not published anywhere else: shocking security secrets, but I suspect that what he digs up is the sort of humdrum stuff a journalist with ‘’influential’’ friends in the state should have, and this does not make this information more important to Ugandans than what they read in the Daily Monitor or Observer. I don’t know whether it’s me but I never read any of these ‘secret intelligence’ files published in the Independent magazine. May be, it’s just me but I never waste my time with them.
Anyone with connections to the people in power (in which case Andrew looks every bit of it now) can assemble stuff like that and make anyone look foolish, but is it something worth anybody’s time. For instance, if you juxtapose Martin Luther king’s public image with his personal shenanigans, you can make him look very foolish. Also true for John Kennedy with his womanizing. So what’s the point: that king and Kennedy were attracted to power to gain access to high class women?
As a long time admirer of Andrew Mwenda, I feel so disappointed in what he has become today. What has really happened to him? I had him down as one of the Uganda journalists that he will one day win the Annual Bastiat Prize for Journalism. The prize was established and run by the International Policy Network (IPN – a UK based NGO) to “encourage and reward writers whose published works promote the institutions of a free society” according to how its patron saint, 19th century French-born Frederic Bastiat, saw things. He had a deep distrust of government in any form and thought regulation and control were inefficient, economically destructive and morally wrong, or as IPN puts it: It supports “limited government, rule of law brokered by an independent judiciary, protection of private property, free markets, free speech, and sound science.”
Like I said, Andrew is right that good journalism is about news based on real sources and objective data but his reaction on Capital fm on ‘’Alan Kasujja’’ show as soon as Honourable Karuhanga published the documents, points to the fact that he is no longer doing journalism but spin. There was no need to publicly defend the ministers implicated in the said documents as there are people, like Tamare Mirundi(President’s office) and Pamela Anakunda(Media centre), already employed to do that kind of work.
At the moment, I guess most elites in Kampala are now looking at him in the same way Americans looked at Walter Duranty who worked for New York Times in 1930s. Walter visited Russia when Stalin was the leader and reported that nothing was happening there, yet people in Ukraine were dying of famine for up to 10 years. But because of his connections with influential people in both the Russian and USA government, he ended up with a Pulitzer Prize which still stands up to now. Surprisingly, Walter was British and born in Liverpool. I had never put down ‘Liverpoolians’ as dodgy till that moment.No wonder, Liverpool F.C have broken my heart in the Champions League more than any other team, especially that ghost goal from Luis Javier García some years ago. Chelsea’s Gallas cleared the line but the linesman saw it differently. I will never forget that painful moment.
Abbey
Executing a dictator does not automatically bring democracy to a country, Gaddafi Should be Buried immediately
23 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in culture, cultures, history, international, International Issues, Museveni and NRM, Political murders
Putting Muammar Gaddafi’s ‘trophy’ body on show in Misrata meat store is so wrong at so many levels. This is so non-Islamic. Why can’t they just bury him? I cannot see any Black African treating any of their dictators like this. I cannot see any Ugandan treating a dead Museveni like this regardless of what he has done to some people. I can’t see Africans treating a dead African leader like the way Misrata NTC has treated Gaddafi, as in like, not according him burial as soon as he was killed. Gaddafi’s body is in a meat packer, on a washed out mattress and kids are taking photos of it. I cannot see a black African keeping a dead body on display for days. We fear ghosts (EMIZIMU).
It will be so sad if Gaddafi’s body remains on display for another day. He should be buried immediately. I can’t see Ugandans treating Museveni’s dead body like this because our culture does not allow us to do so. Yes, black Africans are capable of executing their leaders in the same way Doe or Gaddafi was killed but I cannot envisage a situation where Ugandans put a dead Museveni on display in Gulu town for days to become a temporary tourist attraction. If it ever happens, I will stop to publicly call myself a Ugandan.
Killing or executing a dictator does not stop other dictators from propping up unless a system is put in place that stops them from abusing the trust of the people they lead. Do people really want to tell us that Liberia has been the fountain of democracy in Africa ever since General Doe was executed by Prince Johnson in 1990? The way Gaddafi was killed is nothing compared to the way Doe was killed.
The Doe video became the best-selling in West Africa. He was stripped down to his underpants; his face was bruised and bloody. Doe asked to say something and asked for his hands to be untied but they instead cut off one of his ears. Then Johnson later chewed the ear in front of Samuel Doe. The following day, Doe’s mutilated body was paraded through the streets in a wheelbarrow.
You can watch this on YouTube if you wish at:
This guy was executed in 1990 when Museveni, Mubarak, Gaddafi, Ben Ali, Mugabe and other dictators were already presidents of their respective countries. Did this stop Museveni from becoming a dictator in Uganda? Actually, it is argued that Museveni started showing signs of dictatorship in 1990s. So, do proponents of such executions want to tell us that Museveni has never watched Doe’s execution? This is the same period Museveni abandoned his communist economic ideas and went for Obote’s economic policies because the former was not working.
Like I said, dictators usually feel the death of a fellow dictator for a few days but later things go back to normal. They don’t see themselves as in like it can easily happen to them. Current Dictators are going to mourn Brother Gaddafi for a while but this is not going to stop the dictatorship on the continent. If Africans don’t put in place systems that can create checks and balances, dictatorship will always be part of Africa.
Abbey
Who Killed the Electric Car?
21 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
Who Killed the Electric Car? is a 2006 documentary film that explores the creation, limited commercialization, and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the mid 1990s.
The film explores the roles of automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, the US government, the Californian government, batteries, hydrogen vehicles, and consumers in limiting the development and adoption of this technology.
Director/Writer: Chris Paine. Broadcast 2006.
Capitalism: A Love Story(Video)
21 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
Michael Moore’s documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, comes home to the issue he’s been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world). But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan.
From Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Michael Moore will once again take film goers into uncharted territory. With both humor and outrage, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism?
Years ago, that love seemed so innocent. Today, however, the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere.
What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal…and 14,000 jobs being lost every day. Capitalism: A Love Story is both a culmination of Moore’s previous works and a look into what a more hopeful future could look like.
It is Michael Moore’s ultimate quest to answer the question he’s posed throughout his illustrious filmmaking career: Who are we and why do we behave the way that we do?
Syria: Inside the Secret Revolution(Video)
21 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
After Libya, will Syria be the next Arab dictatorship to fall to people power? For months, a popular uprising has been fighting an unseen and bloody battle against the Syrian regime.
Panorama has been filming inside Syria, and can now tell the full story of those struggling against President Assad and the truth about his brutal crackdown against his own people.
Released 26 Sep 2011. 30 min. TV documentary.
US troops in Uganda, Social Learning Theory and Gaddafi’s ‘Execution’
21 Oct 2011 6 Comments
in international, Bahima and Banyarwanda, Africa, Museveni and NRM, International Issues, Political murders
Friends,
Sending US troops to Uganda to reportedly hunt down Kony Joseph and LRA has not generated big headlines around the world. It has been done very quietly and I’m very suspicious about it. My only worry is that there seems to be no visible political reforms in Uganda, a situation that can lead to anything. Things are no longer looking good in Uganda and this is worrying me so much. When a situation is as bad as it is right now, the government becomes paranoid and starts killing and imprisoning its own citizens openly especially those that criticise it regularly.
Americans always side with the side that will make them look good back home, and in most cases, it is the people in case of a revolution. But if there is no revolution, they will always side with the people in power or government( and in this case, it could be argued that they are in Uganda to help President Museveni but not the people of Uganda).
Like in Libya, if a government disappears, new governments pop up virtually or automatically because that is simply in the nature of social life given current conditions. Obviously, when someone has been a president for such a long time, they tend to think they are different from other human beings, but the fact is that one day Museveni will not be president of Uganda, Mbabazi will not be PM or anywhere near government, and possibly another set of tribes will be dominating the economic and political sector other than Banyankole and Baganda, simply because society always evolves automatically.
This is the reason why I don’t believe in revengeful acts, murdering someone because i don’t like them and the death penalty because, apart from the fact that it is immoral, I know societies will always change whether leaders like it or not. For instance, If it was true that killing a dictator or a murderer gives more positive results, then states with a death penalty would have lower murder rates than states without a death penalty. That is not the case.
In Libya’s case, Brother Gaddafi(RIP) was a dictator but his execution isn’t going to deter other dictators from doing what they have been doing. Dictators normally don’t change their behavior because another dictator has been killed. They will feel his death for a while and probably shade some tears in their bedrooms but they will go back to feeling like ‘Napoleon’. President Museveni will remain a ‘barking dog’ despite what has happened to Gaddafi. He is probably gonna issue a statement in a few days time calling westerners all sorts of names and scaring Ugandans, like Gadaffi(RIP) did at the start of this campaign, and he wont change an iota, trust me on this. I challenge anyone to list the dictators who have changed their behavior after another dictator has been deposed and executed?
I don’t know whether some people are familiar with Bandura’s social learning theory( SLT) but it explains a lot about people’s behavior and how they learn to behave that way. Bandura argues that an individual learns by observation, imitation, and modeling. For instance, I watched a video of Bukenya [former VP of Uganda] recently after being released from prison and I was astonished to see him still rolling eyes, like Museveni, while giving a speech in Kakiri trading centre- despite the fact that the media has been pointing out that he is imitating President Museveni and he should stop it.
Similary, dictators just learn to become dictators or monsters. Nobody is born a monster, I believe, though my lovely wife disagrees. My wife believes that some people’s bad behavior is inherited. She quoted some theories which I can’t remember now but she is convinced that some people don’t deserve to live in this world because they are monsters. I , however, disagree.
I believe every behavior is learned from somewhere. Museveni surely must have a good side of him which if we had not allowed him to accumulate too much power in 1990s, we would have benefited from that good side. Children also learn aggressive behavior by observing others, but if there is negative consequences, there may not be any imitation.That’s why parents control what they watch on TV or see elsewhere.
NTC and NATO should not have killed Gadaffi.I think they intentionally eliminated him. They did not want a Mubarak circus in Libya but that worries us a lot about the kind of government NTC are gonna run. They should have given him a chance to stand trial, but then again, Brother Gaddy brought all this on himself. We wrote articles and posted them in the media and on our Uganda Muslim Brothers & Sisters( UMBS) forum where we have got members that were in direct contact with him- including Uganda’s ambasador to Libya, but I guess he never listened. Why couldn’t he give up power? Why did he choose to fight a war he clearly wasn’t going to win? Mubaraka is still eating sausages yet he is not different from Gadaffi(RIP).
I’m still sad about Gadafi’s death and i hope Allah forgives his sins but he never helped himself. He chose to walk through a landmine, and that was not wise.Inalilahi wahina ilayihi rajihuna.
Byebyo ebyange.
Abbey
It seems Andrew Mwenda Isn’t ready to become Uganda’s ‘Veronica Guerin’
17 Oct 2011 5 Comments
in Corruption, Legal issues, media in Uganda
Andrew Mwenda
What a week! What a month! What a year! Four powerful dictators in Africa have lost their power this year, the ‘Mahogany’(former Vice president) of Uganda selectively tested jail this month, and three powerful cabinet ministers have temporarily resigned their offices to allow the investigation of their hands in National tills over CHOGM and oil scandals. The surprise in all this has been journalist Andrew Mwenda’s public defense of the cabinet ministers involved in the oil corruption scams as he insists that the documents presented in parliament by Gerald Karuhanga, the Youth MP for Western Uganda, were forged. Mwenda and president Museveni hold the same view and have confessed that they have been investigating the matter for a while before the MP broke the camel’s bark.
Given how famous Andrew Mwenda is these days – or infamous, perhaps –it always amazes me how he leaves himself so open to revealing the kind of people he regularly conducts his investigative journalism with. In most of his radio talk shows, the statements such as ‘ when i met Museveni’ or ‘when i met Kagame’…. have become like a paracetamol on a headache. Mwenda expects Ugandans to just believe his words that the documents were forged just because he involved president Museveni and Uganda police in the investigation process. Phew! The documents were revealing information implicating Museveni’s ministers in oil corruption scandals, and the first place Mwenda went to for investigation was Museveni himself. In other words, Mwenda was kind enough to give Museveni a chance to investigate himself before he reports anything to Ugandans. Oh, what a kind man!
It is the job of any good journalist to challenge, question, investigate, and report their findings, but Menda had not reported his findings to us before Honorable Karuhanga blew his whistle in parliament, but he is on record attacking the later for presenting forged documents. Oh, I almost forgot that Mwenda did not want us to know about the ‘forged’ documents.
In this case, the leak has so far caused no harm to the legal or judicial system of Uganda, but imprisonment of any of the three cabinet ministers (Nassasira, Kuteesa, and Mbabazi) could have a chilling effect on journalism’s ability to expose corruption in the country. Honestly, how much information are journalists hiding from us in the name of ‘forgery’ or because they want to protect someone.
The trouble with journalism in Uganda is that it’s too damn polite. It looks like Journalists there fear deadly retributions if they ever dare to report the truth. In all honesty, why would Mwenda sit on such information as a journalist for a long time when he got it, and even dare present it to the head of the ‘executive’ organ of the state that is supposed to be investigated? The whole events symptomise a visualization of the greed and corruption that have taken old of both the executive branch of the government and journalism itself. How we get out of this situation now, i really dont know.
Up to now, we don’t have any journalist in Uganda that has dedicated his life to at least exposing crime and corruption in the country. In Ireland, for instance, they had a lady called Veronica Guerin who was a crime reporter and ended up being murdered by drug lords in 1996. The film ‘Veronica Guerin’ told the story of her brave soul. It broke my heart when I watched it especially in the end when the two bikers working for the ‘mafias’ put 6 bullets in her body when she stopped at a red traffic light. It’s always hurting when you watch a kind and beautiful person die because of what they believe in.
Veronica Guerin, who was shot dead shot dead by the pillion passenger on a motorbike as she stopped at traffic lights in Naas, just outside Dublin, in June 1996 -
In Mexico, they also had columnist Francisco Arratia Saldierna, a prominent and well-known journalist who wrote a column called Portavoz (or “Spokesman”). The column featured topics such as corruption, organized crime, and drug trafficking. Arratia’s murder was also as brutal as Veronica’s but both murders resulted into change in policy in those areas.
I’m also tempted to mention two lady giants in journalism that were impressive winners of the Courage in Journalism Awards in 2005: there are Shahla Sherkat, who runs a women’s magazine in Iran and Sumi Khan, a Bangladesh journalist who covers crime. When Mwenda started up the ”Independent”, I really thought that his magazine was going to be like Shahla’s. She has been fined for articles she has published, and has been threatened with imprisonment in Iran’s harsh jails, but she never runs to state to investigate itself before she publishes anything as Mwenda has admittedly done.
Sumi is another crime and corruption reporter based in Bangladesh (Chittagong city). In 2004, she was attacked by three men — beaten and stabbed. It was three months before she returned to work, but she never gave in to the system.
To be fair, Mwenda went into that kind of episode initially and he became a hero to many Ugandans, but it now looks like he gave up on people long time ago and decided to do his own ‘’refined’’ investigative form of journalism. He was among the guys that inspired me to start blogging because of the way he analyzed issues yet I don’t have any qualification in journalism. Up to now, i don’t miss any of his radio talk-shows but he has really disappointed me on this one.
Mwenda should never have defended the ministers publicly whatever reservations he had with the documents because the way Ugandans feel about corruption in Museveni’s government is like in the same way Americans felt during Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. After Vietnam and Watergate, almost every student in USA went to Journalism School convinced that the U.S. Government was corrupt and that s/he would earn a Pulitzer Prize by exposing it. That cynicism about America has never really ended.
Yes, Mwenda is partly right that eagerly publishing forged documents is not “investigative journalism” if the memos content is not verified by second and third sources. But I also believe that verification of the documents becomes difficult if you allow the people being investigated to investigate themselves. Mwenda’s methods are like that of Stalin and Mao who believed that “CRIMES MUST BE HIDDEN,” or else labeled as “heroic deeds.”
Let’s also not forget that “journalism’’ itself is opinion. Most of what Mwenda says or writes in his column is mere speculation clothed in the majesty of journalism, but rife with his personal opinions. Yes, Mbabazi and Kutesa may be innocent but how do we explain the fact that nearly every time a case comes to light involving large-scale fraud or vice or corruption, the duo are playing the lead roles. They seem to be attracted irresistibly to our vices so that they can exploit them and at the same time exacerbate them. They are not worth defending publicly by anybody worth his name.
Because mwenda came out to say that he was the first to land on these documents, some people are unfairly dragging Paul Kagame into this. In any case, Mwenda only revealed the location where he got the documents but he never revealed his source. The location was Nairobi not Kigali. The Oil corruption scandal has put the Museveni government in the spot light. Oil companies are capable of bringing down any government in Africa. Therefore, the government should handle this issue very carefully. It looks like both the cabinet ministers and the oil companies are now blackmailing each other with endless revealations, but oil companies will always be the winners in the end if this situation continues.
Byebyo ebyange banange
–
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Bukenya was an Iceberg waiting for Titanic but he doesn’t deserve Jail
09 Oct 2011 4 Comments
Dear Ugandans,
I don’t think Mr. Gilbert Bukenya had prepared himself psychologically for prison life or loss of his parliamentary seat. He looked an emotional guy the day he was taken to prison, and that is good for women in his life but bad for his image as an African politician. A politician in Africa is supposed to appear tough (made of steel of some sort) in public as we have been seeing with Dr. Kiza Besigye despite losing his brother in the most hurtful way possible. But crying in public was also not as bad for Bukenya as it gave out the human side of him. It can sometimes help if it is played out in a normal way. For instance, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi shed tears in public over the burning of the Kasubi tombs and it is not something anybody in our generation can easily forget.
Nevertheless, both the ‘Gilbert Bukenya’ and ‘late Sulaiman Kiggundu’ experiments are very good for all of us. There is a great deal of lessons to learn from them for those who want to learn. They both provide a gradual learning experience to Ugandans who are a threat to people in power. Bukenya has never stolen tax payers’ money to do anything private, at least as far as I know. He became a rich man by selling mostly his rice nationally and internationally, I believe, but CHOGM has been used to bring him down. Nobody can pinpoint fingers at him that he stole a specific amount of money to do this and that. At least, his hands are officially clean as far as tax payers’ money is concerned.
Similarly, Dr. Kiggundu was first made Governor Bank of Uganda by president Museveni before he was sacked. He then started up his Greenland Bank which became so successful in such a short period that some people in power approached him to buy shares in it. The bank later collapsed, Kiggundu ended up in prison, and the rest as they say ‘is history now’.
The Bukenya case before courts of law is a bit complicated but I think president Museveni should have intervened at the earliest to save the former VP’s face from all this( if he wished to do so). The scripts of this case were posted on the Ugandans At heart(UAH) forum as shown on the link below:
http://semuwemba.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/indictment-of-gilbert-bukenya-1.pdf
Bukenya’s major blunder was trying to appease his former boss by celebrating the closure of CBSfm and thus under minding his Kabaka in the process. It is the sole reason why some Baganda are still bitter with him. He should have kept quiet over it. I was also understandably so pissed off with him then but he still does not deserve what he is going through. Nonetheless, I’m no longer upset with him because I now understand why he did or said what he did then.
But he also made a mistake of opening up his mouth on certain controversial issues as some people have pointed out. He should have done a ‘’Ssebagala’’,i.e. to keep quiet after being dumped from the cabinet. He should never have declared his intentions to stand for presidency in 2016. Actually, he should have avoided the media as soon as he was unfairly defeated in the NRM primaries for the post of Secretary General. It was a miscalculation on his part to start a media campaign for himself then. But hey, now that he is in prison, this is not time to keep quite anymore. Let the ‘war of the words’ begin such that we let public opinion decide his fate.
But let’s see how things pan out for him in the near future but he should never have been sent to Luzira over this case. I don’t think it was fair compared to the corrupt cases that have been paraded in courts of law before. I really feel for him. For all his weaknesses, Bukenya does not deserve to be sent to be prison. More so, I don’t think he made any penny out of CHOGM deals compared to some people that have been reported by the media over the same issue.
What is so special about Mbabazi?
There is a myth that the main person fighting Bukenya is the current prime minister, Mbabazi, and most elites believe that he is the man behind Bukenya’s imprisonment. Nonetheless, I have stopped making predictions about Mr. Amama Mbabazi because I still don’t know why Museveni has allowed him to retain the post of NRM secretary General up to now. There are only two explanations I can think of: either this post is irrelevant to the determination of the successor to president Museveni or keeping Mbabazi as NRM Secretary General is meant to help his eventual downfall.
May be, Museveni has realized that Mbabazi seriously harbors ambitions to become the president of Uganda, so he has kept him as NRM secretary General to make sure that he is hated more by party members. Because in all honesty, why would the president keep such a very unpopular man as the party’s secretary General and discard a popular man in Gilbert Bukenya? Bukenya calls himself a ‘community man’ in his interview with Andrew Mwenda’s the Independent , and I think I know where he picked this from: he is a student and teacher of Public Health, and the terms ‘community’ and ‘empowerment’ are so much used in a lot of case studies.
Another possible explanation may be found in the myth that Mbabazi is blackmailing the president. A spider on the wall reliably told me that Mbabazi’s office has always been busier than any of the other cabinet ministers. This spider told me it was surprised to find the so called ‘big people’ in government all lining up to find an appointment with Mr. Mbabazi when he was just security minister. Actually, his office arguably runs a lot of activities more than any other person in government, and he is a very organized, ambitious and serious man. He is one of the few guys in government who can allegedly ‘shout’ at president Museveni when he is not happy with something. I think he might have picked this kind of independence from UAH forums because we have got many like him.
You will never find a ‘Tamare Mirundi’ attacking Mbabazi in public because they know will be shown the exit door the next day the moment they do so. Tamare cannot attack Mbabazi in the same way he has been belittling Bukenya, Nagenda, Kabaka and others in the press. The day you see the ‘Tamares’ start doing this, then you will know that things are not fine between the ”man with the hat” and Mbabazi. Mr.Tamare Mirundi never opens up his mouth unless if he has been told to do so, I believe. That’s how it works. He works under instructions from his bosses.
To be honest, I don’t know what is so special about Mbabazi up to now and why president Museveni continues to hold him in high regard than anybody else. I find him so arrogant in his public utterances. I don’t think he is an easy person to be liked by anybody. He could make a good unelected public official but then again, he was surprisingly elected as MP for Kanungu. So how do we explain that fact if we put vote rigging and intimidation of voters aside? There is something about Mbabazi I cannot put my fingers on. May be, he will be the last man left standing after the fall of Museveni and NRM.
Ebya Mbabazi bizibu nyo!
Abbey
M7 is not as ”Naive” as Gaddafi- He wouldn’t Stay and Fight Incase of NATO bombs
25 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Africa, Lule and Uganda politics, Museveni and NRM, Politics, Revolutions
Julius Nyerere
Some of Muamah Gaddafi’s messages to the media ever since he had that unbelievable exist from Tripoli have been very touching but I think they have come too late. He made his bed and now he must lay in it. He should have resigned before the situation escalated into something he could not control. I really feel sorry for him. He is probably the most generous dictator Africa has ever had.
Uganda’s Museveni will never make that mistake of staying on to fight as Gaddafi did despite his recent rhetoric I read in the Weekly Observer- because he is a very realistic man. He knows which wars he can win and those he cannot. If they put you against Mike Tyson in the ring, you should know when to call it off, because if you don’t, your nose gets blown away. Brother Gaddafi should have realized when the game was up, but on a good note: he was indeed a strong hearted, patriotic leader who saw himself only ” ending with the world’’ (as most dictators do).
Muslims and Africans will miss him. He did a lot for Libyans, Muslims and Africans in general but he denied political freedom to his people. Hope the NTC does not disappoint us. Libyans deserve to feel free in their own country. We all deserve to feel free in our own countries.
Freedom is not about putting food on somebody’s table. Otherwise, women married to rich husbands would have made the best wives ever. Because freedom is not about money, better housing, better health care,……. a poor man can easily bang your wife if you are treating her like a slave( like your own her). Hello! Human beings are not properties. They need a breather, and they always get bored easily if someone has been on their nerves for a long time.
I know it may be very difficult for some people to believe that Gaddafi fell without shooting any of the NATO planes but that‘s how the mission was planned, I believe. It was planned to neutralize his air space from the beginning. More so, I suspect that Brother Gaddafi initially thought that the situation will pass and NATO will eventually negotiate with him. So he did not want to make things worse for himself at the beginning by shooting their ‘birds’. I guess by the time he realized that NATO was about regime change not anything else, it was too late. He could not even move any of his weapons because there were within NATO target.
Look, most dictators fall in the least way expected. It is not unique to Gaddafi. Iddil Amin, for instance, also fell when people least expected it. Just like in Libya’s case, the OAU (AU) was against the foreign invaders (in this case the Tanzanians) though their arm was twisted over Amin’s own invasion of the Kagera triangle in northwestern Tanzania in October 1978.
Amin, like Gadafi, they never respected fellow leaders. Before the dust had settled over the Kagera incident, he annoyed Nyerere by suggesting that they should have a boxing match as a possible means of resolving the fate of the Kagera triangle. Amin was a professional boxer, remember. This was the point when Nyerere called up Obote to help organize the Uganda opposition in exile such that he could kick Amin’s ass.
But few people in Uganda saw all these developments as serious. Masaka and Mbarara fell into insurgent hands in early March but still Amin was making as much noise as Gaddafi was making till the last minute. Lukaya was taken and the road to Kampala seemed visible to the insurgents but Amin was still chest thumping. It’s good he did not promise a ‘Vietnam’ for Nyerere as some people are doing now.
Iddil Amin Dada
On March 28th 1979, both Libya and Kenya asked Tanzania to get their forces out but Nyerere stuck to his guns: ‘’SONGA MBELE’’ style. On April 6th, Entebbe Airport was then in the hands of the Tanzanian forces. A week later, Lule was pronounced as the new president of Uganda. Amin’s quick fall surprised a lot of people including him. Yes, Amin regime had internal weaknesses but without the help from Tanzanians, it would have survived for a long time.
The point here is that ‘chest thumping’ and rhetoric by leaders does not necessarily save them when their moment of ‘falling down’ comes. Gaddafi had bought a lot of military equipment from the Russians even before the war started. Actually, he had bought a lot before the sanctions were put on Libya in 1980s. He serviced the old equipment and also bought more after the sanctions were lifted. His old military weapons and planes were even better than what we have got in Uganda. But it is very difficult to use all these equipment when there are under surveillance. The first thing NATO did was to effectively destroy most of this stuff at the start of the air campaign.
Let’s us also not forget that MI6 and CIA had a close relationship with Gaddafi before all these so called people’s revolutions in North Africa started, as revealed by recent media revelations. They at least had their agents on the ground that had done enough home work on Libya and its military capabilities. So every bomb thrown by NATO was meant to hit the target. They neutralized the guy. They basically disabled him to stop him from walking. May be it was for the best because a well equipped Gaddafi would have died with a lot of people. He is a wounded lion now but without power and enough military equipment. Imagine if he had both!
Going back to Museveni, I think a coup is now almost impossible in Uganda because president Museveni has fragmented the army and air force there into as many separate segments as possible. During the ‘walk to work’ protests, for instance, we used to watch people in plain clothes ordering Besigye around such that in one of the videos, I remember Besigye asking one of them: ‘who are you?’ It seems even Besigye was surprised to see people in plain clothes ordering those in uniforms.
So, at the moment, it is difficult to tell the actual number of officers in UPDF or police or intelligence units. This situation has certainly made a military seizure of power much less likely in Uganda at the moment, which is ok for me because i hate millitary governments, but i feel sorry for those who may invest their hopes in a coup. Security matters,it seems, are certainly and directly in the hands of Museveni and the people totally committed to him.
Abbey
POLICE SHOULD INVESTIGATE MIRUNDI’S COMMENTS ASAP
25 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in media in Uganda, Museveni and NRM, Politics
Tamare Mirundi, Presidential Press Secretary
I may be wrong here but I really doubt if Mirundi gave the interview in the Newvision under the sub-headline:’Mirundi on Mukula, Bukenya’s troubles’. The Mirundi I know never untactically punches above his weight but the following paragraph makes him sound less intelligent. You don’t say things like that even if you are the president of the country with 24/7 security:
‘’ There are people in Mengo who think we were born to work for them, which I don’t agree with. Lastly, I would like to tell you that I don’t fear anyone. If you slap me, I will draw a gun at you, shoot and kill you.’’
I’m pretty sure that president Museveni himself wouldn’t say something like that in public. Maybe Mirundi meant to say something different, and the media misunderstood him. It happens to so many Africans because English is not our first language. For instance, I remember the Chelsea Striker, Didier Drogba, also making funny comments on one of his press conferences when he had just joined Chelsea. We had just won a game and my eyes were glued at Sky sports news channel. The journalist asked him if he’s a diver as he was being accused by other teams and Drogba answered:
“Sometimes I dive, sometimes I stand.”
In reality, Drogba did not mean to say that exactly but the media made a meal out of it. It created our sport’s back pages for a while. I still laugh my head off whenever i remember those comments. Drogba tried to retract the statement but the damage had already been done.
Similarly, there are a lot of mistakes in this interview and it is hard to believe that Tamare Mirundi really said what was published. If the interview was conducted in English then maybe he was misquoted. Tamare is very good at expressing himself in Luganda. I actually think he should conduct his press conferences in Luganda with an interpreter and some sort of a script to follow, if possible. Speaking English fluently does not measure anybody’s intelligence or capabilities.
It is very important that Mr. Tamare comes out and tells Ugandans that he was misquoted in this interview. There is no need to attack Mengo anymore than necessary. He should borrow a leaf from the respected former PM, Appolo Nsibambi, who remains a member of UAH up to now. He never attempted to attack the Kabaka or Mengo throughout the time he was in government. I know we all sometimes get excited with the fortunes of this world, and this may be Tamare’s case, but we should keep it under the wraps. Life is just a very complicated thing.
I sometimes wonder about Mirundi and Nambooze Beti especially on who made the right decision after their ‘trials’ on several media programs. Both used to be regulars on Buganda’s CBS fm; both are still friends; both are Baganda and both are very articulate in Luganda. As Nambooze remained Mengo leaning, Mirundi opted for a career in central government. Namboozi is now a member of parliament for Mukono North, and the sky is the limit for her, as far as opportunities are concerned. Mirundi, on the other hand, reportedly hopes to open up a political school in future but I wonder how he will recruit students when some people are openly for vying for his blood.
Nonetheless; I’m really so disappointed in some of the stuff in this interview. People should learn to value human life. How do you vow to kill somebody who has only slapped you? It doesn’t make sense to me and I can’t believe Tamare Mirundi said that. Something is not right here and it needs to be investigated. May be Tamare is not mentally well at the moment. Something is definitely not right. I have copied this message to him because all this does not make sense to me at all.
The police should investigate these comments made by Mirundi immediately. If it is true that he said this, then he should not be allowed to carry a gun anymore. He is not fit to carry a gun in public. He is not in the right state of mind to carry a gun. How do you kill somebody who has only slapped you? Good Lord! He should go for anger management lessons before he is given a gun again.
In the meantime, if you see anyone slap Mr.Mirundi, just run for the hills before he draws his gun out because bullets tend not to discrimate when they are being fired.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey
Notes:
Mirundi on Mukula, Bukenya�s troubles
Bidandi:Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming but prepare for a Muhoozi presidency!
20 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in media in Uganda, Museveni and NRM, Politics, Presidency
Guys,
Bidandi ssali’s letter to Major Muhoozi is a land mine for the former but it just confirms what I have always told people that there is no serious opposition in Uganda. I don’t know what Bidandi and former DP president, Kawanga Ssemogerere, see in letter writing as far as changing Uganda politics is concerned, because these two guys have been writing letters to whoever is in power since 1980s. I’m not surprised that both of them are going to die without ‘tasting’ the presidency. You don’t become a president in Uganda by annually writing letters in the media. Bidandi is not a serious opposition leader. He once called Paul Semogerere ‘docile’ on one of the FM stations (when he was still in NRM) but I see no difference between them now.
Yes, Bidandi urges Muhoozi to prove to himself, to his family, and to the world, that he makes his own decisions, and that his being the son of president Museveni has got nothing to do with anything, but I cannot see Muhoozi doing so because he has become what he is because of his father. Bidandi is inviting him to walk through a land mine here because Muhoozi cannot afford to start rebelling against his father. Such advice is ok for sons of leaders in developed nations but not Africa. A label like ‘being son or daughter of a big man in government’ can help one gate crash anything. If, for instance, Muhoozi opens up a facebook account right now, several Ugandans would rush to become his friends because he is simply the son of Museveni. People create ‘ghost’ friends and enemies when they are in that kind of position.
To be honest, I just hate all of Bidandi’s letters because they seem to do a PR for Muhoozi and Museveni than anything else. He wrote one during the previous presidential campaigns which I again thought was more of a PR for Museveni than anything else, especially where he sneaked in the issue of Museveni visiting his son in the hospital. The leader of a supposedly a national party (PPP) writing to the president of a nation about national issues and then concludes the message with a personal note….. I thought this was either an intended political miscalculation from Mr.Bidandi or he was just overwhelmed with parental emotions when writing this letter. In all fairness, President Museveni visited Bebe Cool to tap votes of the musician’s supporters.
The way Bidandi sounded in the letter to Muhoozi one would think that he was talking to a son of Martin Luther King, sr. You see Martin Luther King, Jr. was a son of a preacher but despite his unprivileged Negro background, everybody could see that he was a man on a mission to save a certain group of people. So who is Muhoozi really going to save? He is basically looking at the presidency as the highest he can get after being put on a speed boat in army promotions.
Like I said, there is nothing in Uganda at the moment that can stop Muhoozi from becoming the next president of Uganda. Letter writing, wiki-leaks cables, restoration of term limits, media interviews by NRM old guards,……. are all not going to stop the Muhoozi project. It is only the UPDF and foreign nations that can stop it if they decide to do so.
In any case, what Museveni is doing with Muhoozi is not that much different from what George Bush, Sr. did to help his son to become president. Actually, somebody wrote a damaging and well researched book: ‘Fortunate Son’ by J.H. Hatfield, to open the eyes of the Americans on what they were electing into the White House, but it did not stop Bush, Jr. from becoming the president. The book showed Bush’s weak academic performances, his three known arrests, his alcoholism, the failure of all of his oil companies, you name it, but he still made it to the presidency.
This same Bush did not even give a damn on how the public perceived him before he became the president. At one time during a conversation with Hartford Courant associate editor David Fink, he was asked at the 1988 Republican Convention: “When you’re not talking politics,” Fink asked the vice president’s son, “what do you and [your father] talk about?” “Pussy,” George W. replied. I’m sure he made a lot of people to long for one then.
So, those who think that because Muhoozi was allegedly involved in some shoot outs at Kasubi tombs where two people lost their lives, the ‘’massacres’’ in Karamojja or whatever, then it is capable of twisting the minds of Ugandans in rural areas when he is presented as NRM presidential candidate, they should plan for something else. Such propaganda does not stop sons of former presidents from winning the presidency. In any case, Muhoozi has already done a PR of his own by writing a book, whose title I even don’t know up to now, because I know why he wrote it. He will also be helped by the fact that NRM and the government now control the radio space in the country which can reach out to the biggest masses. If probably Ugandans At Heart was a radio station that covers at least 60% of Uganda, he should have been worried.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Mike Mukula Was Right about the Muhoozi- Museveni ‘presidency’ and the opposition cannot stop it
16 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Politics, Presidency, UPDF
Friends,
Muhoozi in the middle of president Museveni and Cabinet minister to Karamoja
If I’m being honest with you, there was a time I believed that Muhoozi will automatically be Uganda’s next president, but from what I have observed in the last 9 months, I think this project will prove to be disastrous for president Museveni if he goes ahead with it. I’m not saying that it is not going to happen but it will bury him if he is not careful. The world has changed so much and everyone is looking for an excuse to attack someone, and there will be no better excuse for the ‘big boys’ to kick Museveni’s butt in future if he goes ahead and promotes his son to the presidency.
Having said that, I have come to believe that one does not become a president in Uganda because of mere elections. May be, it will change in the next 10-20 years but not now. So if anyone thinks that elections will stop Muhoozi from becoming our next president, please think again.
Museveni knows that he will meet resistance within NRM, the UPDF, and parliament if he imposes Muhoozi on Ugandans but this will not stop him if he is determined to pursue this project. Of all the institutions that may resist this ‘’Muhoozi project’’, it is only the army he is afraid of. Muhoozi will not be fielded as NRM candidate if president Museveni senses that the military, and in this case UPDF, may cause huge problems. Forget about the rest and their problems. It is only the military that may internally stop it but not elections of any kind.
Elections are useless in Uganda because president Museveni can use them to get whatever he wants. Without going into the presidential rigging that is often rightly cited by the opposition, Let me give you an example of the two referendums to either stay with the Movement or Multiparties, and the vice versa.
The first one was held in June 2000 and the second was held in July 2005. Those who voted ‘‘Yes’’ to Movement system were 4,471,681 that represented a 90.7% according to the Electoral Commission. Those who ticked or voted ‘‘No’’ to Multiparty system were 442,843 which represented 09.3% of the total votes.
The second referendum was held after less than 4 years but the results again came out as President Museveni wanted them to be. Those who said ‘‘Yes’’ to Multiparty system were 3,736,367 which represented a good 92.4% of the total votes cast. Those who ticked ‘‘No’’ to Movement system were 297,865 representing 07.6% of the total votes.
So basically elections in Uganda cannot stop Museveni from being the president of Uganda even if 90% of Ugandans vote for the opposition. Similarly, they cannot stop his son or anybody he wishes, from becoming the next president.
Apart from the UPDF, international pressure or intervention would also be able to stop the Muhoozi project, because there is nothing on the ground that is capable of stopping Muhoozi from becoming the president of Uganda if Museveni wants him to. The opposition is weak, parliament can easily be twisted, the media is under his control, the old NRM historicals have accumulated a lot of wealth and have got no appetite to wage more wars, and the man with the ”hat” on his head almost controls everything in the country.
Let’s face it: Muhoozi is President Museveni’s project with a lot of money behind it, and Captain Mike Mukula was so right in his remarks to the Americans though I read somewhere that he had started backtracking for fear of the ‘big eyes’ from the big fella in state house angrily rolling all over him. Having Muhoozi in state house is like having Museveni in another form. We don’t need that anymore. We need to find a break from all this NRM, musevenism, Janet Musevenism, Muhoozi Musevenism, e.t.c
If you ask me, I would tell you that I respect poor people who join the military so much but it is not something I would recommend to anybody. It is too much sacrifice taken by the young men and women out there who join this service to serve their country. The military men are paid so poorly worldwide apart from obviously the top bosses yet they sacrifice so much.
However, the military training tends to give people some kind of discipline and routine in their life. So I think it is good for the sons of the rich, monarchies, the privileged, e.t.c. That’s why sons of royals in the UK all enlist in the military at some point but I would not recommend it to anybody from a poor background. It is not easy to become successful in the military when you are under privileged though some few people have made it and eventually became great leaders.
But obviously I cannot say the same thing for Muhoozi who joined the UPDF as soon as he graduated at university. Since then, he has been on a variety of courses abroad including in the prestigious Sandhurst in the UK. I think he is the most paper qualified UPDF soldier at the moment.
Abbey
Obama Isn’t a Muslim.Mutesa 1 was a ”modern” King but he Never died a Muslim.
16 Sep 2011 1 Comment
This picture of Barack Hussein Obama in Muslim garb was released during the 2008 campaign.
Yes, Under Kabaka Muteesa 1, Islam was spread in Buganda such that he used to execute some people who did not embrace it. So basically, some ‘pagans’ also became martyrs because they refused to convert to Islam, the religion Muteesa1 favoured for some time.
It is difficult to know whether king Muteesa 1 had genuinely converted to Islam or he believed in foreign religions at all but all indications are that he was just an a survivor and an opportunist. He was a man open to new ideas, like I have already said, but he would drop those new ideas the moment he realised that there are a threat to his hold on to power. Therefore, the kabaka’s interest in Islam, clocks, and the written word can all be understood as an interest in modernity rather than genuine belief in Islam or any of the modern religions.
Kabaka Muteesa 1
At some point, Muteesa 1 attempted to return to traditional forms of worship, but he found it difficult because other religions had already taken hold in Buganda- according to S.R.Karugire in his book: ‘’A Political History of Uganda’’.
As for Obama, he came out during the presidential campaigns and publicly said that he was not a Muslim despite keeping the name ‘Hussein’ but Allah knows better why he put him in the most powerful office of the land.Obama is one hell of a clever man and this is displayed in the way he announced his presidential candidature on February 10, 2007, where he never acknowledged the historic nature of his candidacy as an African American or someone with an Islamic background. He knew how controversial such subjects can drag any candidate such that one ends up having no time to explain any policy in their manifesto. It is like if, for instance, I stand for presidency now and one of the Muslim brothers or Sisters comes up to me to publicly appeal for the Muslim votes, I just drop that person like a pack of cards on the table, because Uganda is a country dominated by non-Muslims and a Muslim cannot become a president without their support. This does not mean that I don’t love Muslims but it means that I know how to separate sugar and salt when preparing a meal.
At the moment, it may prove to be difficult for any Muslim to win an election in Uganda because Uganda is so deeply divided along religious lines. In USA, since the publication of the book: ’Beyond Black and White in 1995’’, public opinion has changed somewhat, showing that whites today are more open-minded than in the past about the race of a candidate, and this somehow helped Obama’s candidature.
May be Muslims in Uganda also need to write a lot of books, open up radio stations, news magazines, and inter-faith projects that may help those non-Muslims who perceive them as a threatening force to their beliefs or ventures. Obama’s presented himself as non- threatening to anybody’s race or religion and it worked. He says in his book:’’ Dreams from My Father’’ as he describes the tactic he learned to use as a teenager: ‘‘People were satisfied so long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves. They were more than satisfied; they were relieved— such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn’t seem angry all the time.’’The man knew what he wanted from the beginning and Islam was not part of the equation.
Because Obama spent several years of his childhood in Indonesia, the home of his mother’s second husband and home to Muslim majority, we could say that this helped him to learn a lot about Islam. But Islam was not such a major factor in his candidature as the issue of his outspoken pastor, Jeremiah Wright, whose church people viewed as radical. Obama first started attending this church while he was working as a community organiser. He got married in this church and the good pastor also baptised his two children. So why would anyone continue to call Obama a Muslim?
Obama publicly rejected and denounced the support he had earlier got from Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam. He did this on live TV in his debates with Hilary Clinton. There is no doubt in my mind that Obama knows a lot about Islam but this does not make him a Muslim.In any case, he would not have become US president if he was known to be a Muslim. Polls showed that most Americans would not vote for a Muslim president.
If Obama is still confused about his religion, we shall get to know more about it after his presidency in case he comes out and say that he is a Muslim. In his memoir,’’ Dreams from My Father’’, Obama describes his struggle with identity, growing up biracial while raised by a single white mother.
Like I said, only Allah knows why he chose Obama to become the first Black-American president, just like he chose him to become first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review when he joined Harvard Law School in the late 1980s. May be he is on a mission bestowed on him by God. Who knows! May be one day, Ugandans will also vote for the first Muslim president.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Why I think African Union Has Become Useless
11 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Africa, Corruption, International Issues, Museveni and NRM, Political murders, Politics
Friends,
Whatever happens in Libya and Egypt after several years of dictatorship, Gaddafi and Mubaraka aren’t coming back to power. That is out! Some of the problems these two countries are experiencing now were expected.
NATO is not the best of friends to be trusted because western powers always look at wars as ‘investments’ and always demand a return on their investments starting with awarding themselves contracts for reconstructing what has been destroyed. So anybody can understand why some revolutionaries are trying to distance themselves from them now that the war is almost over.However, If NATO, with the help of Isreal, disorganizes Libya after Gaddafi by sponsoring some rebellions, it will be their loss.
As for Egypt and Mubaraka’s trial, this is a real kindergarten circus. Mubaraka was removed but the system he built is still there. He is somehow still controlling events in Egypt. The judge has been postponing his trial without giving good reasons. It is a real circus but Mubaraka is not coming back to power. The sooner the Egyptians hold elections, the better. Libyans are still a long way to holding elections but they will be fine in the long run. We should not sympathize with African dictators.
An African Union delegation met Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli to negotiate a truce between the Libyan leader and rebel forces
Hell or no hell, the African leaders created this situation in the first place. Why would anybody think that being a life time president is their natural right? If it is going to take hell for Africa to sort itself out, then it will naturally happen despite the fact that I hate the thought of violence on the continent itself. I just don’t feel anything for any leader that kills, tortures and imprisons his own people just to prolong his stay in power. It is so wrong at so many levels.
Some people are already openly and privately telling me not to step any foot in Kampala in future because they think I may become a ‘target’ of some sort, because of some of the stuff I write on UAH and other forums. But I will go to Kampala as I have been doing because I hate the thought of anybody denying me freedom to do anything I want to do. I don’t have a private army of any sort. All I do is writing when I’m not happy with the government. So why should anybody harm me? I’m not hurting anyone apart from pouring out what I exactly think of the events unfolding in Uganda. In any case, i heard Andrew Mwenda saying that president Museveni of 2011 nolonger imprisons, kills or tortures those opposing him as was the case in 1980s.
Anyway, I just don’t hold too much respect for African dictators anymore. Brother Gaddafi and others claim that NATO is here to steal African resources which is true, but they are also thieves – stealing from their own people. They steal with the help of foreigners, fellow dictators or through their local business agents. They are all the same. Oil, for instance, in Africa is owned by foreigners. In Angola, for example, USA owns most of their oil there with the blessing of the government there. US companies, especially Chevron, dominate the market in Angola. Beligium’s Petrofina, France’s Elf, Italy’s AGIP, Sweden’s Svenska pertoleeum, Brazil’s Petrobars, Japan’s Mitsubish and Britain’s BP – are the other owners. It is the same story in Nigeria, Uganda, Chad, Cameron, Congo, Egypy and Libya and Algeria.
In Uganda, politicians are proposing giving away large pieces of land in Buganda, North Uganda, and Bunyoro to Asians to grow sugarcane, as if the environmental problems are a smaller problem than sugar. These very African leaders pretend to care about the environment through their meetings at the African Union but they make different decisions in their own countries.
AU was partly formed in 2001 to help at managing conflicts involving natural resources but have they even issued a statement against Museveni’s threat to give away part of mabira forest to Asians? No. AU met in Feb 2004 in Sirte and came up with Sirte Declaration on the challenge of implementing sustainable development and Agriculture and water in Africa, but what have they practically done so far? Nothing, if you ask me.
AU met before that in 2000 and drafted a protocol against the illegal exploitation of natural resources. They also adopted a common Defense and Security Council to promote peace and security in Africa, but how much have they done to help Africans feel that they are any different from the old OAU. If you ask me again, I will say they are a bunch of people wasting our time.
They created NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) which was a good step but little progress has been made. NEPAD started up the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), set up by heads of states and government of NEPAD for those countries willing to be evaluated on what they are doing on good governance. I think Uganda is part of NEPAD but even this project is just on paper but nothing really has been achieved.
So, you can really understand why most Africans don’t look at AU or our leaders as serious people anymore. They need to change if they want to be taken seriously. Their long stay in power is responsible for what is happening in Egypt and Libya or elsewhere. It will be the same story in Uganda in the post Museveni era, if you ask me. But Museveni has got the power to change this right now by going back to the Museveni of 1980s who gave everyone a breather instead of being obsessed with keeping power.
Black people will get better if they get Africa better. A more stable and resourceful Africa will make any black man all over the world to feel proud. At the moment, our leaders are doing everything possible to destroy Africa, a reason why most of the middle class that was created after independence are out of the continent. This is very visible, in for instance, Zimbabwe where there is almost no middle class in the country, and Robert Mugabe has taken advantage of this. Most of the Middle class in Zimbabwe migrated to other countries. But Mugabe is one of the icons of the African Union, an organisation that is supposed to make Africa better. Phew!!!!!!!!!!
Abbey Semuwemba
Not Excited by John Nagenda’s Interview to Sunday Monitor
05 Sep 2011 4 Comments
in media in Uganda, Politics, Presidency
Dr. John Nagenda
I’m not so excited by Nagenda’s interview because I believe he is now a ”nobody” in Museveni’s political ambitions.In any case, there is nothing he said that is not already known to Ugandans. Some people in the media and opposition will try to hype it a little bit but I’m sure Nagenda has already received a phone call telling him to ‘calm down’. If the interview had been made by one of the big guys in the army, Museveni would have lost his sleep but not a presidential advisor. The army is the main thing that terrifies Museveni now but nothing else.
However, Nagenda’s interview in the Sunday Monitor is full of foundation rattling comments that would seem to deserve a reaction from State House. The smart money suggests that this is only the beginning of the fall out of Museveni with the old guards or so called NRM historicals – that similar comments will be made by others in the next few years. It is only natural if somebody has been in power for such a long time.
Nonetheless, the interview has raised Nagenda’s stakes but that is as far as it goes. He may either be promised something better than presidential advising or he is going to be pulled down by the very system he helped to build. I think as presidential advisor he’s scaled new heights of slime and outrageousness.
Nagenda’s interview is a bit confusing, though, because he is very skilled at dancing around the periphery of issues. Any answers he delivered to the Sunday Monitor can survive a thousand interpretations. He is a very intelligent man who is very good at framing, positioning and spinning ideas. He can, therefore, easily turn the whole interview around depending on how the president reacts to it. He obviously made this interview to get the president’s attention and Tamare Mirundi was very right on this.
But he runs the risk of being punished by the president because I don’t think presidential advisors are supposed to advise the president through the media, and I think they have got certain binding agreements in their contracts that don’t allow them to behave the way Nagenda did. This doesn’t require elaboration. If Nagenda broke certain stuff in his job contract knowingly, it’s a misdemeanor, and it may be punishable in the courts of law or may lead to his dismissal as presidential advisor.
However, any Presidential advisor must have the freedom to be allowed to give the President honest and straight forward advice without the danger of being cited by the president during a witch hunt for political reasons. Nagenda may reason, as he stated, it is no longer easy to meet the president. More so, the president never listens to anyone anymore apart from his wife who is a cabinet minister.
TAMARE MIRUNDI
I was not surprised that Tamare Mirundi butted in as soon as Nagenda gave a negative interview to Sunday Monitor. He’s doing his job. Wouldn’t you agree that Nagenda’s role in this government is relatively insignificant compared to the role of presidential spokesperson who is participating in the presidential affairs on an on-going basis? Yes, it may true that a presidential advisor outranks any presidential spokesperson but in Uganda’s case, presidential advisors are more or less useless. That’s why Tamare referred to them as people with ‘financial difficulties’.
Nevertheless, Tamare’s comments may not go down well with other presidential advisors but he was telling the truth. I wonder what Chris Rwakasisis is thinking right now. He should have found a better way of addressing this issue.
Anyway, Tamare himself is just a guy trying to make a living by pandering to the propaganda needs of the very rich and powerful. Being spokesperson is not the best paying and most secure job in the world but it’s usually a pretty good living, actually. I don’t how much Tamare is paid annually but I’m sure his life has financially changed ever since he got this job.That is why he looks and sounds so excited.
Yes, he still mangles the English language but most of us- Ugandans in central, are like that. It would be better if he is usually given a script tree to follow which will allow him to respond to most topics of concern. I think they do it with spokespersons of developed nations. If a spokesperson lies, then the person he speaks for lies as well, unless the spokesperson is immediately corrected or removed from the organization. When Tamare Mirundi speaks Luganda, he is actually a pleasure to listen to though he is very arrogant and disrespectful. I also hate it when he belittles our Kabaka and other elders in the society. However, he seems like a smart guy when he talks in Luganda but his body language gives him away as a man who is angry, revengeful and always looking for recognition. The way he straightens his neck when talking to the media- points to a man with less confidence.
–
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
http://ugandansatheart.org/
http://twitter.com/#!/semuwemba
http://jjanguonkwekule.blogspot.com/
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No Internal Revolt Will Dislodge M7 In The Near Future Unless if it is backed by a Strong foreign nation
03 Sep 2011 10 Comments
in FDC, international, Museveni and NRM, Politics, Revolutions, UPDF
Ugandans are not capable of getting rid of Museveni on their own without foreign help. Ugandans are not capable of overcoming Museveni’s security organs that at least seem to be loyal to him- personally. A guerilla war in Uganda without any foreign backing is more like walking in a death trap. This is the reason why Dr.Besigye made a lot of noise in 2001, 2006 and 2011 but he never openly came out to declare war on Museveni despite the rigging of elections -mainly because I believe there was no foreign nation willing to sponsor such a war. The rumors about Rwanda sponsoring him were absolute nonsense than anything else. It is believed that the intelligence experts wanted to squeeze more money out of the government, and president Museveni temporarily fell for it. But he wizened up and that is why he made up with president Kagame through a presidential visit recently.
Guerilla war
Historically, all Uganda’s long serving president have been pushed out with the help of foreigners. Obote’s was ousted by Amin in 1971 with the help of the Israelites and British. Even Iddil Amin would have died a president if the Tanzanians had not come to our rescue in 1979. Museveni received help from Libyans and British to fight Obote 2 and later Tito Okellos in late 1980s.
In Angola, UNITA’S Savimbi fought the government for over a decade if I’m not mistaken but how much did the rebels achieve? In the meantime, how many lives and property were lost during that time? By the way, Even Savimbi made some progress during that conflict because of foreign backing. Everyone needs some form of foreign backing to make it. Fighting a guerilla war is not easy, from what I have observed, such that even Museveni would not have made it if the Acholis and Langis were not so divided then. Actually, Museveni is a lucky man indeed, because I cannot see anybody doing what he did in 1980s and become president in the present Africa. It is just so difficult.
Military coup
The only internal revolt president Museveni is scared of is a coup by the military guys but not ‘walk- to -work’ or a people’s revolution of any kind. Did you see how the ‘walk- to- work’ died suddenly as soon as Besigye was ‘arinaitwed’ in the eyes and ears. The protests can only dislodge Museveni if they are backed by again foreign nations as it happened in Gaddafi’s Libya recently. Protestors on their own cannot dislodge him.
Let us also remember that Museveni is USA’s main man in the sub sahara Africa, a reason we saw some Kenyan politicians with ICC problems campaigning for him during the elections yet they hate him. According to Wikileaks, Museveni asked the Americans to protect his plane after falling out with Gadaffi. So attacking Museveni is more like attacking USA interests in the region. Whoever plans to attack Museveni will need some kind of endorsement from Washington. Museveni may write as many documents as he wants against NATO bombing in Libya but he is not going to fool some of us. What he is doing is more like a man that abuses an ugly woman in public yet he is sleeping with her.
The day the Americans stop trusting Museveni is the day things will start falling apart in Kampala. Museveni has built a weid relationship with Russia, Chinese and some Arab states though Europe seems not to like him anymore. But Europe can do nothing if it is not endorsed by Washington.
Yes, Ugandans have now got a lot of options to get rid of any president but all need some kind of foreign endorsement, if you ask me. Look, Uganda is now in a bad shape; everything is so bad; people are so poor, the economy is wanting; but Museveni has not been shaken by it. He can even afford to bring in ‘’Mabira-give away’’ without being worried of the repercussions. Everybody is feeling the economic pinch in the country but there is not even some smoke coming out of the hut, what does that tell you about the people of Uganda and the opposition in general?
Syrian Revolution
Guys, let’s accept it that Ugandans aren’t Tunisians or Syrians. Assad has killed over 4000 Syrians but they are still going, but Ugandans aren’t like that. They could not even sustain ‘walk to work ‘ protests without Besigye. We are a different kind as we never walk the talk.
I believe Washington disappointed Besigye when he made that trip to America after the protests, and I guess that is why he tactically pulled out of the whole protests. If Washington had endorsed Besigye’s ideas, Museveni would be history by now but it seems they don’t trust him. No wonder Besigye made an announcement not to stand for party president again as soon as he came back from that trip.
Egyptian Revolution
The Egyptian revolution would not have been successful if Washington had not endorsed it. It seems to me that the Americans owned the Egyptian army indirectly but Mubarak was not aware of it. The Egyptian army used to receive $1b annually and may be that constituted something we don’t know. The army never helped Mubaraka at the time he needed them. Some of them joined the protestors, but I don’t see that happening in Uganda.
Anyway, what do I know? May be UPDF is also waiting for someone to sustain the protests for a long time and they join, but I highly doubt that. UPDF is a micro-managed institution unlike the Egyptian’s army.
By the way, I believe that Mubaraka, is very bitter with President Obama as he ( Mubaraka) used to do everything the Americans wanted( just like Museveni) but they abandoned him for reasons I’m yet to know up to now.
Abbey
All these Wars in Africa are more like ‘Investments’ to the Big Nations.There is always a catch
03 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Africa, Corruption, International Issues, oil
The Struggle for oil and mineral wealth by big nations is as old as humans themselves. It has been going on militarily since the end of the Cold war. Yes, France and Britain found it easy to intervene in the Libyan situation because of the oil wells there. I bet nobody is going to attack Mr. Mugabe because Zimbabwe has got less to offer. The few gold mines there have been taken over by the Chinese and Russians. So it is not worth it attacking such an old man. War is a business as far as the great nations are concerned.
In Uganda, we have got oil but I cannot see the international community taking on president Museveni at the moment because he is doing everything they want. He has given them ownership of Uganda’s oil and UPDF is doing their ‘’dirty’’ work in Somalia. More so, Washington has not identified their next man in Uganda. Yes, London wanted Besigye to take over from Museveni but they failed to convince Washington, and that is why Museveni is still president. The rest of the guys in the opposition are just wasting our time, I can tell you that!
Anyway, as long as state institutions in Africa continue to be fragile backed with weaker economies, the scramble for African resources will never stop. We brought this on ourselves by electing selfish leaders after independence. How we correct it, I don’t know yet!
So Russia’s decision to recognize the rebels in Libya should not surprise anybody. They were given some assurances by the Libya’s NTC that their interests in Libya will be protected. China will also recognize the rebels as soon as they are given assurances too. That is how international politics works.
Personally, I know that big nations don’t care much about Africans but I also know that most African leaders are actually worse than the so called ‘international businessmen’ (donors). All African leaders care about is power and monopolizing the wealth in their respective countries. They could kill anybody as long as they retain power and keep wealth. For instance, the July 1999 Lome peace agreement on Sierra-leon civil war, where the management of the country’s diamonds was put under the control of the rebel leader, late Foday Sankoh. Another example is that of Liberia’s former president, Charles Taylor, who almost owned every natural resource in the country.
Similarly, I would not be surprised if president Museveni and his friends are more interested in their share of Uganda’s oil rather than looking at the bigger picture. Every man is looking after his stomach, as Kampalans used to say. The current opposition leaders in Kampala right now, probably apart from the ‘hardworking’ Besigye, they are all opportunists who don’t deserve a shot at the State House.
Yes, democracy in Africa is something great nations would like to take place in the long term but it is not their priority in the short term. Their short term interest is business, nothing else. They have been busy selling arms to Africa since the end of the cold war. They have been buying and selling Africa’s natural resources since independence, and this has resulted into a lot of conflicts on the continent.
With Africa oil, it is dominated by foreign companies in almost all Africa’s leading oil producers. Apart from Tunisia, Egypt and Libya are among the leading oil producers in Africa. Libya is the second largest oil producer and its proximity to Europe makes it an attractive option to greater nations. The total proven oil reserve of Libya is about 30 billion barrels.
During the sanctions, Gaddafi ensured that the state owned National Oil Company (NOC) controlled the entire oil industry- working with 33 subsidiaries.
In 1979, Gaddafi allowed NOC to open up to foreign companies as a way of conning the international community to remove the sanctions against him. This was at a time he was also drifting towards African-blacks instead of Arabs, again for the same purpose of getting the sanctions off his rail.
When sanctions were removed in 1999, more than 50 foreign oil companies moved into Libya. Italy’s AGIP dominated the market though I was surprised when the Italians supported NATO’s bombing. Let us also note that Africa produces more than 15% of US oil needs.
Egypt has also got vast amounts of oil. Oil there was discovered in 1868 by a company called Suplhur Mines while they were searching for Sulphur. Britain’s oil company, BP, own most of the oil discovered in the Saqqara field. As of 2003, Egypt was producing about 620 barrels per day. Foreign companies there have been operating under joint ventures with Egypt main oil companies under former president, Mubaraka. I don’t whether this has changed now that Mubarak is gone.
So I can fairly say that both the conflicts in Libya and Egypt are somehow linked to the international oil politics that surround oil pricing and marketing. I understand Gaddafi was selling his oil at a higher price despite being a member of OPEC. He was among those that never allowed OPEC to control them. No wonder he got less support from OPEC countries when NATO started bombing him, not that he was innocent of human rights violations in his country. OPEC accounts for the production of more than 70 % of world oil reserves.
Nonetheless, with or without oil, I have got no sympathy for dictators in Africa. They kill, imprison and torture their own citizens without any remorse. If NATO can help us get rid of all of them, that is ok with me. We shall sort out the ‘theft’ of multinational corporations- stealing Africa’s resources, later on.
Because Africans are poor and their economies are in a bad shape, multinational corporations take advantage of them. In 2000, 31 out of 42 poorest countries in the world were in Africa, and in 1989, only 10 out of the 53 countries in Africa had a per capita income not exceeding 1000 US dollars.
Again because we are poor, it is the reason why oil in Uganda has also been ”hijacked” by foreign companies. Museveni had to accept the foreign companies to take the biggest shares of Uganda’s oil partly because it requires extensive capital and technological skills for prospecting and processing oil. Uganda also being a land locked country; it has made the drilling for oil extremely expensive. Uganda somehow needs some kind of cooperation with especially Kenya and Tanzania to export their oil via the coast. But we don’t know how these negotiations went because people in the government don’t want us to know the details.
Museveni, himself, has not been transparent throughout the oil process. Up to now, we don’t know which is which as far as Uganda’s oil is concerned. Yes, there is now an oil ministry, which oversees the oil industry though Banyoro aren’t happy with the minister given this docket, but who supervises the operations of the oil companies? Is this still the responsibility of the minister of Petroleum? Have we got a national company that deals directly with the foreign companies or it is the president’s office directly dealing with them? How many shares has the Uganda government got in the oil deals?
Abbey Semuwemba
African Union Have Embarassed Us Today.
27 Aug 2011 2 Comments
in Africa, International Issues
NTC leader,Mustafa Abdel Jalil
It is unfortunate that the African Union(AU) have officially come out today to say that they wont recognize Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) as long as the fighting continues in Libya. Who the hell advises this body? As an African, I feel so embarrassed that we are led by these despots who don’t know anything about international politics. The way they talk in public is so embarassing. Why would they issue such a statement? What are they afraid of? What was the purpose of changing the name from OAU to AU,anyway, if we were not ready to emulate Europe’s EU practically?
Fortunately, I can tell you right now that most Africans no longer give a rat’s ass what our “good” dictators say to the outside world. On this note, I would like to thank the 20 African countries that have decided to formally recognize NTC as the new government in Libya. At least, they have shown maturity and we should applaud them.
These despots have got to accept that Gaddafi is gone and the world is changing. The revolutions sweeping the Arab world will one day sweep the Sub Sahara Africa. It may not happen today or tomorrow or next year but it will happen. I can bet on this! All the African leaders who have been grooming their sons and brothers or wives to take over after them- should dump these plans and start planning for their exit in an honourable way.
Gaddafi or Libya was the most active member of the African Union. Yes, our despots will miss Gaddafi’s money but it is time to move on. As the Baganda say:’ NALIMA AWAGONDA NAYE ATELA NANYUKA’’. It is horrendous for anybody to think that they could be president for more than 10 years. It is principally and morally wrong. There are loads of people out there who also want to become presidents, and they should be given a chance. African leaders should stop running their countries like family properties. It is so disgusting!
It will be a shame if the African Union pushes the new government in Libya back to Arab league. African needs Libya and the vice versa is true. All Arab states, including the Palestinian Authority, belong to the League of Arab States, which acts as a regional body similar to the Organization of AU or the Organization of American States, which work together on issues of common concern. Gadafi had pulled Libya out of the Arab league and he had invested over 40 billion dollars in Africa states. We should not lose this cooperation.
By the way, it is also a shame to hear that some African states opposed to NTC are planning to nationalize the Libyan investments in their own countries. This literally makes them thieves. Hope Uganda is not among those countries that intend to steal Libya’s wealth- OKULILA MUKAVUYO. This money belongs to Libyans not anybody else. Let Libya develop itself and many Africans will get jobs there instead of migrating to only Europe or USA. Libya is a rich country with a lot of oil and we will all benefit one way or the other. The western countries will benefit more because they invested in this war and would like returns on their investments, but Africans will also benefit in one way or the other.
So from today onwards, regardless of whether the Uganda government recognises the NTC or not, I personally recognise them as the legitimate new ‘boys’ on the block. They are welcome to deal with me any time they want evenif i’m a nobody. They should not worry about Gaddafi’s friends in AU anymore.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey
Nobody knows who Exactly killed Fred Rwigyema but I highly doubt if Museveni was involved
23 Aug 2011 4 Comments
in Africa, East Africa, Museveni and NRM, Political murders
Gen Fred Rwigyema
Friends,
I highly doubt whether NRA killed Fred Rwigyema as has been speculated by some people on several forums. Fred Rwigyema was so close to Museveni for him to kill him like that. Why? He was among the first 27 who attacked the Kabamba Military School to get hold of weapons to fight Obote’s government in 1980s. He had been a member of FRONASA before this attack. FRONASA was created in exile in Tanzania in 1973. Fred was in Tanzania with Museveni throughout the struggle against Iddil Amin in 1970s. He was never sent to Mozambique to do military training as the Augustine Ruzaindanas.
Paul Kagame and Rwigyema stood by Museveni during the UNLA/UNLF days even when he was terribly defeated in the 1980 elections. They were both among the original members of UPM in the 1980s. Fred Rwigyema was reportedly a people’s person in the NRA. Actually one Ugandan based in Australia, Dr.Kipenji Owor, wrote on Ugandans At Heart( UAH) forum to say that Rwigyema was Museveni’s personal driver during the 1980 campaigns.
Fred Rwigyema headed the RPF assault on Rwanda. He was deputized at the time by Lt.Colonel Adam Waswa, and five other majors: Peter Banyingana, Christopher Bunyenyezi, Samuel Kanyemera, Paul Kagame and Stephen Nduguta.
RPF have never officially told anybody who exactly killed Fred Rwigyema. When Fred Rwigyema was killed, his death was kept a secret for a while. He was killed on the second day of the RPF attack on Habyarimana’s forces. He was the only casualty on that day. Can you imagine the commander of an army being the only casualty in such a war on their 2nd day of attack? I think these are the questions that make some people to think that Museveni and Kagame had something to do with it but I highly doubt Museveni’s involvement in this. Museveni was very close to Fred Rwigyema. I also don’t think Kagame was directly involved because he was on study leave in USA. But you never know with these situations though I guess both Museveni and Kagame know who the real killers are.
One theory on how Fred Rwigyema was killed is that he was shot by his 2nd in command, Major Banyingana, after a quarrel over military tactics. Banyigana and his friend, Bunyenyezi were later tried and shot by an RPF military court on orders of Paul Kagame who had then taken command of the organization. This version was supported by even the French government at the time going by the interview given by the French diplomat at their embassy in Kampala on 28th January 1991.
The second theory is that his killers are still alive and free in Rwanda. And this is based on an interview Teddy Ssezi-Cheeye of the Weekly Topic/Uganda confidential, who is now in Luzira prison over corruption charges, reportedly had with Major Peter Banyingana inside Rwanda on 5th October 1990. If Banyingana was not killed as we were made to believe then who exactly killed Fred Rwigyema? Teddy claims to have seen him with his own eyes.
So, basically, we don’t know who killed Fred Rwigyema but there are a lot of theories flying around among the Rwandese. Like most political murders, those who are sent to do it get eliminated straightway, and those sent to eliminate them are never told why they are doing so.
Abbey.K.S
Traditional or herbal medicine in Uganda
21 Nov 2008 4 Comments
I’m not an expert in herbal medicine but I believe it works perfectly well. I agree that it needs to be run along with conventional medicine. Herbs have been an important source of medicine for thousands of years. The World Health Organization estimates that up to 80 per cent of people still rely on herbal remedies for their health care. And there are reasons for this, namely, the high cost of drugs in clinics and pharmacies, drug resistance which often lead to treatment failure, prolong and expensive treatment of some chronic diseases which the general population cannot afford. Has anyone seen those lines at Mulago referral hospital in Uganda? Not everyone can afford to take their wife and kids for treatment at Kampala International hospital or any of the private hospitals in Uganda such that If herbal medicine was not there, so many Ugandans will be dead by now.
In South Africa, traditional herbs have long been used to treat various pain or inflammation-related symptoms. South Africa has the richest plant biodiversity in the world, many of which are medicinally useful .They also use herbs to treat livestock diseases. I don’t know whether the ‘balalo’ in Uganda also use it too. Some of the plants are employed to treat diabetes, tumours, stomach pain, rheumatism and many other indications.
Personally, I love herbs because of the wide variety of conditions that is said to be treatable with a single plant or group of plants. The reasons why some remedies from plants are used for so many diseases could be that they affect a common (denominator) factor responsible for the diseases and disorders. That’s one of the reasons why I love herbs so much. You take them for cough but you end up treating 9 diseases hidden in your system as well. That is fantastic, man. Whenever I visit Kampala, I treat my malaria with that sour plant called aloe-Vera. I hear it treats so many diseases and it makes me feel good.
People also worry about bacterial infection that comes out of mixing herbs or saliva used by herbalists. Honestly, in the UK here I see people kissing every day on the cheeks or mouth-mouth almost every second. So why should anybody worry about a bacteria from a certain ‘jaja’ or ‘grandma’ spitting saliva while preparing herbs. Bacteria are everywhere and our bodies normally find a way of dealing with them. In any case, we all know that the immune system is modified by diet, pharmacological agents, and naturally occurring food chemicals, such as vitamins and flavonoids.
Herbal Plants contain a wide variety of natural compounds mainly plant secondary compounds. Among the secondary compounds are the flavonoids. Flavonoids are among the most common constituents in plants. They are present in high concentrations in flowers, seeds, leaves, herbs, fruits, stems, bulbs, tea, wine, vegetables and other food sources. So taking ‘traditional mixtures’ as some people call them actually treats the disease. That’s why we want the government to put herbalists into some form of training like the Chinese have done to improve in the grey areas which are worrying people.
The Department of Botany at Makerere University has done a lot of research around this area which one may one find very useful to read. They did a study between January 2000 and September 2003 to document medicinal plants used to treat fungal and bacterial infections in health care in and around Queen Elizabeth Biosphere Reserve in Bushenyi and Kasese districts in western Uganda. They also did another one in August 2007.
Abbey.Kibirige Semuwemba
Why the Luwero war was justified?
21 Nov 2008 Leave a Comment
in luwero war after 1980 'theft'
Regarding the justification of the Luwero war, I still believe it was justified and I support the initiative taken by Museveni and others to fight Obote’s government. To broaden this discussion a bit, I’m gonna mention the main principles of the justice of war which are: having just cause, being declared by a proper authority, possessing right intention, having a reasonable chance of success, and the end being proportional to the means used. Museveni and Group had a just cause: getting rid of a dictatorial government which had stolen the 1980 elections. The authority that declared war was a mixture of UPM and other registered parties in Uganda (forming something called NRM/NRA) and their intentions were good at the time and most Ugandans supported them particularly the Baganda. NRA/NRM fought a guerrilla war for only 5 years and that justifies the envisaged success. They knew that the population was behind them and that’s why they chose the Baganda spot who openly hated Obote and his regime.
What exactly happened during the course of fighting in Luwero like killing innocent civilians; using child soldiers; and so on, cannot make a war unjustifiable and we have got international bodies that deal with people who break rules of war fare. For instance international agreements such as the Geneva and Hague conventions are historical rules aimed at limiting certain kinds of warfare. The real Luwero war was justified and there is no question about this. If any morals were not considered by the Museveni soldiers while in Luwero, then some body should investigate this and hand it to over to the international bodies. That is why we have got the ICC now disturbing Kony, Bemba , Taylor and others.
However, I must warn people that there are legal arguments in this area of what is considered moral and immoral when fighting a war. It is not an easy case. For example, to defeat Germany in World War II, it was deemed necessary to bomb civilian centres, or in the US Civil War, for General Sherman to burn Atlanta. Secondly, how does one morally justify the discovery and use of nuclear weapons in a war and end up killing more people than those that were killed in Luwero Triangle and bushes? The Soviets acquired nuclear and thermonuclear weapons in 1948 and 1953 respectively but an attack in 1948 was not seriously considered. An attack on the Soviet Union was quickly rejected by Eisenhower in 1953–although the main obstacle seems to have been the feasibility of removing permanently the threat in one attack. Similarly, would you consider the Israeli destruction in 1981 by F-15′s and F-16′s of a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor in Iraq a just war or not–although the U.S. and U.N. at the time formally condemned the attack and the Israeli policy? There are several examples including the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
Well the point am trying to make is that wars are justifiable depending on what I have mentioned above. However, what happens during the war does not make a war unjustifiable. Therefore, Museveni’s war against Obote’s forces was justifiable and if he had not done it, probably some body else would have done it.
Namugongo ‘martyrs’ were not really martyrs
25 Nov 2008 3 Comments
in Politics, Religion Tags: Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Ssekabaka Mwanga II (1884 1897) -photo on Buganda Kingdom website
I have been thinking about the Uganda Christian ‘martyrs’ prosecuted on June 3,1886 at Namugongo and its significance to Uganda as a country after one of the Ugandans raised it on the Ugandan At Heart(UAH) forum. So I asked myself questions like: ”were the Uganda martyrs really deserve to be called ‘martyrs’ or not?”, ” Could Catholics killed for faith be called “martyrs”?”, ” Why did kabaka Mwanga took this decision at the time?”.
Now it is my understanding that within the Buganda culture the execution of the Christian martyrs was both political and religious. It is the Buganda kingdom that invited the first missionaries who arrived in 1877 and the kingdom benefited tremendously from them particularly in developmental projects like schools. So we thank the insight Kabaka Mutesa 1 had at the time to invite these people.
Namugongo Martyrs shrine
Nevertheless, I’m still puzzled that we continue to call these people ‘martyrs’ due to the fact that they challenged the power structures of the Bugandan culture at the time because of their faith. If we are to go by the Muslims who keep challenging the power and social structure of the western countries because of their faith, then the word ‘martyr’ is not truly applicable to these people.
Muslims or Christians who attempt to do today what these ‘martyrs’ did during Kabaka Mwanga’s reign will feel the wrath of the law and some are even branded terrorists. However, we should not forget that those who die in this way in places like the Middle East are still branded as ‘martyrs’ by some Islamic factions. In Bugandan culture, which the kabaka (leader of Buganda) represents, the kabaka ruled with great authority, and to refuse anything he asked was not only to offend the kabaka but to dishonour the entire Bugandan kingdom. Mwanga perceived that Christians were a challenge to his political power, since Christian pages were not honouring and were taught not to honour their obligation to obey him. If we are to continue to call these Christians killed at Namugongo martyrs, then we have got a lot of martyrs now in Uganda.
Second, it is important at the outset to realize that the persecution of Christians in Uganda was not the norm. There were relatively few Christians actually killed for religious reasons compared to the large number of Christian Baganda. So I don’t think Kabaka Mwanga set out to kill Christians as in Christians or Protestants as in Protestants.
Third, all of the martyrs were Bugandan natives converted through the missionary efforts of British Anglicans and French Catholics. Thus, their lives and deaths were embedded from start to finish in a culture they were familiar with and understood; they were not killed due to a lack of cultural knowledge or a “foreigner’s mistake.” A man like Joseph Mukasa was the personal servant of the kabaka who oversaw all of the kabaka’s pages. He knew what he was getting himself into by confronting kabaka Mwanga over murder of Anglican Bishop Hannington. Mukasa told Mwanga “bluntly” that his ordering of the death of Hannington was wrong; this angered Mwanga, and Mwanga took Mukasa’s outbursts as a form of treason. Mukasa knew the drill about Buganda cultures at the time very well. To disagree with the Kabaka was not uncommon in Buganda but Mukasa’s assertive confronting of Mwanga was unique. The Kabakas used to allow passive forms of resistance and there were effective.
In addition, Mwanga chose Namugongo as a spot to execute these people because to die at Namugongo made one an enemy of the Buganda state. Namugongo was an equivalent of the England’s “Tower Hill.”
What is again more disturbing is how these Baganda natives who converted to Christianity ended up dying on the same fire for the cause of Christ in the midst of the Christian factions of Buganda. The church was divided at the time and it needed these people more alive than dead at the time. Before these ‘martyrs’ were killed, some people working under Kabaka Mwanga offered them a chance to run away but these guys decided not to -basically because they wanted to die for Christ.
Furthermore, a total of 32 baganda including the leader of the Christian ‘rebels’ called Charles Lwanga were killed- 13 of those were Catholics, 9 were protestants and 10 were unbelievers (who had been awaiting execution for non-religious crimes) but even the non-believers killed the day are counted as martyrs.
If we really still want to remember these political rebels as ‘martyrs’, let us do what Robert Royal did by publishing a remarkable new book in 2000 which he called ”The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive World History”, instead of people flocking to Namugongo every year. Much of Royal’s research is new. The project began with a sentence in one of Pope John Paul II’s encyclicals. He said that the martyrs of our century “should not be forgotten.” A group of parishioners at Saint Aloysius Parish in New Canaan, Conn, took the words seriously, and began to accumulate materials. The word spread and materials started coming in from around the world. What began as a simple list became an amazing archive. With the help of his brother who is a priest, Royal began the work of putting the results in book form.
With due respect to my non-Muslim friends, I don’t think we should continue to call the 1886 Namugongo religious people ‘martys’ in the sense of the word in relation to the present events happening in the world. However, I’m happy to say that Buganda kingdom has changed greatly since that time. There is a lot of religious freedom. Catholics, Protestants, Christians and Muslims can all interact within the kingship of Buganda without any problem. It is more reason for Ugandans to support this kingdom that is not afraid of changes that make it stronger. What Kabaka Mwanga did at that time is inexcusable but at least we all learnt from it but most importantly we understand why he did it.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
GOD BLESS
IQ has got nothing to do with skin colour
29 Nov 2008 15 Comments
in Africa, health, science Tags: Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Dear folks,
I don’t know how some people arrive at the conclusion that white people have got higher Intelligence Quotient, or IQ than black people and I think that they are wrong. These are the kind of statements that are meant to pull down the little confidence some black people have got when faced with a situation of competing with a white person. In African context, it has got to do with our colonial history where a white man was always looked at as superior. However, differences in IQ have got nothing to do with race or colour. I’m going to be forced to go a little bit scientific and I hope readers do not get bored by this. There are possibly two explanations for this according to scientists and psychologists.
The way the brain is formed and its relationship with intelligence is so puzzling even to a lay man like me but one of the most pressing issues facing the field of psychology is that of individual differences in intelligence. People’s IQs are relatively stable over their lifetime, but this does not mean that their intellectual performance does not change. Some people’s IQ grows with age while others it reduces by age. That’s why you find people who were not that intelligent while in high school but grow out of it and end up even becoming presidents of nations or very important people. For instance, there are reports that President Yoweri Museveni was an average student while in school but he has turned out to be the best political strategist Uganda has ever had such that his enemies have found it hard to get him out of power. Former president, Milton Obote, was a school dropout, who actually died without any degree, but his intelligence is rated high among some people especially UPC supporters.
The view that white people are more intelligent than black people is wrongly based on the inheriting view of genes which is simply inconclusive and which has got nothing to do with race. For example, identical twins tend to have similar IQs, even when the twins are brought up in different environments. Moreover, adopted children tend to have IQs that are more similar to those of their biological parents than to those of their adoptive parents. These findings suggest that it is not children’s upbringing but rather their genes that determines their IQ. Attempts at improving the IQ of disadvantaged children through environmental intervention programs have been relatively unsuccessful. So, this argument stresses that IQ has got nothing to do with environment as long as the biological parents have higher IQ; it is usually transferred to their children.
However, it should be stressed that the twins with good genes can either be black or white. There is no gene that has got monopoly over the other because of race. In view of such findings, the development of intelligence is governed by some genetic program and is relatively immune to differences in environmental circumstances, at least within the range that most children experience.
Again when we look at the research understanding of how the brain develops and processes information, Scientists believes that neural connections are critical for the meaningful processing of information. This suggests that different neural connections are required for different abilities. Studies of brain development have shown that these neural connections are relatively undifferentiated when a child is born and that they then become progressively more elaborate over childhood until maturity. There is no difference in the neurons found in either a black child or a white one. We are all the same. Those who look at black kids as less intelligent are doing it out of ignorance.
Nevertheless, there are those who possibly explain a difference in intelligence by looking at the environment. Some Scientists have explained the difference in IQ relating it to the environment. Many studies have shown that neural connections develop and change in response to environmental stimulation. This capacity of the neural connections to adapt has often been referred to as neural plasticity. For example, research has shown that if kittens are reared in a visual environment in which they are exposed only to vertical lines, in later life the only visual stimuli they will be able to recognize are vertical lines. If they are exposed only to spots of light during infancy, they will be able to see only spots of light in later life. These findings suggest that environmental stimulation plays a crucial role in determining the arrangement of a child’s neural connections and, hence, how the child processes information. So it can be argued that most Africans (white and black) are probably less intelligent because of the environment around them but this does not mean that there were born this way. If this is improved, then Africa can have people with higher IQs. It has got nothing to do with race at all. For instance, Obama or Nelson Mandela may be considered intelligent basically because of either of the above explanations but race has got nothing to do with it.
Imagine a child whose brain is very good at adapting neural connections to the environment. He or she would be able to develop the appropriate connections to process many kinds of information more effectively than other children of the same age, and would appear to be bright or gifted. In contrast, consider a child whose brain is unable to adapt to the environment and who is unable to develop the neural connections necessary to understand many things experienced in the environment. That child would remain childlike as a result of poorly developed neural circuits. I don’t know whether the environmental factor mentioned here includes nutritional explanation because how does one explain better fed kids in the western countries who come across as less intelligent than those in impoverished societies. A black child born and bred in Europe may turn out to be less intelligent than one raised in Africa with or without the environmental factor.
To be honest with you, when one looks at this area of research, you come to the conclusion that Black people are as intelligent as white people but other factors explain why they are in the bottom pit of success. It has got nothing to do with specifically their colour. Black people should not allow anyone to make them feel like there are less intelligent than other races.
I also disagree with some people when they say that by the time Congo becomes the present Denmark, Denmark would be on another planet. There is no time frame when it comes to economic development. China was below Denmark in terms of economic development 20 years ago but not anymore. If Africa gets its grips together and probably get rid of the currently less intelligent and selfish African leaders, things will be better in Africa. Africa will be a force to be reckoned with on the international stage if the politics on the continent can be sorted out as soon as possible.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Luganda is romantic,easy to understand and bantu unifying factor
15 Jan 2009 31 Comments
Dear Ugandans,
The central purpose of this debate is to discover and fulfil an African identity. That is why I find it disappointing that in this 21st century a man can sit on a chair and start typing sentences requesting English or Swahilli to be our national languages. What is national in these languages honestly?
I find the leakage of this debate by some people to the 1966 crisis or the coming of iddil Amin and Museveni to power, as a kind of distraction. So please let us not mix up things. Those factors have got nothing to do with Ugandans finding a national language.
I must stress that Swahilli cannot become our national language because it has nothing to do with national. Swahilli is already constitutionally our second official language. I’m therefore looking at Luganda as the favourable to become our national language for a variety of reasons:
Luganda was the first local language to produce a dictionary, I believe. This was because even the colonialists realised the need to promote it for easy communication throughout the country. I think this dictionary was compiled by John D. Murphy in 1972. However, already the missionaries had produced books serving the same purpose after swahilli was refused by Kabaka Chwa in Buganda . I must mention that the man, Father Kiggundu, who helped in compiling this dictionary, was killed by either Amin or Obote’s people. Kiggundu was the editor of Munno newspaper.
Luganda is so romantic among the local languages in Uganda such that I have had women saying that they love it compared to other Uganda languages. It is an equivalent of the French in Europe. In football; it’s an equivalent of the Brazil sambara. In addition, it is extremely and nicely expressive, comparatively easy, and harmonious to pronounce; and easier in its grammar than any of the languages in Uganda. It also possesses virtually the whole of the nineteen concord-prefixes.
I can also gladly say that gandalisation of words is a good thing because it shows that Luganda and Baganda change with the dynamics of the society. For instance, we did not have scissors in Buganda before the Arabs came. When they came, baganda adopted the Arabic word makassi for makansi. This was done to suit the Baganda natives dealing with Arabs in trade. There are so many words like this, for instance, kofia, a cap (a word, I believe, of Turkish origin), became enkofira, a hat. The basoga call it emfwakire.
This case is not only limited to Luganda and baganda. It happened in other places in Africa as well. For instance, the Arabs found a certain group of people residing in Zanzibar called Wahadimu. Their real name is actually unknown but they were called this in use being a Swahili adaptation of the Arabic. Most of the Wahadimu now speak Swahili, though with a peculiar accent.
Luganda is also so much interlinked to other Bantu languages in Africa . Why should we not swallow a bottle and just promote one of our Bantu languages instead of going for a foreign language as the national language. There are so many luganda words similar to those of the Ndebele in Zimbabwe . The luganda has also got so many words similar with the Bahima. The bahima language is closely allied to Luganda and Lunyoro, a large number of the words being practically the same, but the construction differs, and the Bahima accentuate their words in a very marked manner. The usual salutation, on meeting, is Oreirige; goodbye, Osibege. On seeing a person for the second time in one day, the salutation is Osiberege.Osiberege is not that much different from osibyotya by baganda. Bahima call wooden seats (ckitebe1),Baskets (ekibo),ropes (omugwa),(enanga and entongoU) and a drum (engalabi) have all got the same names as Luganda. So Baganda can be a starting base of uniting bantu speakers before the other groups.
Prof Apolo Nsibambi(who is also the current PM) wrote a good piece about the costs of so many languages in Uganda and it gives an insight of why we need to burry out tribal prides and promote the dominant local language in the country.. He wrote that when Uganda achieved independence, Radio Uganda was broadcasting in English, Luganda, Runyoro/Rutoro, Ateso and Lwo. In March 1967, when President Obote delivered his opening speech before a Seminar on Mass Media and Linguistic Communication in East Africa , he announced that another tenlanguages on the radio had been added. By September 1969, other languages had been introduced on the programme by Radio Uganda to make a total of eighteen. These were English, Luganda, Lusoga, Lunyole/Lusamia/Lugwe, Dhopadhola, Lumasaba, Sebei, Runyoro/Rutoro, Runyankore/Rukiga, Lwo, Ateso, Karomojong, Madi, Kakwa, Lugbara, Alur, Kuman and Hindustani.
Yet the President had pointed out in 1967 that all the fourteen languages then being broadcast were not in every case necessary. He had, however, added ‘ I am in government and I have to take the political feelings of the people into account in formulating policies.
Now I was just looking for this last statement. Obote was thinking like some Ugandans now who Like have allowed their bad feelings for Buganda in the politics of Uganda to get in the way of their support to Luganda as the national language. Do you know how much money Obote costed Uganda by allowing almost 18 languages to create a stampede at Radio Uganda ?
Mr. Msibambi supplements this point of tribal emotions and feelings by giving us an example of the Kakwa. When the Kakwa were requesting that their language be used on Radio Uganda , one of their major submissions was that they felt discriminated against whenever they had to listen to programmes in Lugbara..
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Multipartism helps the oppressed
21 Jan 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
Multipartism helps the oppressed
Thursday, 17th January, 2008
EDITOR—I wish to comment on Michael Nakahebe’s letter entitled “Movement politics was peaceful and successful” published on Tuesday. In the letter, Nakahebe blames Africa’s present problems on tribalisation of politics.
Tribalisation of politics has been going on everywhere in Africa and has nothing to do with the introduction or resurrection of multipartism on the continent. The African governments have got a tendency to intimidate, displace and disenfranchise ethnic populations suspected of being sympathetic to the opposition.
Multipartism just gives a chance to those displaced by ethnic clashes to have a recognised voice against the government. In Kenya, there was a movement founded in the 1980s called Mungiki which drew its support from thousands of people displaced by ethnic clashes.
Cartoon by John Nsubuga (member of UAH forum)
The reality is Africa will never go back to one-party system as so many people have sacrificed a lot to put us where we are at the moment. In Kenya, for instance, a left wing movement called Mwakenya was founded in 1979 to challenge the one-party orthodoxy. So many of its members were jailed, detained, killed or forced into exile. Mwakenya was multi-ethnic though the Kenyan government used to portray it as a Kikuyu tribal movement.
So it is the politicians in power to blame for the tribalisation of politics with their ‘divide and repress’ strategy rather than multipartism. With or without multipartism, people always find a way of opposing the government as a way of expressing freedom of association.
Several movements were formed in Kenya to challenge injustices by the state. These included: Dini Ya Msambwa, Legio Maria, Akorino and Hema ya Ngai wi Mwoyo (The Tent Of the Living God).
The common thread that joined all these movements was that they rallied their followers behind traditional values to challenge mainstream churches as well as injustices by the Kenyan government. It was not until 1992 when Kenya returned to multiparty system that some of these movements were transformed into political parties.
Ethnic violence in Kenya broke out even before the country had returned to multipartism. This was in November 1991 when Kalenjin warriors attacked Miteitei Farm on the border between Western Nyanza and the Rift Valley provinces. However, It is true that violence escalated after 1992 but this was mainly due to state tribalisation of politics rather than the existence of multipartism.
In October 1993, Maasai gangsters attacked and killed 30 people and displaced 30,000 in Enoosupukia, Narok, as punishment to the Kikuyu who had voted against the government party (KANU). The Kenya Human Rights Commission estimated that state-sponsored or state-condoned violence in Kenya between 1991 and 2001 killed 4000 people and displaced 600,000 others.
This was a ploy by the ruling elite in Kenya to use ethnic violence as a tool for winning elections and used it to blame mulitipartism. Multipartism is good as it gives people freedom of association and expression. It does not lead to ethnic violence at all. Let us give it as chance in Africa.
Abbey K. semuwemba
United Kingdom
source:www.newvision.co.ug
Obote was just like Amin and not the greatest Ugandan
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, Politics
I don’t know why some people think Obote is the greatest man Uganda WILL ever produce. Well, I’m sorry to say that I don’t agree with them at all. Let us scrutinise their hero:
1. Obote was the man who started coups in Uganda by illegally ousting president Mutesa in 1966. This same year he abolished kingdoms and is partly responsible for the death of Ugandans in the Lubili attack of 1966.
2. He is responsible for militarisation of politics in Uganda and this is exemplified by in so many examples in his government (Obote 1 and 2). He also started the tribalisation of the army in Uganda when he recruited a lot of his tribes mate in the Uganda Army after taking over from DP’s Ben Kiwanuka.
3. He is responsible for producing a constitution that makes the offices of the Vice president and prime minister not independent of the presidency. The president can fire the VP and prime minister any time and this was started by the changes brought about in the 1967 constitution.
4. He is allegedly responsible for several deaths of Ugandans that occurred between 1980 and 1985. Actually, he failed to protect the Ugandan population in Luwero when he was legally made a president after the 1980 elections.
5. It is also believed that president Obote did not want the Islamic University in Mbale to be built while he was in power. These allegations were made by president Museveni at one of the Mbale University’s graduation ceremony. Museveni also reportedly said that Obote did not want Uganda to be a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). Obote’s reason, according to Museveni, being that the two were linked to Idi Amin.
6. Obote was one of the politicians who started the ‘TEMANGALO’ environment in Uganda. For instance, Prime Minister Kintu Musoke attacked Obote for having bought a government house on Prince Charles Drive in Kololo at a give away price. The prime minister wanted to prove that Obote was the first politician to purchase a government house and to convince the public that it was therefore in order for President Museveni or his brother Maj. Gen. Salim Saleh to purchase the same house.Let us also remember that Uganda House was built using tax payers money though this could not be proved properly in the courts of law.
7. Apollo Milton Obote is the only party leader the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) had before he died. Remember UPC was established before even Uganda got independence. But you gonna find a lot of UPC supporters asking a man who has been a leader of FDC party since 2005 to step aside because he has served one term.
8. E.T.C
Yoyo Obote wamwe
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
The 2007 Land Bill wasn’t done in good spirit
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
1. The current land bill in Uganda comes across as a document fighting for the small landlords or landless in Uganda but it loses its moral platform when the biggest land grabbers become the big people in the government or the elites in Uganda . So what is the use of this bill when even those who put it on the paper aren’t following it? Another question would be: do we have any disadvantaged groups in Uganda who do not have land? And if so, who is fighting for them? Are Balalo falling in the category of disadvantaged groups or they are being used by the national elites to grab other people’s land. Germany is the leading country to support the disadvantaged groups seeking lands the entire world. It has actively supported a lot of international declarations and conflicts which demand secured access to land particularly for the disadvantaged. These include: the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul 1996, World Bank Land Research Conferences from 2001 to2007, EU Second Forum on Sustainable Rural Development in Africa 2007 etc.
2. When the balalo walk into any village in Kiboga on the instructions of the state, is that the best way to solve land conflicts in Uganda ? When a government shifts a certain group of people to go and settle in another area already occupied by others, it raises a lot of eyebrows because the whole thing seem not be done in good spirit. I know you don’t mention this in your paper but I would be glad if you comment on it. The fact of the matter is that the way NRMO government is handling the land issue is a reflection of people who have not done enough research on the subject. Walking into an area and start evicting the indigenous people is automatically gonna breed conflicts and I don’t think we need this at the moment in Uganda . Let me give you an example; in Brazil , in the state of Amazonas it is suspected that fully one third of its land area has been illegally appropriated (Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Development 2001). According to official maps, the remote area of Raposa Serra do Sol in the Amazon region is an Indian reservation. However, white newcomers to the land are using the judicial system to try to evict the Indians who have been living there for generations from part of the reservation. Seizing advantage of bureaucratic indifference, these people, led by powerful rice growers and ranchers, have persuaded judges to order Indians to leave the land. These are the same things almost happening in Uganda . One group of people is determined to own the biggest land in Uganda and this is unfair.
3. a)Now I would like to touch on what some people proposed to Mengo administration(about buying land in other parts of uganda rather than fight for the mile akenda (9000 sq miles) .Mengo is is against the current land bill. There is no way Mengo can start buying land in different parts of Uganda without eyebrows being raised by ethnic communities. In countries where part of the population – often indigenous people – have historically been deprived of their land rights, more serious conflicts can arise even decades or generations later. Guatamala provides such a case. In 1879, communal lands were de facto expropriated by a law giving proprietors three months to register land titles, after which the land would be declared abandoned. Most of the “abandoned” land was then allocated to large coffee growers. Although there were attempts at redistribution in the early 1950s, these were stopped and reversed following a military coup in 1954. Since then, struggle over land has continued, leading to violent conflict time and again
b) Mengo just needs to find a way of securing most of the land in Buganda or making sure that land in Buganda is not sold at the rate it is being sold right now to land grabbers. You seem to support Mengo in their approach to make sure that the kabaka land is ‘hands off’ provided they can eventually develop it (replacing subsistence farming with modern or large scale farming). Hope I have got you right on this one because I read your document ages ago. However, this position is also gonna be difficult to sustain if those in power are determined to grab land in Buganda at whatever cost.
4. I would also like to inform Ugandans that what is happening in Uganda (people in government using all means to grab people’s land) is not news in East Africa . In Kenya , the Ndung’u report from 2004 revealed that former Presidents Kenyatta and Moi, as well as cabinet ministers, former high ranking civil servants and other influential people have been among the major beneficiaries of illegal allocations of public land. So let us prepare ourselves for more land grabbing by those in power in Uganda . I heard that Mr. Museveni is now the biggest land lord in Uganda . Is this true?
What is unfortunate is the way the land grabbers have not spared the forests in the region. I don’t think that the land grabbers have given up on Mabila forest yet despite the demonstrations. They will ‘eat’ it slowly as the public concentrates on other issues. In Kenya, for instance,Ngong Road Forest next to Africa’s largest informal settlement Kibera with an estimated population of over 700,000 people provides a source of income for the poor from the harvesting of various products including firewood, poles and medical plants.The forest’s flora and fauna include over 120 bird species and over 35 mammals. The forest serves as well as water catchment as for recreational use and finally provides oxygenation for Nairobi ’s air pollution threatened inhabitants. In 1932, an area of 2,926.6 ha had been gazetted as forest reserve. Today, hardly a quarter of it is left. The allocations of Ngong Road Forest provide a sad example of how public resources have been used to unjustly enrich a few and how state corporations were used to perpetuate grand corruption. State corporations did not just lose land entrusted to them but they were also pressurized to purchase illegally acquired public land at exorbitant prices. Many became captive buyers of land from politically connected allottees. In 2001, for example, part of the forest land was illegally excised, subdivided into 32 plots and allocated to 13 companies who sold them to Kenya Pipeline Company for Ksh 262,388,478 (US $ 3.639.471).
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Habyarimana assasination and modesty in leaders
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
1. Habyarimana just like Museveni came into power through violence. While Museveni’s violence was justified because he had to get rid of Obote Dictatorship and had a convincing democratic plan on paper, Habyariman’s was not because his coup did not have any democratic plan ahead. Habyarimana came into power when the order of the day in East Africa was getting rid of presidents through coups. Amin ousted Obote in 1971 and Habyarimana did the same on Kayibanda two years later.
2. Both Habyarimana and Museveni introduced something called ‘the Movement’ when they came into power. Everyone in their respective countries was required to be a member of this so called ‘Movement’.
3.Habyarimana hated the ‘tutsis’ just as it is claimed by some people though I’m not sure, that president Museveni hates some tribes in the north. Habyarimana had only one Tutsi in his cabinet, one ambassador in the Foreign Service, and two deputies in the national assembly. He kept a picture of Tutsi huts in flames in his presidential house.
4. Habyarimana, just like Museveni, was also friends with the Bakiga communities
5. I highly doubt whether Habyarimana’s wife was involved in his assassination because she and her family benefited a lot from his regime and Habyarimana’s death would affect them most. Agatha Kanzinga was almost the 2nd most powerful person after her husband. It’s like Janat Museveni plotting the assassination of Museveni right now. So I rule that one out completely. She had a lot to lose.
6. I think some sections of the Hutus in Rwanda and the Tutsis in both Uganda and Rwanda masterminded the assassination of Habyarimana:
Ø When RPF was launched in 1987 in Kampala, one of their main aims was to force the return of Tutsi back to Rwanda whether Habyarimana wanted it or not. There were to do this using all the necessary means. General Rwigyema joined RPF in 1988 and later about 4000 Tutsis also deserted UPDF for RPF with the sole purpose of fighting the Habyariman government. Death of Habyarimana or incumbent would be the last thing for any rebel leader to worry about if an opportunity to effect it presents itself. Do you think Kony will not take an opportunity to ‘silence’ Museveni if it presents itself?
Ø On the other hand, some sections of the Hutu radicals in Rwanda were not happy with the Arusha agreement of August 1993 that provided for the establishment of a broad based transitional government that would include the Tustsi. But the truth was that even Habyarimana never believed in this agreement b’se he was a tutsi hater. He just signed it to buy himself time to organise his ‘house’ and probably the hutu readicals knew it as well. So why would they kill him? But then again most of the evidence points to the fact that the Hutu radicala may have killed him. For instance, on 03/04/1994, radio Mille Collines warned that ‘a little something’ was about to happen before Habyariman was killed tow days later. This is all confusing because how can a radio make such an announcement and nobody in the intelligence took it seriously. May be the radio was warning Habyarimana. Who knows?
7. Back on the modesty of leaders in Uganda, I think Brother Amed Katerega needs to agree that the current regime in Uganda is not modest at all. At least Habyariman was assassinated in a plane given to him as a present by the French president. So there was no serious loses there for the tax payers in Rwanda. On the other hand, Uganda is so poor to afford a president of that magnitude which is in the dreams of president Museveni.
8. As MPs like Beti Kamya were asking for the shs.60 m vehicles, Museveni competes with them by asking for a very expensive jet. What about us? What can we ask for? Why can’t Museveni have the spirit of Kikwete and Tanzanians? According to the Guardian (TZ newspaper) (2009), the Tanzania government is halting the purchase of vehicles this year to save money to buy tractors and other important agricultural inputs. It also said that the TZ government will not hold seminars, workshops or symposiums unless they are really crucial to the nation.Some people may not like it but Adolf Hitler is also one of the greatest and at the same time one of the most modest men Germany has ever had. Hitler was born into a modest provincial family. As a young man he worked as an impoverished manual labourer.
Africa, Buganda and East African federalism is all good
05 Feb 2009 2 Comments
in federalism in Uganda, Politics
We should support any form of federalism on the continent. We should support the federalism within Uganda ( Buganda, bunyoro, busoga and northern federalism). We should also support the East African federalism and the General Africa federalism that will eventually bring about the United States of Africa.
Let us all agree that African borders that separate different countries are very artificial and we have suffered from the process of partition for a long time. Buganda federalism will unite a lot of people within Buganda. Federalism will be the catalyst that will ultimately unite us as Africans. Federalism will be the catalyst that will ultimately reduce the powers of different African leaders within their respective states and Africa in General. Most importantly, federalism will help to reduce on the tensions brought about by the artificial borders created by colonialists. The artificial boundaries in Africa have magnified the like hood of international and domestic conflicts which has weakened the stability of various governments on the continent.
With African federalism, the Chewa and Nagoni will be able to connect freely with their brothers and sisters in Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi without any ‘real’ border restrictions. The Kakwa in Northern Uganda and south Sudan will also have a similar feeling.
African federalism can also be a good thing economically for the 15 African land locked countries including our Uganda. Trade will take place across the continent without a lot of restictions involved. People can move about with one passport across borders and that can only be a good thing.
It will also reduce on shouts for secession among respective states if those demanding for federalism are given their federo. Buganda wants federalism and I see not good reason yet why it cannot have it. The more the government hold out a stubborn position, the more the secessionist will keep making the noise. Secession in Africa is not news and it is one of the ways people take when seeking self determination. For instance, the Somali of Ethiopia’s Oragen region want to secede. The Eritrians have already seceded from Ethipia. The Ewe of Ghana also want to secede just like the non-Arabs in South Sudan.
I don’t trust brother Gadaffi because he is a dubious politician and I don’t know his personal intentions of pushing for a United States of Africa, but I do support the idea in principle. Actually, I do support any kind of federalism on the cointinent because that is the future of Africa.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
2009 Recession in the UK
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Economics
What is happening on the UK economy has really scared me a lot. The British economy is running down very fast. Yes, what is happening in the world economy right now has happened before but I don’t think I was even born by then. That is why I have to take the forecasting done today very seriously. I had some money saved and I was hoping to use it for something in Uganda in future but with the fall of the pound, I think I need to send it and save it from Uganda before the pound crashes to very low levels.
1. a).I would like to partly agree with you that spending is the answer to Britain’s current financial problems because there is no any other alternative for any politician at the moment. Gordon Brown explains this on his website or blog when it comes to people that criticise more spending by comparing it to ‘’a doctor not wanting to use the defibrillators on a patient whose heart has stopped for fear of future electricity bills’’. But I’m one of those who never trust politicians and whatever comes out of their mouths. I however trust Dr.Besigye a little bit because of what he has gone through but the role of a modern politician is to persuade people that everything will just go on getting better, without disruption to their lives and with no effort on their part. As a general rule politicians do not lie. They just say what the majority of the population want to hear. Iddil Amin(1979) and Saddam’s former information minister(2003) were prime examples of people who told people what they wanted to hear when it was clear that their governments had reached the expiry date during the wars.
b) Do you honestly believe that the State should spend more than it taxes in order to stimulate investment and consumption because that is what is happening in Britain and USA at the moment to beat this recession? By spending more money, we are increasing the money supply and maintaining inflation. By maintaining inflation, Britain and USA will keep printing more money. USA already used this method (printing more money) in 2001 to stop recession when the dotcom bubble collapsed in 2000 and wiped off over $5 trillion from the value of technology companies. Printing more money and borrowing will keep diminishing the wealth of the UK economy and that is a real worry for us the ‘Nkuba Kyeyo’ or ‘ambassadors of Uganda’ residing in the UK who need to send money back home. Nevertheless, more spending or borrowing can be good for Gordon, politically, in the short run, because this means that Gordon Brown can transfer the current problems to whoever will take over after him. The problems aren’t gonna go away at all. The way that things are progressing at the moment the British Government will soon manage over 50% of the UK economy particularly as it now controls the banking sector.I guess USA will do the same and I somehow feel sorry for politicians because that is what they are supposed to do.
c) I have also heard on news that the government plans to lower the interest rates to encourage banks to lend money but this is all a gamble. Obviously they are doing this with the hope that the growth will miraculously restart. Even if this was to work then all that it would do is to keep an unsustainable situation running for a little longer.
Therefore, I don’t think spending or more borrowing is the ‘actual’ answer here in the long term. If UK is to survive this economic problems, it needs to cut down massively on state expenditure, as a percentage of GDP . All budgets in areas of the Health Service, the Civil Service, Social Services, education, the military and all branches of government would have to be cut back drastically. However, I don’t think any politician would be bold enough to do this because whoever does it will cost them politically. I don’t think Gordon or even Cameron when he comes to power will have the courage to do it.
2.a) I think Obama has inherited more trouble than most people know and he is likely to go down because of the dirt George Bush has left behind. I will go into this another time because it is a big topic on its own but I wanna talk about the inflation and employment in your message below.
b) The inflation that Britain and other countries are experiencing was partly exported to us by you, Americans. You printed more dollars and then sent it to different countries in form of aid and other means as a way of sucking it out of your system. When every one saw you printing off more money, they did the same. If I were Museveni, I would start refusing the USA aid right now because this is all inflation being exported to us from their countries. This sort of inflation leads to the rise in the cost of things people want to buy. Actually, every country should strive to stand on its own economic legs without borrowing or Aid. Then there is monetary inflation (by Gordon Brown) that is a voluntary act on the part of government to allow the existing amount of money in circulation to increase. The British Government is borrowing so much money now that it has no option but to inflate at an enormous rate. So inflation is already a problem, WBK. Don’t brush it off, sir.
3. a).you sounded like most politicians by putting employment ahead of inflation .All politicians consider full employment to be vital in a modern economy. That is why they keep giving us false figures of unemployment whenever they are asked. They move those that have been unemployed for more than a few months out of the unemployment figures. They are still unemployed and consuming resources but they are dropped out of the important unemployment statistics. For instance, the total number of unemployed people in the UK now exceeds 6 million, instead of the official figure of 2 million according to independent sources. Like I said above, never trust the official figures of the politicians anywhere in the world. I’m now just waiting for the day Mr. Otto Patrick and Mr. Katerega Ahmed will send us the real composition of the UPDF army since they wrote that it represents all kind of tribes and it is not dominated by Ugandan westerners. Mr.Otto was kind enough and sent us the different organisations that make up UPDF and we did publish this on the UAH Blog for the consumption of those who are non-members.I hope he does the same with tribes and influential positions occupied.
b) UK and USA have more inflation than they did before as a result of the Government trying to achieve full employment because they have been spending more than they tax. We have also got a problem of higher wages in this country. High wages cause stagnation accompanied by unemployment and inflation. High wages mean that workers price themselves out of a job. With higher wages it means some jobs cannot be done effectively. When labour realised this problem, they opted to allow a lot of foreigners like us to come and work or study from the UK to do jobs that could be filled by British people who are paid by the State not to work.
Therefore, any one who tells you that inflation will only become a problem in 2-3 years, there are playing politics and not telling the truth. It is already a problem and this is evidenced by a lot of things happening in the country right now. For example, the less skilled workers are often better rewarded than the skilled workers. There is a stream of people to undertake useless jobs as they are not particularly demanding. Many of the jobs created by the British Government in the last few years would fall into this category.The polish and Bulgarians are doing anything they put their hands very cheaply. Unions do not help matters as they suppress competition between one worker and another by equalising wages. They prevent better workers from working better than others and restrain the amount of work done. They often frighten off more vigorous workers. They also prevent the introduction of new more efficient working practices. In the long term they cause stagnation and finally unemployment. The decline and the collapse of the traditional motor industry in the UK was a classic example of trade unions destroying an industry. The collapse of the docks and the coal mines are two more good examples. Even during this recession the unions are, and will, make restructuring businesses more difficult than it needs to be.
Abbey
LOYALTY VS COMPETENCE
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
I’m gonna sound a bit confusing and like I’m defending Museveni’s poor policies but I’m not. I just want to defend his policy of loyalty to those closely working with him out of personal conviction when it comes to loyalty. Personal loyalty is fine and I don’t want to be among those that put Museveni’s failures on putting loyalty at the forefront of his administration. Personally, I value loyalty in most of the things I do more than anything else and I value those that remain loyal to their friends or political partners whatever the circumstances. I also believe that presidents should surround themselves with people that are both loyal and willing to work as a team more than anything else. Former USA president, Bush George, was also blamed for the same thing as Museveni, but I did not believe the accusers even an inch. Bush administration failed because he was himself naturally competent and a bit dull. Museveni is failing probably because he is incompetent particularly on the economic arm of the country. He is a shrewd politician by all standards but I think his knowledge of economics has let him down. For the most part, he has chosen economic advisors based on mostly loyalty and similar ideology rather than competence, experience or expertise.
Realistically, majority of the leaders in the world put loyalty ahead of competence when it comes to certain positions in the government because of the number of secrets involved when running a government. Secrets in state administration create a difference between managing a country and a corporate company like McDonalds. After 9/11, White House secrecy wasn’t just a matter of personal, partisan loyalty, it became a matter of national patriotism, and the Patriot Act is all about secrets: how to keep the government’s and how to find out yours.
Similarly Museveni of 1986 did not have a lot of enemies as the Museveni of 2009. Our president has got a lot of enemies every where he looks, and as a leader he can only contain them by surrounding himself with mostly those loyal to him. Loyalty is needed in certain parts of administration particularly when it comes to the people you mostly see everyday as a leader. For instance, ever since I came to Britain, I have seen all prime ministers surrounding themselves with people loyal to them. Blair and Campbell were like identical twins on TV. Campbell and Peter Manderson probably had more powers than any body else in Blair administration because their loyalty to the prime minister was unquestionable. Jack Straw was a bit of both(loyal and competent) and I think that’s why prime minister Brown also recruited him into his administration.
Another area,apart from economics, where Museveni should not have put loyalty so much ahead of competence, is the military. Uganda has not had a chance of building a totally professional and competent army ever since Obote took over power from DP’s Kiwanuka in the 1960s. Museveni had this chance availed to him in 1986 and that’s when he should have done it but he has failed up to now. The UPDF, like most of the state organisation, reward and promote members based on loyalty and longevity instead of competence. They hate testing and teaching credentials given to others to dilute their power. The army should not be about presidential loyalty. It should be about national loyalty or loyalty to the people and professionalism. Mr.Kakoza Mutale is a classic example of what you get when you value loyalty and fealty above experience and competence, in the matters of the military.
I don’t want to do an ‘Ochieno’ here but I remember hearing somewhere when FDC is promising Ugandans a competent government headed by people with expertise and experience. They said that they will never appoint or confirm cronies whose main qualification for office is personal connection or party loyalty. May be we should give them a chance and see if they fulfil their promises.
Byebyo Ebyange
Abbey
Muslim solidarity and brotherhood will help muslims achieve alot
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
Muslim brotherhood is mandatory in Islam. All Muslims are obligated to feel the pain of another Muslim being tortured anywhere in the world. That is why I can understand why Muslims are demonstrating against Israel in so many African countries. By the way, a certain Muslim brother called me to say that he is disappointed in our Arab brothers in the Dubai who have ruthlessly decided to spend more than £100 million to buy footballer Kaka from AC Milan to Manchester City. He told me that what Arabs don’t know is that the oil money is supposed to be for all Muslims all over the world and not their personal wealth. He told me that the sheiks behind this deal can use this money to build another Muslim based university or hospital in Uganda other than splashing it on one Brazilian player.
Back to the Israel issue, I’m definitely saddened by what is going on in that part of the Middle East. Israel is committing state terrorism and nobody can stop it apart from the Americans. Terrorism committed against civilians for political or other ideological goals by deliberately targeting non- combatants, is a boldface, cold blood murder and therefore whoever is involved should be punished by the law.
The USA is the boss of Israel. When the USA tells Israel to withdraw, they will do so immediately. I guess they have already done so today not to antagonise the inauguration of Barack Obama as the president of the USA which is taking place on Tuesday this week. Israel in particular and Jews in general do not abide by UN resolutions. One can conclude that Jews operate subversively within the United States of America.
The UN has become a useless organisation because it cannot touch the Americans. The UN has got to promote peace and to address humanitarian crisis as it is mandated and that’s why the UN enjoys the benefits of international legitimacy, diplomatic immunity, and a twenty billion dollar per year, 25% of which is funded by the US. The US pulls the strings at the UN. By the way, who pulls the strings at the African Union? Do we have an African ‘super power’ yet or not? Uganda is already the ‘superpower’ in the Great Lakes region considering what we have done in Rwanda, Zaire and Sudan.
All in all, Muslim brotherhood is good and it was encouraged by our prophet. That’s why what sheikh Mubajje is doing right now in Uganda is not good for the Muslim community. If he had Islam at heart, he would have vacated the mufti chair as soon as he lost the trust of the majority of Muslims.
Abbey
BETI IS A POLITICIAN FIGHTING FOR HERSELF NOT BUGANDA
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in FDC, federalism in Uganda, Politics
I would like to make one thing clear: I have got nothing personal against Beti Kamya. If I’m to look into my heart and not brain, I think I admire Beti’s passion and a bit of honesty when she is writing or saying things. I used to spend hours every day with my grandfather listening to political programmes on FM stations from 8pm onwards, and I can confirm that Honourable Beti is one of those people I enjoyed listening to.
Having said the above, my brain tells me that what Kamya is doing now is good and bad. Good in the sense that it generates debate in the whole country about tribalism. This can be good if it can makes leaders look into their hearts and dispose off tribalism in the state administration but the fact is that it serves no purpose other than to stir up tribalism in the country. It is bad because tribalism tends to promote instability. It makes democracy very unstable. In all honesty, the bad outweighs the good side of it.
Besigye addressing a crowd in 2006
I don’t look at Kamya as some one genuinely fighting for Buganda’s interests. I look at Beti as a politician who can switch sides depending on her personal political benefits. History has shown that Fighting for the clan (family) has always been a path to power. Some politicians use it when they are on the ropes to make a point in political circles. It makes some one to stop doing the right thing and only do what is necessary for their political survival.
I agree that Uganda is not like Japan where there is a monoculture society. So tribalism is a reality in the country. There is a lot of tension between Banyankole and other tribes basically because president Museveni has treated his tribes mate with soft gloves most of the time. There is a lot of unfair tension between Baganda and other tribes because of the history of Uganda.
If one looks closely, I think one will find that history offers nationalism as the only consistently effective alternative to tribalism. We can all overcome tribalism as a country in the long run but the problem is that all our leaders are not ready for the experiment of nationalism. Obote was not ready for it as evidenced by the way he stuffed the Uganda Army in the 1960s with his tribes mate, but you will find people calling Obote a Ugandan nationalist. Museveni is not yet ready to be a leader of a national country and that’s why people are rightly pointing out at tribal flaws in his administration. While I was in Kampala you could hear statements like: ‘ebisajja bitubye sente nezibitwala eli ewabwe’ meaning ‘these men have stolen all the money and taken it to their regions’ or ‘bwoba toyina nyindo mpanvu tofuna mulimu Uganda’ meaning ‘if you don’t have a long nose, you don’t get a job in Uganda’. So what is the truth in all these statements?
The truth is that tribalistic instincts inform all too much of human behaviour throughout the ages, and an effective nationalism can seek to transcend those instincts, bringing people together, as it has traditionally done in the United States. With the current unfashionable nationalism of the Obotes and Musevenis, there is no way one is going to stop tribalism in Uganda. Some wise politicians like Beti Kamya have realised or foresighted this situation and therefore have hijacked it to further their own interests. How can one say that there are publicly fighting for Buganda but want to be national chairperson of FDC? Does it make sense to any body? The FDC national chairman in supposed to represent all tribes in Uganda. If you want to fight for Buganda’s interests at political party level or national level, you need to go about it in a wiser way than opening your mouth carelessly. Can any body see Beti achieving anything for Buganda at national level if she keeps opening her mouth like that? We have got to be honest about situations if we are to achieve even an inch of what we claim to fight for.
We were all lumped together by Europeans inside artificial national borders and we have got to find a way to make it work like some people have done. Indonesia has got 13,700 scattered islands comprising more than 360 distinct tribes and ethnic groups and a mix of languages and religions but they are more developed than Uganda with just 52 tribes. The following could be good starting points:
- Due to continuing regional differences, let us make Uganda a federal nation. Mengo and the north are yawning for federalism and I see no reason why they can’t have it. Bunyoro and Mirima are happy to refuse federalism and settle with regional tier because of their morbid jealousy for Buganda.
- Luganda can become our national language because of the various reasons given by several people.
- English can be strengthened as our official language to help with communication between federal states of Uganda and East Africa. You can get anything in East Africa and the world when you know how to speak English. We should not allow the shadow of Swahilli to hang over us.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Secrets Should be Protected at any level
05 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in FDC, federalism in Uganda, kingdoms, Politics
Taken the day Besigye came back from exile in S.Africa
Dear Ugandans,
As i watched sky sports news some time after work, my mind straightway went to the current saga going on between Beti Kamya and his party,FDC when I saw the news that Gallas William, has lost his Arsenal captaincy and. As a Chelsea supporter, I was so disturbed when Gallas crossed to Arsenal from Chelsea but I had heard of certain aspects of his bad behaviour with the boys in the dressing room that made me accept this loss. What William Gallas did two day ago: revealing secrets of the dressing room- can be compared to what Beti Kamya is doing to FDC at the moment. What I don’t understand is why FDC cannot strip Kamya of his position in FDC just like Arsernal Manager, Wenger, has stripped Gallas of the captaincy of the team. FDC need to send a message out loud and clear that those who reveal party secrets will not be awarded as “patriotic” whistleblowers as it seems to be the case with Beti Kamya at the moment. In fact, a person who has threatened to put the party secrets in the open may be more dangerous than the one who has revealed them and as such Beti should be divorced from FDC as soon as possible. What Wenger has done is to show Gallas and others that no player is bigger than the club.
As they say the person most likely to sell party secrets to the enemy is living in the ‘inner’ House of the party. I think FDC or any party should nail anyone who sell them out, regardless of what they have done for the party in the past.This sets a good displinary foundation for the party in the long term.People must train themselves to keep secrets at any level whether personal, militarily, national, political party or anything else. For instance, when the USA was planning the invasion of France in 1944, their only hope of making it work was hiding the details of the operation. It was going to be a bloody operation at best. The Americans kept details of the technology used in the Apollo program secret because they wanted to make sure they had better rockets than the Soviet Union. Secrecy played a major role during this operation and that’s how it should be at any level.
What FDC is doing by handling Beti Kamya with Kids gloves is very dangerous. There are only doing it with a hope of maintaining future good relations with Beti Kamya but it always backfires. An example is when an investigation of nuclear secrets stolen by China from a U.S. laboratory was repeatedly slowed and played down by the federal government in favour of keeping good relations between the countries. Some of the newspapers in USA were quoted as saying that China’s espionage at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico in the mid-1980s helped it develop the technology to miniaturize nuclear bombs, a key step toward fielding a modern nuclear arsenal. Let us also remember that the Chinese got nuclear secrets in the 1980s when Clinton was governor and Reagan was President, an issue that brought questions to be raised during Reagan and Clinton’s presidency. I would expect FDC leaders to move swiftly to bring this issue to an end because it is damaging the party and Dr.Besigye more than necessary. The FDC needs to tell all the members of the ‘inner circle’ that party secrets will never be invoked to the public in case of any fallout with any party.
We must teach Ugandans the value of keeping secrets at any level. Diplomats or civil servants have to walk into their offices with this in their minds. We don’t want to end up like that case in 2004 when it was confirmed that a senior Israeli diplomat in Washington met several times with a Pentagon analyst being investigated by the FBI on suspicion he passed classified information on Iran to Israel. Yes, countries share secrets among themselves but it should be sanctioned by a bigger authority not every tom and dick. That’s why this Pentagon analyst was being investigated in the first place despite the cooperation between Israel and USA.
Much as I would love more Buganda representation in FDC because I’m a Muganda, I would request Honourable Beti Kamya to stop slandering or libelling the party like she is doing now. As the Baganda say:’akiivamu yakiiyita ekyato’’ meaning when ‘people call boats ugly after using them’ which is not right. Beti should at least use words like:’ I think FDC did this and that’, if she just wants to play politics, because of course, when you say “I think” something is true, it’s not slander OR libel. We can all fight for Buganda interests using better methods than slandering or libelling a political organisation that is as young as FDC. It’s not fair.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UK
‘Sowing the Mustard seed’ is both Museveni and Obote’s book
07 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
‘Sowing the Mustard seed’ is both Museveni and Obote’s book. It is a book which don’t tell us a lot about some of the main things we need to know. I actually pray that another of the historicals like Besigye and Muntu write a different book and keep it somewhere to act as a second reference to what happened between 1980 and 2006. We have been fed with enough lies about NRA and Obote and some of us have had enough. Some one somewhere needs to start telling the truth or we shall force the truth out of them.
The 1997 ‘Museveni- Obote’ or ‘sowing the mustard seed’ is a book that is much dominated by the name Obote and UPC.Apart from Museveni, the item, group, event, or personality that gets the second highest number of mentions is Milton Obote.
According to the Monitor newspaper(2005),In Sowing The Mustard Seed, Obote appears on 51 pages, followed by Amin on 47 pages, the Uganda People’s Congress party on 34, Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere on 26, Museveni’s first fighting force Fronasa on 25, the Democratic Party on 21, Museveni’s comrades Eriya Kategaya 19 and Martin Mwesiga 18 respectively, the National Resistance Army on 16, Museveni’s brother Lt. General Salim Saleh also on 16 pages, and the National Resistance Movement party on 10 pages. Museveni’s wife, Janet Kataha Museveni, appears only on 8 pages.
Absurdly, the UPC party of Obote gets more space in Museveni’s book than any political group Museveni has ever founded and led, from Fronasa, to the UPM, and the NRA/NRM.
I also just wish that the UPC guys like Ochieno stop hiding the truth about Obote and write everything for the sake of us, the young generation, who endeavour to find the truth wherever it is. It pains me when I open my inbox and read a message about UPC that is indefensible from Ochieno. This kind of stand does not do any fovours for UPC at all. UPC killed Ugandans and we want a UPC cabinet member like Tiberondwa or Rwakasisi to come out and say everything as it happened. We don’t need to be refered to Obote memoirs like Ochieno has been doing.
So basically we need atleast three books from another NRM historical and an Obote or UPC historical to corraborate what is in Museveni’s book.
Nze Bwendaba
Abbey
Land wont be developed under corruption
07 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
1. We all agree that land is such a special resource anywhere in the world but if you read the proposals suggested by some people on how to maximise output on land(getting rid of peasant landlords) in Uganda , they are good but not realistic. By realistic, I mean, no politician including can genuinely start what they propose without losing the political battle. It is like a politician cutting down on public expenditure now because of recession. It will be suicide. Most of the African leaders depend on peasants for their votes. So they cannot risk upsetting them by offering their lands to big investors. That is why even Museveni has taken the softer option of only giving away public land instead of going for the peasants land. The moment he starts interfering in peasants land as a state policy, then even the likes of Ahmed Katerega will turn against him, because they have also got land inherited somewhere and they are doing nothing big on it.
2.Secondly there is no way one can start pushing the country from peasantry to large scale production when the political system in place is still corrupt and the economy is not in position to give the peasants a strong alternative. The peasants will try to fight such a policy as much as possible. With corruption, even the investors given the land will either be fake or they will fail to operate in the end. All these will summarily breed land conflicts which the state may even fail to contain. For instance, according to Oxfam (2006), between 100 and 150 people were killed in Southern Ethiopia when land formerly belonging to Borenas(peasants) was warded Gulus(rich investors) by the government. Also in many parts of Latin America , small farmers fear to lose their farms to big farmers. This fear can only be removed if there is a viable alternative other than the wages which will be provided to peasants by the big farmers. Compensation of small farmers is normally done in very small amounts in most developing countries. Small Farmers or peasants are not compensated on the basis of the market value of their properties. The government only does it to ‘kutukiliza mukolo’.
3. some people also say that they oppose anything that makes land difficult to buy and sell but they are forgetting that most valuables tend to fall into this situation. People who make such statements are in most cases accused of arrogance because they think that everything in this world has got a price. Probably the Arabs who wanted to buy Kaka from AC Milan were thinking like you, but the truth is some things are not for sale. Land is supposed to be such a very valuable thing in Buganda and people take it very seriously. That is why president Museveni has got to be very careful with the land issue in Buganda and Northern Uganda because it is capable of burying any politician in Africa if not handled very carefully.
4. they also say that tradition and culture are tying us down to peasantry and let me hope that you have assessed this very well. In Uganda, the main tradition that valued land so much were the Baganda until recently because most of us have sold our parents lands. The question is: how come there is not much development in those regions that did not historically treat land as a traditional obligation. We should also remember that before the Roman law on land came into place in 1926, the local testimony or traditions managed to keep lands together and safer from intruders. That is why Uganda has not got a lot of white settlers unlike Kenya because Buganda kings could not allow it. Even the sharia law which all Muslims are supposed to follow, places emphasis upon local testimony. The locals have got to be satisfied with whatever you are planning to do as a leader before you make any plans on their land.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
‘Balalo’ and the land tittles
07 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
1. The current land bill in Uganda comes across as a document fighting for the small landlords or landless in Uganda but it loses its moral platform when the biggest land grabbers become the big people in the government or the elites in Uganda . So what is the use of this bill when even those who put it on the paper aren’t following it? Another question would be: do we have any disadvantaged groups in Uganda who do not have land? And if so, who is fighting for them? Are Balalo falling in the category of disadvantaged groups or they are being used by the national elites to grab other people’s land. Germany is the leading country to support the disadvantaged groups seeking lands the entire world. It has actively supported a lot of international declarations and conflicts which demand secured access to land particularly for the disadvantaged. These include: the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul 1996, World Bank Land Research Conferences from 2001 to2007, EU Second Forum on Sustainable Rural Development in Africa 2007 etc.
2. When the balalo walk into any village in Kiboga on the instructions of the state, is that the best way to solve land conflicts in Uganda ? When a government shifts a certain group of people to go and settle in another area already occupied by others, it raises a lot of eyebrows because the whole thing seem not be done in good spirit. I know you don’t mention this in your paper but I would be glad if you comment on it. The fact of the matter is that the way NRMO government is handling the land issue is a reflection of people who have not done enough research on the subject. Walking into an area and start evicting the indigenous people is automatically gonna breed conflicts and I don’t think we need this at the moment in Uganda . Let me give you an example; in Brazil , in the state of Amazonas it is suspected that fully one third of its land area has been illegally appropriated (Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Development 2001). According to official maps, the remote area of Raposa Serra do Sol in the Amazon region is an Indian reservation. However, white newcomers to the land are using the judicial system to try to evict the Indians who have been living there for generations from part of the reservation. Seizing advantage of bureaucratic indifference, these people, led by powerful rice growers and ranchers, have persuaded judges to order Indians to leave the land. These are the same things almost happening in Uganda . One group of people is determined to own the biggest land in Uganda and this is unfair.
3. a)Now I would like to touch on what some people have proposed to Mengo administration(buying land outside buganda instead of fighting for mailo 9000) that is against the current land bill. There is no way Mengo can start buying land in different parts of Uganda without eyebrows being raised by ethnic communities. In countries where part of the population – often indigenous people – have historically been deprived of their land rights, more serious conflicts can arise even decades or generations later. Guatamala provides such a case. In 1879, communal lands were de facto expropriated by a law giving proprietors three months to register land titles, after which the land would be declared abandoned. Most of the “abandoned” land was then allocated to large coffee growers. Although there were attempts at redistribution in the early 1950s, these were stopped and reversed following a military coup in 1954. Since then, struggle over land has continued, leading to violent conflict time and again
b) Mengo just needs to find a way of securing most of the land in Buganda or making sure that land in Buganda is not sold at the rate it is being sold right now to land grabbers. Some people seem to support Mengo in their approach to make sure that the kabaka land is ‘hands off’ provided they can eventually develop it (replacing subsistence farming with modern or large scale farming). However, this position is also gonna be difficult to sustain if those in power are determined to grab land in Buganda at whatever cost.
4. I would also like to inform Ugandans that what is happening in Uganda (people in government using all means to grab people’s land) is not news in East Africa . In Kenya , the Ndung’u report from 2004 revealed that former Presidents Kenyatta and Moi, as well as cabinet ministers, former high ranking civil servants and other influential people have been among the major beneficiaries of illegal allocations of public land. So let us prepare ourselves for more land grabbing by those in power in Uganda . I heard that Mr. Museveni is now the biggest land lord in Uganda . Is this true?
What is unfortunate is the way the land grabbers have not spared the forests in the region. I don’t think that the land grabbers have given up on Mabila forest yet despite the demonstrations. They will ‘eat’ it slowly as the public concentrates on other issues. In Kenya, for instance,Ngong Road Forest next to Africa’s largest informal settlement Kibera with an estimated population of over 700,000 people provides a source of income for the poor from the harvesting of various products including firewood, poles and medical plants.The forest’s flora and fauna include over 120 bird species and over 35 mammals. The forest serves as well as water catchment as for recreational use and finally provides oxygenation for Nairobi ’s air pollution threatened inhabitants. In 1932, an area of 2,926.6 ha had been gazetted as forest reserve. Today, hardly a quarter of it is left. The allocations of Ngong Road Forest provide a sad example of how public resources have been used to unjustly enrich a few and how state corporations were used to perpetuate grand corruption. State corporations did not just lose land entrusted to them but they were also pressurized to purchase illegally acquired public land at exorbitant prices. Many became captive buyers of land from politically connected allottees. In 2001, for example, part of the forest land was illegally excised, subdivided into 32 plots and allocated to 13 companies who sold them to Kenya Pipeline Company for Ksh 262,388,478 (US $ 3.639.471).
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Common Man’s Charter Vs 10 point programme
10 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in history, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Politics
Let us go slow on the comparison between Common Man’s Charter and Museveni’s 10 point programme. I’m not a Museveni sympathiser but sometimes I’m forced to defend his paper policies when some one starts ‘sugarcoating’ Obote’s failures. Ok, let us see what we know so far about these two paper policies:
1.Obote’s first administration started off as market-oriented and pluralistic. Then in 1966 Obote changed for the worse as we all know by now. The Common Man Charter(CMC) was a step influenced by what was happening in Tanzania at the time. So basically Obote moved to the left in 1969 and the CMC was adopted by UPC at their delegates conference in the same year.Nyerere had a hand in most of Obote’s changes in Uganda from the 1960s till when his death.
On the other hand, Yoweri Museveni started on the left ideologically. In the 1970s he was virtually a Marxist-Leninist. People like Robert Mugabe were radicalised by armed struggle. Yoweri Museveni was de-radicalised by armed struggle. Robert Mugabe became more and more of a socialist in the heat of the liberation war. Yoweri Museveni became less and less of a socialist in the tensions of armed struggle against the Obote regime.
2.Like i said, the CMC buried Obote 1 because it was a threat to both the British andUSA interests in the region. The British had about 80 companies in Uganda wh faced the threat of nationalisation.On May 1, 1970 President Obote announced that the state would take over foreign enterprises in the famous Nakivubo Pronouncements.So the British through the Isrealis hatched a plan from South Sudan to get rid of socialist Obote. The USA also looked at the relationship Obote had with Nyerere as a threat to their capitalist interests in the region.
On the other hand, the 10 point programme had the blessing of most of the international community. Austria is where the 10 point programme was galvanised from and the movement held a lot of meetings there in 1985. That’s why the International Institute for Peace (IIP) president, Erwin Lanc, Austria’s former internal and foreign affairs minister and his wife, Christianne, were invited to attend the 15th Heroes Day celebrations at Ssembwe-Nyimbwa, Luweero.
3. The CMC was bound to fail from the beginning because, according to prof Ali Mazrui,the state had entered the market place of enterprise and pushed away the real entrepreneurs. It felt the role of government was to actively control and own business. They felt an equitable and just environment can only be created by government owning and interfering with business. The Government then simply rewarded supporters and chased away political opponents. A bedrock of nepotism and corruption and mismanagement was born. The companies were run down.
In addition, the CMC was introduced to make everyone relatively with money into their pockets to curb down on ‘kondoism’ or thuggery which was going at the time. Instead it just increased ‘kondoism’ as the rich kept being scared of the people. So it was a total failure. Let us also remember that Obote’s CMC was not pure socialism as that of Nyerere. So it was a bit of a confusing document with intentions which Mr. Nviri will give us if he wants to inishallah.
On the other hand, the 10 point programme had the support of the masses in Uganda mainly in the south of the country. Museveni’s point No.5 for an independent, integrated and self-sustaining economy, for which he is still fighting for, was and is a better attractive option for Ugandans than the so called CMC.
In addition,despite the fact that Museveni has not done much to get Ugandans out of poverty, his 10 point programme is evn still popular among the opposition. For instance,DP president is on record saying that DP will take up NRM’s 10-point programme and polish it in preparation for the 2011 general elections, the party president, John Ssebaana Kizito, said.
Abbey
Rich Masaka Men In Kampala should develop Masaka
19 Feb 2009 1 Comment
in Politics
I suggest that Ugandans should try to develop where they originally come from instead of solely depending on the government. The northerners should start putting money in the north instead of pouring most of their money in Buganda . The same goes for Banamasaka, bateso, batoro, Basoga, banansana, banabutambala, banabushenyi, e.t.c. I’m basically advancing for both ethno-localism and geo-localism. Yes I support globalisation and its fruits or people moving around from one region to the other but we should all develop where we come from. It is this very reason why even Ugandans abroad/Kyeyo- decide to build themselves a small house in Uganda despite having citizenship in other countries.
The countries in Europe have also got people who think like me. In the UK, there is a super market called the Morrison’s. It is basically based in northern England because the owners of it are Yorkshire guys. There are also a lot of investors who are home boys and decided to develop their own regions instead of moving to London . This is the same spirit we would like Ugandans to develop if we are to create regional balanced development.
Now let me go back to Masaka where I have got some ‘bbako’ or ‘in-laws’ from Kyotela. Masaka town has got almost the same population as Leeds City in the UK. According to www.masaka.co.ug, masaka town has got about 70,000 people. In Leeds, most of the private businesses were started off by men and women born in Yorkshire. Even the recently finished biggest cancer hospital in Europe has received most of its modern equipment from the Yorkshire business men and women. This hospital is located near St. James Hospital for those who are familiar with Leeds city.
Similarly, I don’t see any reason why the rich Masaka men in Kampala don’t pull themselves together and start developing their region. They can use organisations such as Aga Khan Masaka Secondary Old Students Association (AMSOSA) to act as a spark towards this direction. Already they have used this organisation to fundraise for the construction of a modern computer laboratory, library or sick bay. Yes, other people can move into the town but ‘abana enzalwa’ need to form the foundation of development of this town. I know of some of these guys in Kampala like our Semujju Nganda of Uganda Observer, Hajji Darawusi Mwanje, Hajji Hassan Mugenyi, Musa Mbajja(based in Katwe), my muko whom I have also copied this message and others.
Already there are people thinking like me in Masaka and have developed a lot of private schools in places Bigasa, Buwunga, Kyanamukaaka, Kabonera and Lukaya town council. I also hear that the Londoners have also started a radio station which the people in Lungujja are enjoying. There is also an Indian investor who was born in Kyotela and I read somewhere in the newspapers when he was planning to start up a fruit processing factory in Masaka.I think he bought the creps factory from the then Masaka Cooperative Union. This factory is based in Kyabakuza .
By the way, I understand that the presidential spokes person, Mr. Tamale Mirundi is from Rakai which is part of Masaka district, is he doing something for people in Rakai or he is also waiting for the government and non-Rakanians to pour money into the region?
Public spending during recession and Uganda
19 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in Economics
Folks,
I have been saddened by the salary that has been accorded the executive Director of Kampala City, Jeniffer Musisi. Apparently, she is to earn shs.432 million (US. $178509.08) annually as a salary excluding other financial privileges. I find this kind of extravagancy so hurting and unbearable especially for one person to earn that much in country where the biggest part of 33 million people are barely having any food.
How does someone doing cleaning or teaching as a job in Uganda feel about this. I don’t know how much exactly people make in these jobs but I equate them to someone flying burgers in Europe or USA. Let’s take a look at a McDonald’s burger flipper. Here they make between £6.50 to £7.50 an hour. That may be what a burger flipper makes next year and the year after, as well. That does not matter if the cost of living does not rise either. In fact, it is to be expected in a non-inflationary economy. The value of any given labor is going to remain the same relative to the overall economy, unless for some reason that particular labor becomes more important.
But why would Jeniifer Musisi get that kind of salary in a country that is clearly facing a financial crisis? Is this selfishness of the highest order or our leaders are just heartless?
The simple fact is that the NRM party does not care about poor Ugandans and low-level working people in general. They either seem to be stronger believers of the theory of trickledown economics, by which if we let rich people make more money, jobs would be created, and it would then trickle down to the rest of the society, or they are purposely making people poor to keep them at the bottom of Maslow’s theory of needs. They want them to keep thinking about basic needs instead of changing governments.
Under Gordon Brown leadership here in the UK, when we were in recession, the government was borrowing money and increasing spending where it is necessary.
‘Where is necessary’ here involved pumping more money into the banking system or nationalising some banks but not buying expensive jets for the executives or presidents or increasing the salaries/bonuses of company executives ( as is the case with Jeniffer Musisi’s shs.36m per months[US.$ 14875.76]or other public workers. This is where Uganda has got it wrong. They should not allocate biger salaries to public officials in such a poor country. Even bigger salaries are questionable in developed nations.
All countries or local governments around the world are reducing on their budgets because of global recession. In USA, according to the centre on Budget and Policy Priorities, 44 states have reduced their budgets by more than $350 billion dollars since 2009.
In the UK, bodies such as the Association of British Insurers, the Investment Management Association and Pirc, a consultancy advising shareholders, believe the bonus culture should be reformed during this recession period.
Both in Nigeria and Tanzania, there are finding ways of reducing on public spending.
It is also true that different countries deal with recession using different theories of economics which I prefer not to go through today. However, the theory people are familiar with is the Keynesian theory which was welcomed by former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, with open hands, before David Cameron switched to cutting down on public spending. This is where governments advocate for deficit spending
With Keynesian theory, when you are heavily in debt, the only way to keep spending is to keep borrowing. I supported Gordon Brown but his Keynesian theory was more of a political survival decision rather than anything else. The whole thing was a gamble from the start. Yes, consumer spending is the main driver of the UK’s economic growth but an increase in people saving to pay off their debts normally results in companies’ profits falling. Companies in turn tend to lay off staff, leading to a vicious cycle of people losing their jobs and being unable to pay their debts and mortgages.
The only reason why Gordon Brown could not easily reduce on public spending was basically because he had been on TV telling people that reduucing public spending means worse public services, so he couldn’t turn around and start slashing it. So the only real option for the UK government then was to spend some of the money that was saved during the good times combined with less borrowing to beat the recession. After all, the UK economy had been booming for years. UK had not had a recession since 1992.
But the reality is that any government under financial crisis should be trying to cut debt by trimming public spending. But that is suicide to some political leaders especially if all they care about is keeping themselves in power.
The main downside to Keynesian style of economics is that government borrowing is exactly the same as consumer borrowing. At some point, you have to pay it back. And the way government pays off borrowing is through higher taxes.
One Ugandan wrote on the UAH forum in 2009 when recession had hit big nations such as UK: ‘To say that Uganda has recession is like talking of a chicken with a toothache’. Basically, the statement would have been:’ to say that Uganda has got no recession, it is like a man sleeping with a woman with HIV for a long time without a condom, and then turn around and say that he has got no HIV before he even goes for a check up’.
Uganda has been sleeping with the donor countries who have got HIV (recession) for a long time. Uganda is basically married to the donors ( USA , UK , Canada , France, Japan , Dubai ,…) and there have got a lot of children (Ugandans abroad) together. Donors support over 30% of our budget at the moment.
Ugandans abroad gave Uganda about $1.4 billion in 07/08 alone and there are the major source of foreign exchange in the country. Each of these guys looks after a lot of families in the 75% non-monetary sector. So because the ‘’Nkuba Kyeyo’’( unpaid Ugandan ambassadors abroad) or donors are affected financially, less money is being sent back home at the moment, and as a result the following services have been affected one way or the other: Construction boom in Uganda has declined; Quality of life of families is affected especially those depending on Ugandans abroad; Businesses in Uganda cities like the hospitality industry are feeling it because of reduced spending; Uganda’s general export industry has been affected because of less spending in USA or UK . We don’t have enough market within Uganda to consume the goods we produce. Let’s hope that the donor countries don’t shut down their markets from us as was the case in 1930s.
NGOs are already reducing their activities in Kampala because donors have squeezed funds. Tourism industry is already in decline in Uganda and this is directly affecting the so called CHOGM hotels and travel agencies. Foreign investment is in a decline as few foreign investors wish to bring money into the country. Food prices have become high in Uganda such that I was told a sack of charcoal costs over shs.90,000 and I kg of sugar is at shs.4000.
This country needs to make some changes. It has to start with Campaign Finance Reforms, corruption and the excesses there. To get that passed, we need a new Executive leadership, and it certainly can’t be NRM to get this done.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
ICC is good for Africa but Bad for dictators
25 Feb 2009 Leave a Comment
in international, Legal issues, Politics, Revolutions
International Criminal Court logo
Dear Africans,
We have got to support the existence of the ICC because Africa is the top beneficially compared to other countries due to the number of dictators on the continent. The treaty which created the ICC is not even as old as Museveni’s regime or Kony’s war in the north because it was adopted in 1998 at an international conference in Rome after intense negotiations. So why should we start discarding it before It has been tested enough.
The ICC is an important deterrent to those that are committing crimes on the continent. At least, every sitting African president knows that there is now an arm of law that can touch him before he leaves the presidency, if he commits crimes against humanity. We used to have ad-hoc war crimes tribunals (modelled on the Nuremberg trials of Nazi officials following World War II) ,like the one that tried the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic at The Hague and the Kagame courts in Rwanda that tried genocide criminals, but they were not as legally and internationally pronouncing as the ICC. The ICC is the first new international judicial body since the International Court of Justice, or World Court, which was created in 1945 to adjudicate disputes between states.
The only reason why some people fear this court is because they assume that the West can use the court against developing countries and the presidents they support. This is the same fear Asian countries had before putting their signatures on the treaty. That is why most of the Asian and African countries delayed signing it. For instance, during the war in Kosovo, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians were raped and murdered. NATO intervened and conducted an 11- week aerial campaign against Yugoslavia that ended the ethnic cleansing. Surely war crimes were committed but it ended with the extradition of Slobodan Milosevic not USA’s Bill Clinton. The same has happened in Libya when NATO intervened to save the Libyans from being killed by Late Muamar Gaddafi. Gaddafi son, Seif, is among those that are likely to be paraded infront of ICC courts if the Libya’s NTC allows it.
Nevertheless, the ICC is regarded as a major step forward in most of the world though it is derided in mainly western nations. No one claims it is perfect, but there are many safeguards. The ICC is based in The Hague and those it convicts can be held in prisons in any of the signatory states. Being used by western nations to push their interests in Africa and elsewhere may be wrong but isn’t that an aspiration worth making a tiny risk for? Who does not want to feel free and safe in their country without these dictators making it hard for everyone?
People with such fears have got a point because the west dominates almost all international bodies but given a choice, i would rather see the ICC help us get rid of the dictators, and then we sort out the west lateron. Atleast, we already know that the great nations are using Africa using different international organs but this does not mean that we have to get used to having dictators on our continent.
Let us also note that Prosecutions in the ICC are only valid if national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute serious crimes. And only a nation ratifying the treaty can make a complaint against its own citizens or those of other nations for crimes committed on its soil. For instance, the International Criminal Court had no authority over events in Ethiopia or Eritrea, because neither country had ratified the treaty creating the tribunal. Israel signed it but not ratified. So ICC cannot touch Israel despite committing crimes against humanity in Palestine. Egypt, Iran and Syria signed. India, Pakistan and China neither signed nor ratified. Russia signed but not ratified. I know that Uganda signed but I’m not sure whether it ratified it. Most democratic nations and all European Union countries signed and ratified the treaty. In the USA, Former President Bill Clinton signed the pact in December 2000 but President George W. Bush renounced it in May 2001. Let us hope that Obama will do the needful and get USA back into ICC before he leaves the presidency.
To be honest, I don’t know why Bush pulled the USA out of the ICC. First, the ICC is strictly prescribed to only atrocities that are spelled out in its treaty. Second, the ICC can’t actually go and arrest people unless they are given enforcement power to do so, which requires a vote of the United Nations Security Council. The US has a veto there, so there is no threat to Americans. Third, even if a third country voluntarily arrests and extradites an American to the ICC, the Security Council can intervene on individual cases. The point is pretty clear: the ICC isn’t something that can harm USA; it only will focus on precisely defined war crimes and crimes against humanity. It isn’t the monster idiots like what some people claim it is. The US is going against the world community by not participating in a court to deal with those crimes. If USA was part of the ICC, it would have made it stronger. It is for this reason that I see no point in the ICC dragging Britain, Russia, China or any of the countries that permanently sit on the Security Council in courts of law because they can easily overpower any form of extradition.
I am not an expert in constitutional law, but I do know that the Constitution recognizes that state crimes are the jurisdiction of state courts. Of course, the rights of the Constitution continue to hold, and if we had federalism in Uganda, certain “due process” would be recognized to be the jurisdiction of Buganda or Bunyoro or Busoga courts.
It seems reasonable that the Constitution be interpreted consistently. Things of a state are the jurisdiction of the state. Things of the world could be the jurisdiction of the world. Perhaps more knowledgeable men than myself might work out the details of a treaty recognizing world courts and establishing the review process by treaty. By the way, I don’t know what court you appeal to after being found guilty in the ICC. May be the lawyers reading this can help us on this one.
However, what we must know is that the war crimes tribunal was created as a court of last resort, and its mandate is to only step in when countries are either unwilling or unable to dispense justice themselves. This means that Ugandans or president Museveni cannot be prosecuted over Kony war or any crimes committed in Uganda if the mechanism to prosecute war crimes already exists within the Uganda judicial system. So I ask anti-ICC to stop misrepresenting the court’s concept or to continue arguing that it will be used for frivolous and/or politically motivated prosecutions. Once and for all, the whole concept of an International Criminal Court does not in any way contradict our African/Ugandan ideals. Every Ugandan wants to see justice done fairly but unfortunately we cannot see true justice in our own courts of law.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Who are the real Ugandan killers
05 Mar 2009 Leave a Comment
in luwero war after 1980 'theft', Politics
Ugandans,
I have been reading some messages on the UAH forum calling those who fought Obote dictatorship in 1980 to be ‘killers ‘or ‘murderers ‘ but is this justified at all. We all know that Obote was destroying democracy in Uganda in the 1980s and the quest for or preservation of “democracy” is often used as a justification for war.
Again, I keep asking myself these questions: is there any human being who is not capable of ‘killing’ a fellow human being if squeezed by a certain situation. Personally, I don’t support any body to kill any fellow human being but at the same time I know that I live in the world where most of human beings are potential killers (even those preaching against it). Human beings have done so much killing throughout the history of civilization. Since the beginning of civilization millions and millions of people have been killed in combat or died in the aftermath of combat. The socialists (Communists and Fascists) in the 20th century murdered more than 100 million civilians (source: “The Black Book of Communism”).
When we go back to the circumstances that led to the Luwero war, war was inevitable. Ugandans had to use all the ‘’necessary means’’ to get rid of Obote. It appeared to be an essential element of Darwinian evolution which is “red in tooth and class”, the survival of the fittest and where might is right. The pacifist Greek idealist and philosopher Plato also wrote long ago, “Only the dead have seen an end to war”. So probably, as long as human beings are squeezing fellow human beings in certain areas, these things are gonna be part of us whether we like it or not. The solution is to respect the rights of fellow human beings whether you are a president or prison officer or spy man.
Then there are people who fight the government of Uganda unjustifiably like Joseph Kony. He started his war with childish 10 God’s commandments and unsurprisingly he managed to get followers. Before Kony, there was Alice Lakwena who deceived people that she had magical powers and they still followed her. Anyway, like the Nazi leader Herman Goering once remarked that it was easy to lead people: into war, regardless of whether they resided within “a democracy, a fascist: dictatorship, a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.” All that was: required, Goering argued, is for their government to “tell them they are being attacked,…”
If we continue with ‘killers’ then even drunk drivers are killers because they cause a lot of road accidents every day. Personally, I also take women who abort their children to be ‘killers’ but at the same time they may have a good reason to do so. I still think that abortionists are ‘killers’ and they are wrong because I think the unborn are ” people” deserving the exact same rights as an actual born person.
Then there are people who are called ‘serial killers’ and I don’t know whether we have got them in Uganda . There are websites on the internet where the artwork, letters, locks of hair, even fingernail clippings and crawlspace dirt of notorious serial killers can be had for a price. Christopher Berry-Dee, a British criminologist who did a videotaped interview with serial killer, Michael Ross, in September 1994, copied his finished product and rough footage onto a DVD and began selling it on his own website, and another serial killer website, for $29, plus shipping and handling. Despite the fact that some Ugandans are saying everyday that Late Obote was responsible for the death of their relatives,UPC is using the name of the same man to promote their party. So may be, human beings have accepted killing to be part of their society as long there is an end benefit to one of the parties involved.
In addition to the DVD, several of Ross’s handwritten envelopes were for sale on eBay in 1999; two years before the Internet’s largest auction house said it would no longer permit the sale of killers’ memorabilia out of concern for victims’ families.
People are always ready to protect killers especially if they are from their own clans or ethnicity and nobody is surprised by the actions of strong Obote apologists. For instance, an Israeli student finishes high school without ever hearing the name “Genrikh Yagoda,” the greatest Jewish murderer of the 20th Century.
Then we have got film stars like Michael Moore who practically accused Bush Junior to be a killer in his ‘fahrenheit 911 ‘ film- for those who have watched it. This was because of the death of American soldiers, of Iraqi women and children for the purpose, but was this the right word to use on Bush or not? I don’t know in Bush’s case but I know one thing for sure: Dr.Besigye does not deserve to be called a killer because he was involved in a struggle for democracy in Uganda between 1980 and 1986.
As so often in life, there is no real “solution” with a happy ending. People went to fight Obote dictatorship in the 1980s not knowing that we will have almost a similar problem afterwards. Buganda supported this revolution and the federo promised to them during the bush is not even in a walking distance to achieve it.
Byebyo banange
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Isreal primeministers will one day face justice for their crimes
06 Mar 2009 1 Comment
Hello people
Yes, I do think that all Israel prime ministers MUST be punished for the crimes committed against the Palestines and Lebanese. What recently happened in Gaza was against the international law but I think Israel has not yet ratified the ICC treaty and, therefore, it is difficult for anybody to drag them to ICC. Israel and Russia are already regretting putting their signatures on the ICC treaty because the treaty is always in their faces whenever they commit crimes.
Having said this, there are some people who have tried and still trying to bring some Israel prime ministers to face justice for the crimes committed against humanity. For instance, a special war crime court was set up in the 1990s to charge Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for authorizing the massacre of hundreds of Palestinian men, women, and children in the Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla in 1982. The Israelis themselves set up a commission called the Kahan Commission which found Sharon “indirectly” responsible for the slaughter and fingered Hobeika as the chief instigator. At the time of the massacres, Hobeika was intelligence chief of Lebanese Christian forces in Lebanon who were battling Palestinians and other Muslim groups in a bloody civil war. He was also the chief liaison to Israeli Defence Force (IDF) personnel in Lebanon.
I would also like Ugandans to know that Israel cannot be charged in any international court without exposing the evil side of the American administration. So the USA does everything in its powers to make sure that Israel never faces the law. An example is when Hobeika called a press conference in July 2001 and announced that he was prepared to testify against Sharon in Belgium and revealed that he had evidence of what actually occurred in Sabra and Shatilla. 7 months later, Hobeika’s car was blown up by a remote controlled bomb placed in a parked Mercedes along a street in the Hazmieh section of Beirut. It is alleged that this assassination was done by both the USA and Israel agents.
This action alone shows that the Israelis and USA are afraid of international law and if there was no international law, probably Israel would have used a weapon to wipe out the Palestine population by now. USA and Israel do everything they could to destroy evidence because they know that justice never decays. So the ICC or the international laws act as a deterrent to those planning to commit certain crimes. This is enough reason for us to support the activities of the baby ICC till when it will develop into something that can catch even the ‘big boys’ like Israel, China and USA. At the moment, let the ‘small boys’ like Bashir of Sudan feel the heat that will shape the way they do things.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Internationalisation of the ICC is not defined by China and USA membership
06 Mar 2009 Leave a Comment
Ugandans,
The ICC treaty is international by all the definitions of an international treaty. USA and China do not solely define internationalism in a written document. The ICC became international and ratified when the UN got 60 ratifications necessary to bring the ICC into being. By 2005, 99 states had ratified the treaty.
There is something else I want Ugandans to note here. Belgium was one of those countries who started a law in 1993 within their borders similar in work to the ICC Treaty. The law permitted human rights prosecutions where by non-Belgians could be tried for violations against other non-Belgians in a Belgian court. I don’t know whether this law is still operational with the existence of the ICC now. Let me hope that our lawyer, Charles Eliba, can help us out on this. If this law is still operational, then Mr. Matek and others who don’t trust the ICC can file their charges against Museveni from here.
Germany is another country that has a similar law to Belgium. German law provides “universal jurisdiction” allowing for the prosecution of war crimes and related offenses that take place anywhere in the world. In 2006, former prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay filled criminal charges in Germany against Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and other officials. So if it is also operational, Ugandans who want to bring cases against certain individuals in the government can go for it.
My only problem with the ICC is in the Articles: 15, 42, 53, 54, 86 and 87 of the treaty which grant the ICC prosecutor global authority to bring charges anywhere, against anyone. The prosecutor can collect secret evidence that’s never revealed to the defendant — only to the jurists hearing his or her case. I don’t know the intention of this but I think it is unfair for the defendant not to know the evidence against him or her in advance. These are the things our legal representatives to the ICC need to iron out in their next global conference.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Why Torture is not justifiable
18 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
The idea of ‘spying’ or trailing terrorist suspects is effective and it is the very reason why I support phone tapping of suspects as proposed by Minister Mbabazi. If you have got enough credible evidence against a suspect, all you need is to present it in front of the courts of law instead of torturing them. Torturing should not be an option if we are to bleed a peaceful world in the long run and here is why:
1. Torture, as noted in another email, is unambiguously illegal. It is illegal under a covenant the United States ratified, illegal under federal and military law, and illegal under protocols of civilization dating back to the Magna Carta.
2. Torture is notoriously unreliable. Many people will say anything to make the pain stop, while some will refuse to yield no matter what is done to them. Yes, sometimes torture produces vital information. But it can also produce false leads and desperate fictions.
3. Torture is never limited to just the guilty. The case for razors and electric shock rests on the premise that the prisoner is a knowledgeable terrorist like Osama Bin Laden, or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi or Kony. But most of the detainees in US military prisons or Uganda ‘safe houses’ are nothing of the kind. Commanders in Guantanamo acknowledged that hundreds of their prisoners pose no danger and have no useful information. How much of the hideous abuse reported to date involved men who were guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
4. Torture is a dangerously slippery slope. Electric shocks and beatings are justified, you may say, if they can prevent another 9/11 or the burning of Owino Market. But what if the shocks and beating don’t produce the needed information? Is it OK to break a finger? To cut off a hand? Again a case like Uganda, a politician may send the intelligence boys to arrest you JUST because are in FDC or sympathise with FDC and some one chops off your fingers for no good reason. Is that justifiable, Peter?
No. Torture is never worth it. Some things we don’t do, not because they never work, not because they aren’t ”deserved,” but because our very right to call ourselves decent human beings depends in part on our not doing them. Torture is in that category. Let us wage and win this war against the barbarians like Joseph Kony or other rebel groups without becoming barbaric in the process. Let Ugandans walk free in their country without any fear of someone ‘hijacking’ them to unknown destinations.
What Bush did was illegal and punishable under American and internal law. The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which the United States ratified in 1994, prohibits the torture of any person for any reason by any government at any time. It states explicitly that torture is never justified — “no exceptional circumstances whatsoever . . . may be invoked as a justification for torture.”
Unlike the Geneva Convention, which protects legitimate prisoners of war, the Convention Against Torture applies to everyone — even terrorists and enemy combatants. And it may not be evaded — this is spelled out in Article 3 — by “outsourcing” a prisoner to a country where he is apt to be tortured during interrogation.
In principle, interrogators should not cross the line into outright torture.
UPC started tribalism in Uganda
27 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in history
Dear Ugandans,
Before independence, the UPC, by virtue of its non-Baganda domination, was assured of support outside Buganda—and not because it had a party organization which could deliver the votes but because the rest of Uganda hated Buganda at the time. It used the tribal divisions to accumulate support for itself outside Buganda. It’s not that I blame Obote for using tribalism to his advantage because afterall, several politicians including Beti Kamya and Museveni are using it to get keep themselves in power. The moral principal here is that it is wrong and Obote should have done better.
After independence, when the elections to the national assembly were held, UPC faced no rivalry outside Buganda. For instance, In Lango, Obote’s home district,UPC held all but one of the council seats, UPC was 100% in the district council of Bunyoro who hated Buganda so much,……….
In 1962 -1966 period, although each of the legislators was known in his local area, his popularity rested on the tribal identification tag attaching to him rather than on any sustained contact of a political nature developed between him, and the people of his area. In other words, they had no local base of power. Local power rested in the hands of politicians who were active in district government.
By 1962 the UPC was able to establish itself as a party capable of reaching a compromise with Baganda by using the KY rope or alliance to reach them. UPC itself did not have a lot of confidence in its party officials and that is why they fronted a few for elections. For instance, the 139 candidates put up by the UPC for the 1962 elections to the National Assembly included 47 teachers, 30 business traders, 16 fanners, 8 advocates, 3 doctors,5 clerks, 4 journalists, 6 co-operative officials, 2 engineers and only 6 party officials
The UPC was able to consolidate its position only after bringing the conflict within the traditional order of Buganda to a violent and decisive end in 1966 with the aid of Amin and the military. Amin was a UPC through and through.
In one sense, the central government was a bit inclusive because almost other tribes including the baganda were represented, but the people wielding real power were northerners. In some cases, as in that of Kigezi, UPC leaders who occupied ministerial positions at the centre were far less powerful than the Ceremonial Head or Secretary-General who was in a position to develop personal bases of power within the district
After 1967, Obote increased his power tremendously. The 1967 Constitution was designed to get rid of feudal rule at the sub-national levels of government by increasing the powers of the District Commissioner, who now became the effective instrument of the central government policies in the district, and the removal of outmoded offices at the local level. Chiefs and ministerial figureheads at the district headquarters were removed. Obote also increased his powers so much as a president. I will explain more about the 1967 constitution when I get a chance inishallah.
Yes, Uganda is a ‘developing democracy’ after going through various episodes of the 1962 constitution, 1966 and 1967 constitutions, Amin dictatorship, ‘chameleon’ UNLF government and the Tito Okello part timers:
1. The 1962 constitution entrenched representation based on tribalism and regional allegiances
2. The 1966 constitution did not change this as Obote was interested in using tribalism to keep himself in power for a long time. The army he formed as the prime minister from the biggest political party in parliament, was full of his tribes mate
3. The 1967 constitution did not also change this situation as well because the leader was the same. Actually, we should have had a General election in 1967 but because of Obote’s fear of elections, the Republican constitution was passed in that year and under it, it was specifically provided that all members of the then existing parliament were deemed to have been elected for a further term of 5 years. This meant that Obote was to be our president till 1971 when General elections had to be held. So Obote was another leader using the law or parliament to impose himself on us though Amin later showed him the exit door.
4. Under Amin, there was no parliament since Uganda was under a military government. This guy did not waste tax payers’ money by pretending to be what he is not. He was a dictator. Full stop. No messing about like others have done.
5. Without wasting time with the useless UNLF government (full of pretenders, ‘snakes’ and ‘chameleons’) or NCC which acted as a parliament under Binaisa and Lule, let me jump to the present life under Museveni. When Museveni came to power in 1986, the NRC which was formed while NRM was still in the Bush continued to act as our assumed ‘national parliament’. I’m using the term ‘assumed’ because nobody elected them. The president and all NRC members elected themselves for tenure of 10 years. In essence, one could justifiably say that we didn’t have a proper representative parliament.
Nevertheless, I want you to note something here: the representation based on tribalism and regional allegiances did not stop with 1962 and 1967 constitution alone. It is still here and now being given ‘new life’ by none other than our beloved MP Beti Kamya. Actually, it may never end if Kamya succeeds with her new pressure group she formed recently.
Therefore, I don’t think that it is entirely poverty that makes MPs stop being patriots. It is a combination of so many things, among which include:
Ø Tribalism: the need to impress the president because he is from the same tribe or region as the MP. Failure to do as he says, the president may campaign against you and lose the constituency
Ø Threats to some MPs for taking different positions from the president. Some of these threats may be very serious.
Ø Lack of patriotism among the current crop of legislators
Ø E.t.c
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Buganda,Lule and Uganda after the fall of Dada
27 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in history
Dear ugandans,
If anyone knows Mr. Moses Kalanzi’s email, we would like him to join us at the UAH forum as soon as possible. I have read a few bits he has written in the media and his work seems to be interesting.
Regarding Lule’s leadership, I can only say that Lule was a victim of ‘snakes’, ‘chameleons’ and hypocrites in the UNLF government. Museveni himself never wanted Lule to become the president of Uganda at the time when one tries to analyse some of the sentiments he pours in his book sowing the Mustard Seed. Museveni believed that the FRONASA group should have had an upper hand in the post Amin era and I believe he wanted himself to be the president. That’s why he steeped on a lot of people’s toes while in the Moshi Conference (March 1979). Lule kept himself the Defence minister for a while with Museveni as his deputy (state minister of defence) because he knew how powerful the minister of defence can do to a regime that was unstable as his. He should never have trusted Museveni at all because Museveni himself had shown signs of fighting for the presidency whatever it takes.
Lule at the same time did not trust Paulo Muwanga because he knew that this was Obote’s snake in the UNLF government and that’s why he removed him from the important ministry of internal affairs and replaced him with a man he can trust, Dr.Andrew Kayiira.
The Obote Group, on the other hand, did not trust Museveni because they knew what he was after. They recruited a few FRONASA into the UNLA and Museveni did not like this as he says in his book. But this was what anybody who wanted to consolidate his power base should have done. The UPC people wanted to keep the northerners as the majority in the army because they knew that power lies in the army in African politics and also wished to keep their strength in the north going. The UPC guys did not even like Museveni being the Vice chairman of the Military commission but Nyerere intervened in Moshi and there he was.
Museveni in return did not like them at all but kept them within his distance and that is why he accepted to serve in the UNLF government. Museveni was not worried about Prof Lule’s presidency that much because he knew he was gonna fail. If Lule had come into presidency with an army of his own, he probably would have survived the ‘snakes’ and ‘chameleons’ in the UNLF government. When Lule realised that he was surrounded with snakes that were gonna bite him any time, he started seeking the shoulders of the Mengo clique to cry on and that is when these snakes made a move. He never moved out of the central region in the 68 days because he knew that there were more snakes waiting for him outside the central region and he was scared to death.
Lule wanted to create a balance in the army (UNLA) and that is why he introduced the quotoa system for recruitment, which would have been based on the population of each of the country’s ethinic groups. The UPC group did not like this as this would have meant more Baganda and other western tribes dominating the army. I think Museveni supported him on this issue because he was watching the UPC Group very closely.
The truth therefore is that Lule did try to make some steps within the 68 days to consolidate his presidency but he would never have made it without an army of his own. His insistence of going by the 1967 constitution can also be seen as a president who wanted to give himself more executive powers. Who would not want this if you wanted to consolidate your power? The UPC people moved very fast and got rid of him. They tactically replaced him with the 1960s former Obote’s right hand man, Binaisa, who was the architect of the 1967 constitution. This Binaisa knew that he was just being used and that’s why he resorted to turning state house in a business entity to make himself a few dosh here and there.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Asians have not changed their ways up to now
27 Apr 2009 1 Comment
Dear readers,
With due respect to our Asian friends and Ugandan nationals, I think they have not changed their ways wherever they live. I really thought that the Amin example would have given them a few bits on how to live in the society but wapi. Here in the UK, I thought being a Muslim can easily make one intergrate with Asian Muslims like Pakistanis but they still look at us differently which is a shame. It is alleged that Amin wanted to marry an Asian woman and he was denied this chance and this is one of the reasons why he expelled them from Uganda. But this kind of marriage segregation has not changed up to now:
1. An Asian Muslim woman is not allowed to marry a black Muslim man which is against the Islamic principles and rules
2. An Asian Muslim man or woman is not allowed to marry outside the family. So they end up marrying first cousins to each other
3. an Asian Muslim woman or man is not allowed to marry a siqh or non-Muslim despite Islam allowing men to marry non- Muslim women
It still baffles me why human beings are so segregating of each other so much. For me, if a man is a Muslim, educated enough and working, I will allow him to marry any of my sisters. I’m insisting with being a Muslim because I believe in my religion so much. But I think cultures should not remain indefinitely conservative since they were created by human beings themselves. Society should be allowed to change in a good way by accepting certain good modern things.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
‘TUKUDENDEREZA’ MUSEVENI DOESN’T WORK
27 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in Presidency
The opposition is right to tell Museveni’s supporters to restrain themselves from supporting anything whether bad or good in Uganda. We all once loved president Museveni because we thought he was gonna give Uganda a better foundation than Obote did. Actually, he tried in the first 10-12 years of his leadership to put things right. Both his political and economic policies were sound. I know people particularly UPC supporters have always criticised president Museveni and late Dr. Kiggundu Sulaiman(who was governor Bank of Uganda then)for devaluing the Uganda shilling in the 1980s but this was the right thing to do at the time. Actually, this was one of the measures IMF/World Bank came up with to enhance the scope of the private sector, contending that private enterprise was more effective. So nobody was going to get IMF/World Bank money before fulfilling these conditions. Therefore privatisation and devaluing currencies were IMF/World Bank policies and we would have benefitted from them if the whole process had not been messed up by greedy people in the NRM government. Donors overall aim was to shift the governments of Africa from consumption to investment.
Those now close to president Museveni should advise him to go back to the Museveni of 1980s, at least for the remainder of his current term. There is no need to praise him even when he is clearly making mistakes. Museveni himself criticises people who praise leaders all the time without pointing out their mistakes in his book sowing the Mustard seed on page 48. While in exile in Tanzania, he met Akena Odoko and Sam Odaka whom he described as among the many ministers and colleagues of Obote who were busily flattering Obote at the Uganda Club in Kampala while he was making mistakes. Ministers used to sing TUKUTENDEREZA( to quote Museveni) to Obote.
Abbey.K.S
Amin & Obote are part of most villainous people of the century
27 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
Dear readers,
I have never said that Hitler, Obote, Amin, Jean-Bedel Bokassa and others in their category (who were nuttier than squirrel turds) did not do good things for their countries. The bad things they did outweigh the good things. All I know is that I pray and hope that these people stand right up front with Satan in hell, burning their bodies off because of their horrendous deeds(of course God knows better). I lost a father because Obote and Muwanga’s government failed to protect him. Just mentioning Obote’s name make an average person cringes and offer criticism just by hearing it.
Personally I would like to see the Newspapers in Uganda annually publish an issue devoted to the most villainous people of the century. As I see it, this is my list:
- Obote- More Ugandans were murdered in Obote 2 than during Amin’s reign.
- Japanese military leaders of pre WWII (rape of Nanking ), and WWII.
- The racist elements of American society that made it their mission to terrorise, lynch and deny black people their rights.
- The Turkish leaders of the genocide of Armenians, the first full scale genocide of the 20th century.
- The Pakistani military and government officials that murdered 3 million Bangladeshis until India invaded Bangladesh ended the terror, defeated Pakistan , after which Bangladesh became a full fledged nation of its own.
- The Nigerian politicians that started the Biafran war.
- Those who started the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda .
- The Indonesian government officials and military leaders who murdered millions over the years, including massive purges of ‘communists’, anti-Chinese pogroms and the murder of fully 1/4 of East Timor’s population over two decades.
- Those murderous politicians and military leaders in Central and South America who have created mass death, genocides of native peoples, death squads, torture, murder and war over a century.
- Brazil and it’s generals, the “dirty war” in Argentina, the death squads of El Salvador and the nun raping troops of the government there, the genocide of Mayan Indians in Guatamala, especially under Rios Mont and helped by the CIA.
- Pinochet of Chile and his willing executioners, including Nixon, Kissinger and others.
- The murderous Islamic leaders of Sudan with their genocidal war against the black Christians and polytheists of Southern Sudan . That’s I pray that the ICC gets Bashir to serve this purpose.
- The Belgian guys who were responsible for the horrors of the Belgian Congo early in this century that saw millions dead from abuse, slavery, and brutal military repression.
- Adolf Hitler
- Joseph Stalin
- Saddam Hussein
- Slobodan Milosovic
- Nikolai Lenin
- Benito Mussolini
- Idi Amin Dada
- Mao Tse Tung. Mao killed more than Stalin
- Bokasa
- Koroma of sierra Leone
- M……..(I have forgotten his name)
This is getting depressing because I can see more African leaders filling up the list than anywhere in the world. So anybody can feel free to add another name.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Ugandans should create their own jobs
27 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
I remember one ugandan wrote on the UAH forum that it is solely the role of the government to create jobs and not the private sector and I would like to partly disagree. I would like to say that the experiment of governments creating jobs has miserably failed and now it is upon us to do this. The government mainly needs to create an environment that allows investment to take place. This environment may include things like better infrastructure, better investment institutions, better communication systems, political stability as it is in central Uganda, e.t.c. Yes, they can create some public jobs but it is never enough for a population of 30 million plus. How do you expect the government to accommodate all those 20,000 plus graduates that come out of colleges like Makerere university, Kyambogo, Nakawa, Mbale university,… every year? If you are abroad and you have got some money to help your graduate brother or sister to start up business in Uganda, just do so- because there are no enough jobs from the government.
In the United Kingdom where I live, Margret Thatcher’s years saw an increase in foreign investment, particularly following the pursuit of monetarist policies in the 1979-90 era. Since then, the United Kingdom has been a leader in the move away from government regional policy and toward inward investment and now attracts a larger proportion of global inward investment than any other national economy around Europe. The point is that the conditions for investment are there in the country and even without government input; the private sector is now employing a lot of people compared to the government. This is what the Museveni govt needs to do urgently: creating better conditions for investment all over the country.
I think to be fair to president Museveni, his economic policies look good on paper but because of lack of independent institutions, that is why there is a lot of presidential ‘KAVUYO’. Museveni is trying to boost the private sector just like Thatcher did in the UK in the 70s. Under Thatcher, most of the coal mines in north east England were closed which saw a loss of two hundred thousand jobs (about two-thirds of total employment including the iron-and-steel, shipbuilding, and engineering industries), and the car industry in the West Midlands, which saw a 37 percent decline in employment between 1981 and 1992.However, she went around this employment gap by encouraging inward private investment and attracting foreign investment in big cities in England.
Similarly, for most economic experts in Kampala including the World Bank, the attraction of foreign investment is seen as “crucial to the future economic vitality of regions” in Uganda, and they believe that privatisation of industries must keep going for a very long time. If Museveni can allow institutions and ministries to function independently without his interference, probably all these fake investments like Shimon demonstration site would not be happening. The president should let those institutions responsible to assess companies that qualify for “corporate welfare,”( which ensures that corporations receive tax breaks and public money that would once have been invested in regional development or individual welfare payments) to so independently. The president MUST not interfere with these institutions.
The Labour government here in the UK has improved on Thatcher’s policies by introducing policies such as Gordon Brown’s New Deal for the young unemployed but Brown or Blair never interferes with the institutions handling these things unless if it is very necessary. President Museveni should do the same.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
CREATING JOBS STARTS FROM LOWER END
27 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in Economics
bank of uganda
As Ugandan living abroad, if we are to do anything back home to help our brothers and sisters in Uganda, the most critical question is how to create quickly hundreds of millions of jobs for the poor with limited purchasing power and limited capital for investment. The idea that most of these jobs could be created in the corporate sector or by government-sponsored activities has already been put to rest- because it has been tested and it has not worked out in several developing countries.
For any strategy to be successful, it must give central importance to self-employment and entrepreneurship, with emphasis on agriculture, agro-industry and small firms in the informal sector. Actually Edward Mulindwa’s egg business proposal has already been implemented by some Ugandans I know who have made their money from simple ‘kyeyo’ in the UK and went back home and it has made their lives ok. The most important thing is to encourage people to become self employed instead of moving from one job to the other. Secondly, we must start by creating jobs which are agro based rather than putting more emphasis on the so called corporate world. By the way, there is money in anything somebody wants to do as long as one plans very well and put their mind to it. People like Mukwano, Mulwana and most Kampala genuine tycoons did not make money by starting with corporate business plans. They started with something small and representing local interests. They are actually richer and more useful to Uganda than those Ugandans you listed in your message below.
The professionals abroad can help us to lobby their organisations to give outsourcing contracts to fellow Ugandans at home because that’s how Indians and Chinese have benefited from globalisation. Most corporate companies in USA and other big economies can now outsource jobs that can be performed remotely such as website creation, link building, article submissions, Blogs, data entry, programming, virtual assistants and many other online tasks. Let those guys you mentioned help Ugandans at home win such kinds of contracts instead of wishing to look like ‘kings’ among fellow Ugandans.
Those Ugandan professionals abroad can also help us in developing new ideas within the existing industries or attract more foreign investment in agro-based industries. For example, we have got a lot of ‘KASASILO’ or ‘rubbish’ that can be turned into bio-fuel. Bio-fuels in Brazil have created about a million jobs and there are plans to expand bio-diesel production to benefit hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers. China has a large-scale programme to reduce methane emissions from animal husbandry which is creating a whole new industry of biogas equipment manufacturers and producers. In South Africa, energy upgrading of housing in slum areas avoids emissions and creates more than 100 new skilled jobs for every 100 units of buildings renovated. Such projects could expand to large-scale operations because they can attract significant funding from industrialized countries through the Clean Development Mechanism created by the Kyoto-Protocol.
Nze bwendaba
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
‘killing a muganda or a munyankole is as easy as riding a bicycle’
29 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, Politics
Dear Ugandans,
Uganda is a long way to uniting as one country which is sad. Late Obote divided the country so much and the current politicians are also still taking advantage of these divisions. Obote practically divided the north and south of Uganda from the 1960s. Museveni rightly used this division to get rid of Obote dictatorship and getting himself into power.
Obote used to call the freedom fighters in Luwero Triangle ‘bandits’ after he illegally imposed himself on Ugandans on the evening if Saturday,11 December 1980 ,and unsurprisingly Mr.Ochieno Joseph is also using the same words(bandits) of his mentor in some of his messages. It’s no secret that Obote hated Baganda and the vice versa was true. For instance, In a speech broadcast on radio Uganda, obote told a rally held in soroti in 1981 that if the baganda did not behave themselves, they (the Acholi-Langi alliance) would do to them what they did to the west Nilers in 1980.
Phares Mutibwa in his book Uganda since independence also wrote that at Kololo , one Acholi soldier wrote on the wall:’killing a muganda or a munyankole is as easy as riding a bicycle’.
So basically, whoever was to fight a guerrilla war against Obote’s despotic regime had to exploit this divisionism which had been started by Obote from the 1960s when he made sure that the army was dominated by northerners. It is the very reason why museveni chose Luwero triangle as his spot to fight Obote because he knew that Baganda and southerners in general would support the rebels in everything. It was also claimed in a public lecture at Makerere University in 1988 by A.G.G Gingyera-Pinycwa, professor of political science, that the NRM/NRA went to the bush to remove the northerners from power, and I don’t think that he was far from the truth.
The questions we should also ask ourselves are:
- Who started this process of dividing Uganda into the north and south?
- What can be done by the present and future generation of Uganda to make sure that it does not happen again?
- Do northerners need some form of a sensitisation program to realise that anybody can become a president whether he or she is shorter than you? What matters is what that person has got to offer.
- Can the current tribal divisions in UPDF also cause us future problems if they are left unchecked for a long time?
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Both homosexuality and prostitution should both be illegal
23 May 2009 1 Comment
Dear Ugandans,
My feeling is that both homosexuality and prostitution should both be illegal. Legalising prostitution will make our children vulnerable to this immoral behaviour thus leading to higher child prostitution in the country. Right now, sex with a child is legally rape and assault but the old men abusing kids will start quoting legal child prostitution as their defence once caught in the act. Laws like legal prostitution make children not to be treated differently than adult citizens yet they lack the ability to fully comprehend their actions.
Some people argue that prohibition of prostitution will never work, wastes untold billions of our money, and actually makes it more dangerous by driving it underground but I think such voices simply lack the moral backbone. I don’t care if the war on prostitution is not winnable. Sometimes man has to take a moral stance. There is certain honour in fighting for what is right, even if the fight is in vain. Such voices seem to approach all human issues from the purely economical position. They don’t care if doing prostitution is moral or not, they are only concerned with the economical ramifications.
I’m also of the view that prostitution is a form of slavery. I don’t like the idea of the prostitution’s tendency to promote the idea of people as property. Remember that we had slavery in this country up several years ago? It was considered legal among the big nations like USA and Great Britain, and many considered it moral, but we advanced as a society and the whole world came to accept that slavery was immoral and unacceptable. We looked at what is right as to the rights of people.
In addition, prostitution exploits women, hurts families and destroys marriages, and the government should not add further credibility to legalized sex selling. I don’t think it is OK for a pimp to charge a prostitute for use of a street corner if prostitution is legal.
With legal prostitution, I would warrant a bet that the victim is the prostitute herself as she loses self-esteem. A prostitute puts herself at risk to please people. The fact is that legal abortion, legal prostitution, and the defence of both make women toys, playthings. Well, as far as I know, women don’t like it much either.
Prostitution is already legal in Canada but actually soliciting sex is illegal. In Germany, Netherlands, Brazil and Nevada (USA) prostitution is legal but they have not benefitted much from legalising it apart from creating more problems. Even those states in USA that have legalised it have found it hard to protect people who commit these crimes in other states where it is not legalised. For instance, if a convicted prostitute fled Utah and sought refuge in Nevada to escape imprisonment, Nevada is bound to return the prostitute to Utah even though prostitution is legal under the laws of Nevada.
I don’t know whether Uganda is a signatory to the so-called UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) because this treaty is causing a lot of immoral problems in several countries. For instance, in 2002 the CEDAW Committee directed China to legalize prostitution even though prostitution is condemned in the convention. The committee says prostitution would be OK because it is often a result of poverty and economic deprivation. This is yet another U.N. treaty that meddles in personal matters that are none of its business. CEDAW criticizes Ireland for the influence of the Catholic Church in society and the state, in large part because of the church’s opposition to abortion. The committee also directed Ireland to legalize abortion. Kyrgyzstan is criticized for restrictions on lesbianism. I have now got a feeling that organisations or individuals promoting homosexuality in Uganda are partly being funded by CEDAW. Please if we are not yet members of CEDAW, stay away from it completely because it will tell us to legalise abortion, prostitution and homosexuality.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
WIFE VS PROSTITUTES
25 May 2009 1 Comment
in culture
Hello Ugandans
Prostitution is slavery unlike the institution of marriage. In Greece, it used to be termed as ‘porneia’ which means to sell and refers to slaves bought and sold for cultic prostitution. In Rome, It used to be called “fornicatio” which means prostitution or trafficking in slaves for that purpose.
Yes, sex is very important in marriages such that in Islam a wife is supposed to give the husband the ‘goods’ any time he wants without any hesitation. Islam places so much emphasis on sex in marriage because having our naked bodies caressed all over and warmly held with love and affection is as vital to our emotions as eating and drinking is to our health. Also, sex for most people is the most intimate event; even prostitutes make a difference between a customer and a partner and use another cognitive schema. However, marriage is composed of so many things which go beyond sex like omulongo Kato Joshua of Newvision explained.
I believe that men who advocate for legal prostitution just want to turn sex into another product or service that can easily be bought in a shop. They want to make it lose its sacred value which has always been attached to it. There are even some religious leaders who concoct ‘hadiths’ or sayings of the prophet to easily help themselves with sex any time they wish. For instance, In Iran,Mullahs who are travelling on pilgrimages routinely take temporary wives, sometimes for a week, sometimes for a day, sometimes for a few hours. In the West this is called prostitution. In Iran it is hallowed by the name of ‘sigheh’ and it has the full sanction of the law. One can only imagine the plight of poor women in Iran who are driven by necessity to become de facto prostitutes. But anyone who believes in female dignity and family values has to consider ‘sigheh’ a complete scandal. I suspect that People advocating for legal prostitution have got less respect for women in general.
Prostitutes have been part of us from the days of Jesus and there is no way we can start comparing them to wives. A wife is a wife and a prostitute is a prostitute. The ancient Israelites believed in pre-marital and extra-marital sex (as long as it wasn’t with someone else’s wife), prostitution for foreigners (but not Jewish women), polygamy, the right of sexual satisfaction within marriage, and numerous other pro-sex beliefs. Prostitution should remain immoral and illegal. Even in USA where morals have degenerated more than anywhere on earth, some states like New Orleans and Washington, DC have kept prostitution a crime. We must protect certain morals in Uganda.
If you want to buy prostitutes, just do it like the way men do adultery or fornication or steal Global Aids funds without being caught. Most men (except me) can easily find themselves buying a prostitute for a night. Personally, I don’t pay for the ‘goods’ which we are both enjoying. That is out. If you can’t give me your ‘goods’ for free, then eat your ‘goods’ yourself. As it turns out being ugly is no reason for having to go to for prostitutes because people like Hugh Grant, Eddie Murphy and Martin Luther King (MLK) were caught with one. These guys could have or could have had any woman they want but the urge to buy women like as if buying toothpaste forced them to go for prostitutes.
Kiibi nyo banange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Acholi Vs Langi is not a secret anymore and Otunu ‘s UPC presidency
03 Jun 2009 1 Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, UPC current politics
UPC supporters,
Uganda is a tribalistic society and it’s not Abbey Semuwemba thriving on it as you wrote below. It was your Obote and UPC that thrived on it more than any body else from the 1960s till when he was toppled by Acholi officers in 1985 on the day baganda call Mulindwa:
- Yes, there is sort of a group that wants all the ‘greater north’ to speak with one voice. Personally, I hope it happens because I like unity for a cause. But, I’m gonna be honest with you on this one: for instance, if the presidential elections are to be held today in Uganda and there is a candidate from the north (Probably Robert Mao or Otunu Olara) against a Semuwemba or Besigye from the South, majority of the northerners would vote for their son whether he is less qualified compared to other candidates or not. It happened during the DP’s August 1980 delegates’ conference at the international conference centre in Kampala when the Acholis fronted Tiberio Okenyi to stand against Dr. Semogerere for the post of president General of the party. Semogerere got 186 votes while okenyi got 23 votes. All the delegates from the north voted for their Acholi son except Ambrose Okullu and Zachary Olum who voted for Semo.
- Nevertheless, the acholis have never forgiven Obote for dividing the Acholi district into Simba and Moto Moto factions because he wanted to prolong his stay in power. Obote wanted to keep them fighting each other since a unified Acholi would worry his leadership and he was right when one looks at what happened at the later stages of his leadership. Obote depended on rival factions within the party to lead UPC for a long time. In Toro, he clandestinely supported a rival UPC group called ‘KAGOROGORO’ under Rwambarali against another one under Samson Rusoke. That is how he run his shows in UPC for a long time till the day called Mulindwa happened in 1985.
- During the 1980 General elections in Kampala, most of the Acholis soldiers in Mbuya, Nagulu, Makindye and Lubiri voted for DP because traditionally most of the Acholis were DP supporters. They were just ‘chakamuchakasised’ or brainwashed by their Acholi leaders in the army (the Bazilios) to start supporting the Langi president and UPC because most of their sons had been recruited in the army and in the public service during Obote times. The Obote army was dominated by Acholis and Langis during Obote. We shall see in 2011 if the Acholis will change this image and instead vote for a southerner even if Robert Mao or Olara Otunu stands.
- On 2nd March 1983, Obote announced the promotions of Major General Tito Okello to the rank of Lieutenant General and also promoted Brigadier Oyite Ojok to the rank of Major General. This was done as a ‘thank you’ to both the Acholis and Langis for helping Obote rig the 1980 elections and retain political power. This Lango-Acholi alliance eventually collapsed when the Acholis learnt that Obote and Oyite Ojok(both Langi by tribe) were promoting more of the Langi officers than the Acholis( who were the majority in the army). Obote also ensured that the battalions around Kampala were commanded by the Langis because he did not trust the Acholis. Eventually, this mistrust led to Obote being kicked out later one and Tito Okello( a langi) taking over. So the day the baganda call ‘Mulindwa’ was initiated not by the southerners but by the sectarian army Obote built. Probably, this may also explain how Museveni is fertilising his downfall by promoting mostly people from his region at the expense of other tribes.
We should take French based Ugandan jouranlist,Billie Kadameri’s comments about the still exisiting bad blood between the Acholis and Langis seriously. There is a rumour going on that the Acholis in the army and abroad have been grooming Olara Otunu as the future president of Uganda since the days when the Langis(Obotes) were in power.
Nevertheless, I have listened to several of Olara Otunu’speeches and interviews and he seems to be very good and articulate in what he is talking about. He singlehandedly exposed the problems in northern and sold the ‘genocide’ idea to the international community. Last time, I listened him, it was in 2006 when he was hosted on Andrew Mwenda’s KFM when he was tussling issues out with General Tinyenfunza.
Otunu is also remembered during the reign of Iddil Amin when he was the Guild president of Makerere University in the 70s. At a meeting in 1973, between the minister of Education, Brigadier Barnabas Kili, and the students at the campus, Otunu attacked the Amin regime, accusing it of neglecting the welfare of the masses and accused government officials of fattening like pigs because of corruption. He later fled the country immediately after these attacks on Amin’s dictatorship.
I still think that UPC should give the young blood in Ochieno Joseph a chance to take the party forward although I’m pretty sure that whoever becomes the party chief will never become a president of Uganda during our life time.
Byebyo Ebyange
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Why are politicians killed in Uganda?
03 Jun 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics, Presidency
UAH members,
Some of these problems have been created by the politicians themselves
and I don’t know if we will ever go back to ‘normal’. Politicians in
Uganda don’t want to bridge the gap between themselves and the people
they lead. They isolate themselves so much. For instance, recently
while i was in Uganda there were so many instances that we had to be
stopped on Entebbe road because a certain leader or ‘MUKULU’ was going
somewhere. I have been seeing this situation since I was a kid and I’m
surprised that it is still going on. They stop all cars from moving
because president Museveni or Janat Museveni is also moving. How will
Museveni get to know the problems of traffic or the pot holes on the
road if he is not allowed to feel the same situation.Please Katerega
or Aisha Kabanda, tell the president and other leaders to stop
inconveniencing Ugandans on this. Recently, I bumped into David
Blanket (former UK labour minister) on a street in Bradford when I was
going to Morrison super market and he was as free as a bird. I started
wondering why we can’t really be the same in Africa.
Secondly, it was another politician called Dr.Obote who started this
system of eliminating political opponents stupidly because he wanted
to cement his leadership in the 1960s. Thus, guys like Brigadier
Okoya, Lieutenant Colonel Omoya, Zacharia Babukiika, Denis Mundere,
Martin Aroma, Daudi Ochienge and others were eliminated physically in
this way. Okoya was shot and killed at his house in Gulu by soldiers
in uniform though some people contend that the first FRONASA
operatives might have been involved in this murder. During the 1960s,
so many baganda were killed at Nakulabye on orders of politicians.
So this bad behaviour has been passed on from one leader to the other
and from one generation to the other. You go for some body’s wife in
Uganda, the first thing the husband thinks of is to kill the ‘lover
boy’ and not go to the police. Obote started it, Amin followed him and
now we hear that Museveni is also doing it. There are several people
that have died under Museveni whose deaths are questionable. People
like Dr.Andrew Kayiira, Noble Mayombo, and others died under
mysterious circumstances and people are still waiting for answers. So
unless, we get a president who will introduce a real fundamental
change in Uganda, the fact is that whoever joins politics in Uganda
will always live under fear of his or her life. This trend was started
in 1960s and it does not look like it is going away very soon.
Abbey
Akena Pojok was a member of the ‘Third Force’
13 Jun 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history
Hello Ocaya and other UAH members,
As we continue to show that FDC and NRMO are two different parties, let us now use Akena Pojok as a historic case study- to show that people can fall out with party leaders and form their own parties:
1. Akena Pojok,just like Museveni Yoweri, had top leadership ambitions in both UPC and UPM.He was more like Museveni in his presidential planning as they both recognised the use of the gun to reach their final destinations. As Museveni formed FRONASA, Akena formed jis own military group, independent of Obote’s Kikosi Mahalum, which he called Save Uganda Movement(SUM). His group included fighters like: Colonel Zedi Maruru, Liutenant Colonel Omaria, Major Kimumwe and others.
2. However, it should be stressed that Akena Pojok was an Oboteist before joining the ‘third force’ and he played a great role during the Moshi conference. Before the Moshi Conference was convened,Obote and UPC had planned to send several ‘bayaye’ groups to help them create a majority in the conference. As such,UPC was officially represented by a group led by Dr.Luwuliza Kirunda but they had their ‘bayaye’ or bogus groups among which included groups led by: Otema Alimadi, Akena Pojok and Paulo Muwanga. This is how Obote controlled the moshi conference using a remote control in his sitting room somewhere in Tanzania and it worked for him perfectly very well.
3. Akena Pojok started falling out with UPC in 1980 when Obote failed to organise a delegates conference for fear of being removed from party leadership. Akena Pojok and Adonia Tiberondwa then decided to form a group rumoured to be called ‘UPC-without Obote’. Later on,Tiberondwa ‘KATEGAYED’ or chickened out for fear of losing his ministerial post, but Akena Pojok soldiered on for a while. Nevertheless, Obote realised that he had to do something and that’s why he called for a delegates conference in November 1980. Obote’s conference had no agenda other than rubberstamping several resolutions and confirming Obote as the leader. Let us hope that Mukyala Miria Obote will not borrow this because he wants to endorse his son as the new leader.
4. When Akena Pojok realised that there was no life left for him in the UPC, he put his efforts more on ‘UPC-without Obote’ which later came to be called the ‘third force after getting a lot of support outside the party. The third force eventauly became UPM with Museveni(former UPC) elected as its leader and Bidandi Ssali(another former UPC) becoming the secretary General. So can we really say that UPM which later came to be called NRM is the same as UPC because of its founders? Definitely not
5. Lastly, I think Akena Pojok later on also ‘KATEGAYED’ and moved back to UPC after failing to become the leader of UPM-because he stood on UPC ticket in Gulu west and won confortably in the 1980 parliamentary elections. I think this is the reason why Mr. Ocaya thinks that he was never a member of the ‘third force’.
FDC IS DIFFERENT FROM NRM
13 Jun 2009 13 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, FDC, history, Politics
People who say that FDC and NRMO are the same don’t know what they are talking about. Yes, some of its founders were former members of NRM but all parties in Uganda apart from DP have had a chunk of members of other parties prior to their formations.
When UPC was formed in the 1960s, it took a big chunk of DP and Kabaka Yekka(KY) members. There is rumor that Mayanja Nkanji was recruited into UPC while studying at Oxford University in the UK, and that’s why Obote did everything in his powers to lobby for him to become the Katikiiro of Buganda after Michael Kintu was sacked. In return, Mayanja Nkanji helped Obote to get the KY/UPC alliance against DP. Well did the crossing of DP and KY members to UPC turn UPC into a DP or KY? The answer is No.
In 1980 UPC also lost a big chunk of its members to DP. Some of these included: Dr. Martin Aliker, Professor Yoweri Kyesimira, Dr.Kazungu, Dr.Muzira, Wilson Lutaya, Matia Ngobi, James Kahigiriza,Nekyon, Alex Waibale, and many others who had abandoned the sinking ship with driven by late Captain Dr.Obote. Did this make DP a UPC? No.
Let us also look in details how Uganda Peoples Movement (UPM) which later evolved itself into NRM/NRA came to be formed. Let it be known that most of the founders of UPM were former UPCs. When UNLF stopped being in existence and Binaisa was out of the office, some members of UPC who did not want to join DP thought of forming a new party. At first, they called themselves the ‘third force’. This group was led by Akena Pojok(then minister of Transport and a UPC), Opira (former deputy chief of intelligence in Obote 1),Erisa Kironde(chairman of UEB in Obote1),Ruhakana Rugunda(then deputy minister of health), Bidandi Ssali(then minister of local Administrations),Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and other UPCs. The Third force also recruited from DP territory and they managed to get guys like: Matia Kasajja of Hoima, Bernard Buzaabo, Dr. Bwambale and so many other DP supporters. They also went for neutrals and the biggest fish they got was Professor Tarsis Kabwegyere.
Besigye and Sebugwawo in 2006 election campaigns
This ‘third force’ came up with a better name: ’Uganda Labour Congress’ in May 1980 which they later changed into UPM. Museveni(FORMER UPC) was chosen the leader of UPM. Guys like Yona Kanyomoozi, Ephraim Kamuntu, Dr. Ezra Nkwasiibwe, Kabwegyere and Pojok did not want Museveni to become the leader of UPM but they failed to block it. Actually, Kabwegyere later decided to join DP. So basically when one analyses all these political parties, they have been almost formed by the same people from older parties.
In addition, having a similarity in some policies does not make FDC an extension of NRM. The fact remains that FDC policies are generally different from NRM. For instance, the FDC election manifesto 2006 was talking about “Delivering Social Security for All” and they promised “strategies to ensure sustainable incomes for senior citizens …who have no pension cover…..They will have a monthly stipend provided by the state”. This wasn’t in the NRMO manifesto but instead (NRMO) promised ‘prosperity for all’ or ‘ Bonna Baggagawale’ which Dr. Besigye was criticizing recently while in Busoga.
I must also mention that NRM has been copying FDC and Besigye’s policies since 2001 when Besigye stood as an independent. They copied the ‘delivering the social security for all’ (FDC, 2006) and ‘getting rid of graduation tax’ (Besigye, 2001) policies. If NRMO manifesto or policies was an essay, they could easily have been accused of plagiarism because they don’t reference the sources where they get their policies from.
Mr. Augustine Ruzindana also wrote something interesting in the Monitor newspaper which got pro-federalists like me smiling. I think he was responding to some Ugandans who asked for FDC’s proposed draft on federalism. In his article on September 4, 2009, he wrote:’….. *Finally, in my last article the allusion to the FDC position on federalism has resulted in demands for documentation. After explaining that in a federal system each state/region/province would have a constitution providing for qualifications for leadership I concluded as follows: “The FDC has worked out an arrangement the various regions would have such constitutions”. This was already stated in the 2006 FDC election manifesto, page 9, thus: “The FDC will uphold the aspirations of Uganda in respect of a Federal System of governance as contained in the Justice Odoki and Prof Sempebwa Constitutional Reports. ……..…”.“Within the first year of the FDC Government, we will institute a genuine dialogue for the establishment of a Federal System of Governance”.
The NRM manifesto of 2006 was talking about issues such as: professionalising the army and police force, women emancipation, UPE and USE, industrialisation of Uganda……. and more ‘paper lies’. UPE and USE are functional but not effective. They still need more planning and improvement provided donors don’t pull out of the deal.
Having said this, I don’t see anything wrong with parties having some similarity in policies. For instance, I would love FDC to come up with a better planned UPE or USE program than that of NRMO. Policies are designed using empirical data and opinions among the Uganda population. Then, after a policy has been implemented by the party in power, the people responsible look at the results to determine whether the policies were efficacious. It is not easy to tell whether the results were CAUSED by the policy, but there is a STRONG correlation that a bad policy will always produce bad results.
With UPE, I think the policy itself is ok, its just that it was either not well planned or wrongly implemented. Another problem is that most of Museveni’s policies are based on prejudices and fears and not on results.
Therefore, it is totally unfair for anybody to say that FDC is NRM or NRM is UPC or PPP is NRM and UPC. These are dirty politics UPC used to play in the 1980S by telling northerners not to vote for DP because they were going to be enslaved by southerners. It’s dirty politics which should not be given room in Uganda if we are to move forward.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
// abbeysemuwemba@googlemail.com//
United Kingdom
UPC should not point fingers at anybody
15 Jun 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history
UPC supporters,
If you can reach out to the members of UPC NEC, please kindly ask them to stop attacking FDC or DP or any other party for the sake of future democracy of Uganda. Oh, they may be allowed to attack NRM or Museveni(1990-2009) but not the pre-1986 Museveni or NRM. I told you that UPC should stop pointing fingers at anybody because whatever is happening now under Museveni(1990-2009) did happen under UPC. What I have failed to understand up to now is why some people from the north that experienced first hand experience on the murders, intimidation and thuggery that went on during Obote 2 are the same people supporting UPC now indirectly or directly. I remember you, Mr.Mulindwa, telling us how you suffered under UPC but I don’t know what is driving you to sympathise or support this party. One of UAH former members, Mr.Oryema Johnson, suffered at the hands of UPC when he was studying at Makerere university in the 1980s such that he and the then Guild president, Opiyo Oloya, ended up finishing their studies from Canada. But I used to be astonished every time I heard Mr. Oryema sounding a bit sympathetic to this party. Both Oryema and Opiyo are in the same age bracket as Major General. Mugisha Muntu and they all harbour leadership ambitions. When they were terrorised by Obote’s army in the 1980s, Oryema and Opiyo went into exile while Muntu went to the bush to fight.
The Obote army intimidated and killed a lot of students at Makerere university in the 1980s purely because they wanted to devise ways of either UPC dominating the Guild or closing it altogether if UPC couldn’t have it. At one time, one George Bwanika was shot and damped in Namanve forests. UPC used the offices of the then Dean of students, George Kihuguru and the Deputy Vice chancellor,Gingera-Pinycwa, to plung the whole university into chaos with the help of obviously the army.
On 20th February 1981, Obote invited some UPC student supporters and Mr.Kihuguru for a meeting at state house and this is where they devised the plan to get rid of the then Guild president, Opiyo Oloya. I think this guy is now writing for the New Vision as I have read several articles authored by him in that paper. After this meeting, UPC students broke into the offices of the Guild, looted files, beat up the Guild officials and announced that they had overtaken Opiyo’s government. The whole thing was done in Amin style and then you wonder where Idd Amin learnt these coup tactics from.
You wrote:’ the moment you state that the Ugandans of Mukura that were murdered in train tanks were murdered by UPDF commanded by some leaders of FDC, the Nsubugas play no speak English’. Now let me also use this opportunity to see if the Mulindwas will pretend like they don’t speak English after the following revelations about some Ugandans killed just only in this very month we are in, June/July 1981:
· Lt.Col.William Ndahendekire: shot dead by UNLA soldiers who emptied 2 magazines (60 bullets) in him infront of his family in his house in Mbarara.This fella was a sandhurst graduate but that’s how we lost him
· Byaruhanga: he was a police inspector, Special Branch, Kasese. He was arrested in his office by the soldiers and taken to their barracks where they murdered him from
· Edward Sempebwa: former District Commissioner, Kasese Distict. He was picked from a pal’s house and killed in Jinja
· Watabe:DC,Mukono. He was shot dead by soldiers after an alleged attack by the Museveni rebels on Mukono police station
· Jacob of the Marian Brothers,Kisubi: he was gunned down in broad day light near Kisubi, Entebbe
· Fred Luswata: General Manager, Uganda Tea Authority. He was shot dead by soldiers at his Bunamwaya home which they also looted without any ENSONYI
· Amina Nalukenge: she was business woman at Kawempe.She was shot dead without any mercy of killing a woman
· Hajji ISMAIL: Resident of Mukono: shot dead by the same soldiers who killed watabe
· Hajji Abbasi Kibazo: Chairman Uganda Taxi OPERATORS Cooperative Union. He was arrested from his office in Kampala and taken to Makindye Barracks where they did what Bayaye call ‘OKUMUMIZA OMUSSU’
· E.T.C
Yes All sane Ugandans do regret incidents like Mukula and Kayiira Murders and we hope that those who worked with Museveni while he was on top of things and they are now part of other parties (FDC or DP or PPP), will help us to get to the bottom of it with time inishallah. At the moment, it is realistically difficult for these guys to just open their mouths but I believe they will when Uganda is free for every body.
But it is important for UPC to just continue working with other parties without pointing any fingers because they will create political capital for Museveni and NRMO. Let them play their part in the current political environment very quietly while they also sort out their internal problems by: rebranding themselves; getting rid of the Obotes; encouraging the opposition to unite……….. and then we shall see.
Nze Bwendaba
Abbey
Fascism in UPC exposed
15 Jun 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, UPC current politics
1.One UPC supporter called Edward Mulindwa wrote:’ ……The fascistic hatred you have for the Obote family makes one wonder whether you are a bonafide fascist…..’.I think this was uncalled for but for the sake of the debate, let us let readers here judge for themselves. Fascism first crystallized in Europe in response to the Bolshevik Revolution and the devastation of World War I, and then spread to other parts of the world. If it is a post-WWII occurrence it should be called neofascist or neofascism unless it solely involves participants in older movements. The first political party to entrench fascism or neo-fascism in Uganda is UPC. What makes UPC neofascists is because they reinterpreted FASCIST ideology and strategy in various ways to fit new circumstances happening in Uganda since the 1960s.
Ugandans have been fighting UPC fascist policies as far as 1960s. When Obote illegally aborogated the constitution in 1966 and declared himself president,resistance was short lived and mainly limited to Buganda, but when he tried again to force himself and his UPC ideologies on us in the 1980s, the resistance was bigger than before and that’s why it succeeded. So how can anybody call Abbey a fascist or neo fascist when you have got a fascist party occupying the tax payers’ ‘Uganda House’.
If up to now, UPC supporters don’t believe that the 1980 elections were rigged, then they will never believe anything and i will just drop this one.However, the August 1983 cabinet itself Obote formed after stealing the elections reflects the fascist ideology and policies of UPC. The 1967 constitution itself Obote used to form a cabinet and open up parliament was not respected after stealing the elections. Because Obote did not stand as an MP somewhere nor specifically elected by the UPC parliamentary group,he broke the law to allow himself to be sworn in as a member of parliament. UPC had no respect for laws or constitutions as some people in the present government. Paulo Muwanga who was appointed as VP also fell in the same category. Both Obote and Muwanga and their party were law breakers and neo-facsists first class. As if it’s not enough,Obote then made himself an imposter MP(without a constituency), president and minister of finance at the same time.On the otherhand, Obote made Paulo Muwanga- the minister of Foreign affairs, the VP and minister of Defence(as if the Mulindwas weren’t interested).
Out of the 50 ministers in Obote’s 1983 government, there were only 5 Baganda yet Baganda were about 26% of the whole population. The Muslims who were approximately 6.6% of the whole population did not have any sneeze in that fascist cabinet. On the otherhand, the protestants were 28.2% of the whole population and were given 40 ministerial appointments.The catholics who were the majority(still the majority in the country) got only 9 ministers. Mbu UPC is not a fascist party and does not do tribalism,which kind of defence is that?
2. Just to let you know that when you kill a person in Uganda evenif there are no street cameras, we have still got something called GHOSTS. Actually, there is a film called the ‘GHOST’ if you wanna watch it. So don’t think that because nobody took a picture of Obote’s meetings or could come up with a video of the 1980 murders, we don’t know that Ugandans were killed under UPC watch.So those who commited murder in 1980s and went away with it will soon die and get their punishment in heaven.
3.I would like UPC supporters to crosscheck with Opiyo in Canada because i’m telling the truth.Before Opiyo, there was a UPC Guild president in the names of Welikhe Watuwa who was the first to abrogate the constitution of the Guild(just like Obote did in 1966)-because he(Welikhe) was simply a fascist or rather neo-fascist.So a resolution of vote of no confidence was introduced and tabled in the Guild General Assembly to boot him out. Opiyo Oloya was the one that was elected to replace Welikhe and in the press release of 6th Dec 1980, Opiyo warned that the majority of students he represented wouldn’t recognise any govt that would come in power illegally or fraud.So when UPC stole the election, they booted him out and that’s how he ended up in Canada. So go and ask him nicely with a cup of coffee, he will tell you everything you need to know.
Abbey
UNCIRCUMCISED MEN ‘TEBAMALAKO’
09 Jul 2009 1 Comment
Kampala international hospital
Dear readers,
There is a lot of research I have read around this topic and I think I understand where some people are coming from who are against circumcission. However, I’m gonna take the side I would like to sell to the Uganda public which is: men should go for circumcision or take their baby boys for circumcision as soon as possible.
It’s true that circumcision is a painful experience as it was done to me when I was above the baby stage. They deceived me that they were taking me to Kampala city for a ride and I woke up in Kawolo hospital. I think I remember this pain because I was a bit older when it was done but I don’t think babies do remember this pain when they grow up. Yes, when there are still babies or infants, they feel and express this pain in stereotypic ways involving vocalization, facial expression, body movements and autonomic activity but they later become OK and smile normally. The wound would heal normally without undue bleeding or infection, and that the outcome will be just a ‘normal circumcised penis’.
One Ugandan called Mulindwa Edward asked:‘………… Abbey Ssemuwemba must be thrown out the window for he claims that circumcising men does have an effect on their sexual enjoyment. How does Abey make this conclusion when he has never experienced the side of being uncircumcised?’’
One does not need to be circumcised or uncircumcised first to know the advantages or disadvantages of circumcision. Let me elaborate: when a man has got that foreskin still intact on their penis, he feels greater sexual sensation during sex due to the greater sensitivity of the protected glans, and that the foreskin is an erogenous zone in itself. A foreskin and its full complement of ‘neuroreceptors’ (as scientists call them) can easily make the uncircumcised man to come or ejaculate very fast thus leaving a woman in limbo. This is the time women start thinking: ‘Oh, AMALIDE BISELA BYANGE’ meaning the man has literally wasted her time. The uncircumcised feel a little bit too much more than the uncircumicsed men and this is where the problem comes from.
Since circumcised men have no feeling in their foreskin (in fact, no foreskin at all), the only form of stimulation comes in the form of pressure on the head and the shaft of the penis, and in the orgasm itself. This helps the uncircumcised to prolong during love making and thus helping the women to enjoy the whole game for longer. Forget about Mirima’s explanation about styles and stuff like that because those are just what we call ‘icing on the cake’ or ‘having a soda while eating at the same time’.
Lastly, uncircumcised men often experience pain during their primary sexual act while circumcised males do not. This is because the ‘frenulum’ is removed, along with the foreskin, during the circumcision operation. If you may allow me to become a biology teacher for a second,…… the uncircumcised penis contains a certain piece of skin called the frenulum – that is attached to both the prepuce and the glans of the penis. The frenulum serves the same purpose as the hymen in virgin girls/women, i.e. as a barrier to unwanted or premature sexual activity. During the first act of intercourse (or masturbation), the frenulum is torn from the mucous membrane that keeps it in place, a change that subsequently allows the foreskin to be fully retracted over the entire ‘head’ of the penis. Similarly, for women the hymen is broken during the first sexual act (though, of course, it could also be broken for reasons completely unrelated to sexual activity).
So tell me people: what is wrong with a baby boy feeling that pain when they get circumcised that will allow them to satisfy their future partners or wives and also save them from that pain when they have their first sexual experience, obviously apart from other advantages known by everybody
Just think about it
Abbey
MP Wilfred Kajeke resignation is historical
15 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in parliament
The resignation of Mbale Municipality MP Wilfred Kajeke is one thing that will not go down unnoticed in the history of Uganda. It’s not a light matter considering the country where we come from where every man is more like for himself. I’m still surprised that Kajeke made this kind of decision not because it isn’t easy, considering what was happening in the country, but it takes a real man to do what he did. Most people cannot leave that parliament willingly as we all remember the case of Brigadier Tumukunde after he run into trouble with the regime in power.Most Ugandans can do everything possible to be or remain members of the parliament.
In South Korea in the year 2006, a member of the opposition party, Mr. Choi Yeon-hee, refused to give up his parliament seat after he was found grabbing the breasts of a female reporter while drunk. He only accepted to resign from the party’s secretary-general post and quit the party but not from the parliament. In South Africa, Mandella’s ex-wife, Madikizela-Mandela was found guilty on 43 charges of fraud and 25 of theft in the Pretoria court but she never immediately resigned her seat in parliament.
Therefore, Kajeke’s resignation can be seen either as a protest to a bad government and parliament or it can become the first step in the accountability process in parliament. Mr.Kajeke reminds me of the resignation of England’s Robin Cook(RIP) before the Iraq war, the difference being that Kajeke is not a member of Museveni’s cabinet as Cook was a member of Tony Blair’s government. Three days later in his landmark resignation speech, Robin Cook made the first public declaration that US companies had sold anthrax to Iraq. It took a real man for Robin to say what he said then.
Without thinking about the reduction in the number of FDC MPs in parliament, Kajeke’s powerful reasons for resignation have won him great respect within the opposition and those within the NRM with a subconscious mind. He cited a lot of reasons for his resignation but I’m going to stick with the issue of corruption that has embedded the Museveni government for a long time.
President Museveni’s reign will probably be remembered as the most corrupt in Uganda’s history. Almost the whole system is now designed to bury corruption, not expose it. Complaining about the corrupt is now more like wastage of time because if the complaints are all swept under the rug and everyone knows that complaining is futile, they don’t exist, right? NRMO and corruption go together like bacon and eggs in restaurants in the UK where I live.
Kajeke is summarily telling us that we must never again give our votes to the corrupt. More than anything else he is telling us that we have a moral duty to protect our country against corruption and other evils happening now. It is down to us to stop our governments. It is our duty to stand up and to demand the resignation of all MPs who are responsible for the removal of presidential term limits because of the Ug shs.5m bribe and arguably now the arrogance of those in power who thinks that their words are now laws themselves in the country. We must remember that voting in a non-ethical politician makes us all into active shareholders in a criminal company.
Abbey
M7 was once a DP supporter
16 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, Politics
Dear all,
How could any one have separated a supporter, sympathiser and a member efficienly at that time in the 1960s when Museveni was arguably a DP member or supporter.All i know is that there is a thin line between a supporter, sympathiser and a member because at the end of the day each group end up voting for the same party on election day.So it is so likely that Museveni voted for DP at that time when he was ‘whatever category’ some DP members wanna put him.
The fact of the matter is that the Bahima were traditionally DP supporters before NRM and Museveni changed this. The Bahima supported DP for historical reasons in Ankole. Just before independence the protestants who were sharing power with the Bahima protestants wanted to snatch power from the Bahima aristocratic system(Obugabe of Ankole). Therefore, the Bahima allied with the Catholics to foil the Bahiru protestant move. When DP was therefore formed in the 1950s, nearly all of them joined DP. That’s how the Muhiru prime minister, Nganwa, was toppled in 1962 and replaced with a catholic called Kabeirebo John.What i cannot definitely tell you is whether all the Bahima that joined DP at that time were DP card holders or not. There is a possibility that one was mainly identified with a certain party because they were openly supporting or sympathising with it, and if that was the case, then Museveni was a once member of DP.
This reminds us of the time in early 1980 when Professor Lule was planning to come back to bid for the DP leadership and then the then executive started panicking by saying that he wasn’t a DP ‘member’ or card holders as you called them.This did not however STOP DP card holders such as: Sam Njuba,Sam Sabagereka, George Kalanzi, Christopher Ntabazi, Sam mukasa, Paulo Kavuma ,……from campaigning for the ‘supporter’(LULE) without a card.Lule himself had to hold a press conference while in Nairobi to declare that he had joined the party in 1959 when Ben kiwanuka was the president general. So if i may ask, is Lule now remembered as a DP ‘supporter’, ‘member’ or just a ‘sympathiser’? OR does DP only categorise people when it suits them?
One DP member called Lawrence Mukasa wrote:’……………. Re-read Bwengye’s “The Agony of Uganda” (Regency Press), it is a long time since I read it, but the facts are that Museveni came to DP leaders and asked them to give him the party leadership.….’’
According to Bwengye(1985),Museveni never approached the DP leaders as it was the other way round. In the first week of May,Bwengye was informed of the imminent launching of the party called ‘Uganda Labour Congress’ and that Museveni was behind it. In order to stop this launch,Bwengye in his capacity as the Sec General of DP made a personal approach to Museveni to persuade him to join DP instead. Museveni was later again met by other DP ‘generals’ in his office NOT their offices, in the Nile Mansion, a delegation that included 3 people:Dr.Semogerere,Boniface Byanyima and Bwengye himself.
Museveni agreed to rejoin DP as ‘ his people at home,including his own father, were all DP supporters’.He later changed his mind and the rest is now history. Just open page 95 of the book and you will find everything there.
As regards DP and FEDERO as an historical tie, EBYO NZE SINDIBIMANYI as Kayanda used to say in a certain song that goes like:’Kayanda onkwatira otya kumukyala wange.Lelo luno Nkusse’
Byebyo Munange
Abbey
UPC should emulate PKK and NRM to change its name
21 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
Dear UAH,
I don’t know why some UPC supporters are so obscessed with the name UPC because its associated with a lot of things in Uganda that makes some of us feel like we have had dinner as chilli sauce and chilli burgers coupled with chilli juice. Names of parties are just political definitions which can change with times. Some of the UPC ‘Generals’ have acknowledged that some Ugandans have grown uncomfortable with the term. So it needs changing, as simple as that.
NRMO did not start as NRMO.It has been changing with the times and that is what i called rebranding the party.UPM was changed to Uganda Liberation Movement when some UNLA soldiers joined them. Uganda Liberation Movement later changed to MOSPOR(Movement for the Struggle for Political Rights) which later also changed to Peoples resistance Army(PRA)-more like a replica of the alleged rebel organisation MBU started by Besigye in 2004. PRA later united with Uganda Freedom Fighters(UFF) of professor Lule to form NRM.
Museveni saw it necessary to unite with professor Yusuf Lule because he needed the Baganda and some DP on board to fight the Obote dictatorship. He therefore met Lule in Nairobi while Lule was residing at one of his brother’s house.Lule’s brother is called Kabanda whom i personally know as a relative though we aren’t friends. The bottom line here is that one sometimes need to form alliances with others if one wants to achive something.UPC need to cooperate with other opposition parties to fight Museveni in the 2011 elections.The current IPC can compared to the alliance NRM formed with the UFM(of Kayiira) and the UNRF when they met in London to form what is called Uganda Popular Front(UPF).
UPC therefore should not be afraid of changing its name and also joining the IPC wholeheardetly because it is very necessary. By the way,It was also rumored that MJ was considering changing the name of neverland to ‘Hardly EverLand’ before he died. UPC can also out of ‘patriotism’ change ‘Uganda House’ to ‘Uganda’s Taxpayers’ House’ because it was allegedly built using tax payers’s money.
Political leaders have also changed their names dependimg on circumstances. For instance, Russia’s Lenin was once called Ulianov while Stalin was once called Dzygasgvuku. Probably, Hon Akena was wise not take Obote’s name on board because it would have reminded some of us the ‘chilli’ dinners coupled with gun shots in the evening.But who knows, Akena may change his name in future to ‘Jimmy AKena Kalule’ because his mother is a Muganda.
Cities have also changed names because names are not religions as Mulindwa wants us to believe. For instance, India’s Bombay was changed to Mumbai as China’s Peking to Beijing , both reverting to the correct name from a pre-colonial era.
Terrorist also do some rebranding when they want to join the ‘political cake’. For instance,the terrorist group in northern Iraq, known until 2002 as the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and then as the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK) changed its name to KONGRA-GEL because they realised that the former names were reminding people of ‘chilli’ dinners yet people want to continue eating their MATOOKE and KAWUNGA in peace.
Byebyo munange
Abbey
Both DP and Military Commission never wanted Professor Lule to come back in 1980
21 Jul 2009 1 Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history
We all know that Museveni was once a member of DP and UPC before he became NRM or NRMO or whatever it is at the moment. CP and UPM are off springs of UPC.
Both the DP EXECUTIVE and the millitary government or commision never wanted Lule to come back. It is believed that Lule wrote to the Chairman of the Military Commission(MC),Muwanga, asking for permission to come back.Muwanga then wote to the then DP executive seeking their advice about this but to Lule’s disappointment, the DP executive wrote back to say that they had nothing officially to to do with Lule’s return to Uganda. In otherwords, the Bwengyes,Ssemogereres and the like did throw Prof Lule into the hands of the Lion without any fight. However,DP promised to welcome him as any other party member(not supporter) but they were not so much bothered about pressing the MC for his urgent security.
DP exective also sent a delegation led by Zachary Olum to go and tell Lule in person that the party had nothing to do with his return. The delegation also scared him off by revealing that his return was unsafe. The fact of the matter was the DP executive did not want Lule to come back as guys like Semogerere and Bwengye risked losing their posts within the party in the looming delegates conference.They also feared and they were right that Lule’s return would divide the party which wasnt in their best interests at the time.
When Lule realised that these guys were doing everything possible to block his return, his supporters formed an interim executive committe chaired by another DP CARD HOLDER,professor Senteza Kajubi. They then started negotiating with Yoweri Museveni(as Vice chairman of the MC) directly to help them guarantee the safe return of Professor Lule. Museveni initially gave them assurances that Lule would be protected but only lateron to connive with the Muwangas and Oyite Ojokos to stop Lule from coming back.
Ugandans are also right to say that ‘DP decided to organise a parallel function in Bushenyi the day Prof. Lule was coming spearheaded by the then Publicity Secretary of the Party Dr. Kawanga Ssemwogere’.However, they later got AKAKUBA NSONYI or ‘BANATULABA BATYA’ and decided to send Bwengye,James Kahigiriza and Bernard Buzaabo to go and join the people that were welcoming Lule at the Entebbe International Airport.
Abbey.K.S
Nyerere indirectly imposed UPC/Obote on Uganda through Moshi and UNLF
03 Aug 2009 2 Comments
in history, Moshi conference 1979
- Uganda was under a military dictatorship under Iddil Amin during the Moshi conference and the government before Amin( Obote 1) was a semi-military government, of which both could have been only removed by either a military man or through military means. So what made Mr. Kanyeihamba and the group to underlook the military Commission during the Moshi Conference and let UPC/Museveni beat them in this game. Museveni knew that to remove a military man, you have to be a military man and that is why he formed FRONASA to prepare himself for both Obote and Amin scenarios in future. Both UPC and Museveni were very culturative in their approach to issues prior to Moshi Conference. Both UPC and Museveni knew and still know each other inside-out.Actually, Museveni feared no other party in his first 15 years of leadership more than UPC because they knew each other every well. They go back a long way.
- Kanyeihamba and his friends drafted the UNLF ‘ baby’ laws as he states in his interview below but how they missed to put a clause that makes it clear that the UNLF government was gonna be governed under the 1967 Republican constitution, i dont know. Prof Lule as Chairman of NEC just used his own initiative to start leading the country using the 1967 constitution but he later met problems as we all know. All the legal experts at Moshi just left this issue just like that for reasons best known to themselves.
- Lule was tricked into dominating his cabinet with UPC after the moshi conference such that prof matia semakula kiwanuka predicted Lule’s downfall in an interveiw on BBC at the end of April,1979 by saying that Lule will not last b’se his administration was one sided. How can any leader of an African country get himself surrounded by ‘tigers’ (UPC) instead of friendly pussy cats, i will never know. Well they say, keep your enemies closer but UPC were more than enemies and anybody with an eye for leadership, needs to watch UPC very carefully. They are very manipulative when it comes to politics. UPC wanted Obote as the president of Uganda after Amin, and both the Moshi conference and UNLF governments were just stepping stones towards that objective. The 1980 elections was a destruction that was ruthlessly dealt with though they later paid a very big price. This is what i have been telling Brother Ochieno and Mr.Matek last week before the former took me into lessons of how to spell his name yet it was an obvious typing error. The fact is that UPC never wanted to promote any democracy in Uganda after the fall of Amin.All they wanted was to be in power at all costs and Ugandans needed to do something.
- I’m happy that judge Kanyeihamba confirmed in his interview the bogus groups i keep telling UPC supporters- that were formed by UPC prior to the Moshi conference. These groups were led by Dr.Luwuliza Kirunda, Otema Alimadi, Akena Pojok, Paulo muwanga( the military uniform man who Museveni is copying these days by putting on military dressing to remind us the importance of the military in politics of Uganda).
http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4529&Itemid=59
Museveni Bunyoro proposals are comparable to Jim Crow Laws in USA
05 Aug 2009 1 Comment
in federalism in Uganda, Politics
Readers,
I beg to differ from President Museveni on the issue of Banyoro-Bafuluki. What Museveni has proposed in Bunyoro will open a can of worms he will not be able to put back in the tins. Ethnic federalism don’t accomplish the goal of unity in diversity anywhere in the world. It only empowers tribalists to disseminate messages of hate to others and this is unacceptable in a semi-democracy like Uganda. I would much rather prefer to have equal rights for all Ugandans regardless of ethnicity.
What president Museveni has proposed in his letter is unconstitutional, unequal and unjust to discriminate an individual in politics based on the ethnicity. Let everybody be given a chance and the majority will sort out the end product.
President Museveni assumes, by going with his proposals, that all folks who share the same ethnicity should agree on everything. That comes from a mindset in which all of the Banyoro people he knows think alike, which is a scary prospect, to say the least. Such fallacy is that all races and ethnicities are at the same level.People who relate every question to ethnicity just assume that their unreconstructed obsessions are Uganda’s and that the country would find them riveting. Instead the country is yawning.They are playing dangerous politics and they should be stopped.
The point I’m trying to make here is that ethnicity -based law will be used to destroy what the titular citizenry of the Uganda is trying to build here. Such a law,if approved, will hold back individuals of talent for too long. If the Banyoro in Bunyoro have got talent, they’ve nothing to fear of other tribes in their regions. Let them copy the accommodative ways of the Buganda region where all tribes are living side by side with Baganda peacefully.
What Museveni proposed in his letter is comparable to the Jim Crow laws in the old USA which were segregating the blacks, where instead of the racist claiming that some races were lesser races and could thus have their rights reduced, they now claim that because other races worked hard to get ahead, they now should be discriminated against because their ancestors worked to get ahead. Banyoro should know that discrimination is discrimination no matter how one justifies it !
The one thing we can always count on is that young people like myself will rebel against any establishment that brings such draconian laws. And in a 30 years time in Uganda liberalism and multiculturalism will be firmly established as the establishment.
Most of Museveni’s proposals can easily sail through parliament and become law because we have got a weak opposition at the moment.This country needs some form of a two-party system in a multi party environment if possible. We don’t want one party dominating politics to any great degree as is the case today in the country. We need a formidable opposition. Right now, the NRM Party is itself letting the tribalists and Museveni’s ethnic ideas drag it into oblivion as some members of the opposition are cheering and agreeing with the president as I have read somewhere.
It is indeed my hope that in the next 50 years we will not have to give preferential treatment to anyone based on ethnicity or religion.Federalism can be achieved regardless of ethicity, if all Ugandans can see the beauty of it.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Banning political parties in Uganda was necessary in 1986
06 Aug 2009 1 Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, UPC current politics
Dear readers,
The reason why I think that banning political parties, particularly UPC, was justified could be found on why Binaisa lost his presidency. If Binaisa had started by banning political parties, rather UPC, he would have lasted in that presidency as probably Museveni. You cannot organise elections in an environment that was as volatile as Binaisa and Lule’s Uganda yet they both never had armies of their own. So in terms of political strategy, Museveni and his ‘friends’ were right to ban political parties when they had just come to power in 1986. Museveni knew that at some point political space or multi partism would have to be opened up and that’s what happened in 2004.
Several groups or parties cropped up during Binaisa and this made him not to concentrate on stabilising the country first before thinking of his leadership. His leadership was threatened from the beginning due to these unbanned political groups, among which included the following:
- Uganda National Union (UNU): This was headed by Lameck Ntambi(RIP) who called on Binaisa to resign or risk being denied aid by ‘friendly countries’.
- Obote in TZ: this guy was in TZ and he kept reminding Binaisa he was coming home to stand for presidential elections as if there were no other UPC candidates in Uganda. If he had banned UPC for some time, Obote would have become weaker and probably UPC would have considered him a liability to their resources in the process of reorganising their party
- DP: This also created a problem for Binaisa as they kept fighting for multipartism instead of the so called UNLF umbrella.
- The UPC ‘gang of four’: this included Paulo Muwanga, Professor Dan Nabudere, Professor Yash Tandon, Omwony Ajwok and Edward Rugumayo. These guys used the NCC to mobilise against Binaisa and Lule big time because they wanted to prepare for Obote’s return.
- Museveni and his FRONASA: these were also ready to strike him any time they sensed any weakness or loophole anywhere.
Binaisa later realised that he should have put a stop to this political party nonsense in the first place but it was rather too late. In April 1980, Binaisa addressed a meeting of UNLF district chairmen and activists at Makerere University and said that all elections would be held under the UNLF umbrella.
On hearing this, DP was the first to send a delegation led by Semogerere Paulo, and included guys like professor Kyalwazi, Evaristo Nyanzi( probably not the one who knelt for Museveni b’se of ministerial appointment), Henry Semukutu and others , to have a 1:1 with Binaisa about Multipartism. Now you see how the man was not concentrating on other issues apart from ‘BIBINA’, consolidating his leadership and politics.
The UPC group under Luwuriza-Kirunda and notorious Rwakasisi also addressed a press conference some time later opposing Binaisa on this because they knew that it was their ticket to bring Obote back and possibly lead Uganda again. When UPC realised that Binaisa was very serious with retaining the presidency, they organised a coup since it was already their trade mark in the politics of Uganda. That Military Commision headed by Muwanga came to power through a coup: they ordered the soldiers to surround Radio Uganda, the post office and state house and putting the then president under detention.
The Musevenis were also cheering ‘AMUKUBYE’ since they were less influential at the time and just waiting for the big boys to finish their fights before they start theirs.
So how can anybody argue that UPC would not be still in power today if somebody had not taken a decision to fight them in Luwero bushes? They were not ready to follow the paths of democracy when one analyses all their actions before and after the fall of Iddil Amin Dada. They just wanted power at all costs and that was unacceptable. Good enough, they are no longer ‘tigers’ as they have been reduced to ‘parrots’(those birds that repeat words after you when in the house). Parrots are similar in behaviour as mynah birds. Nobody takes them so seriously when it comes to serious issues.
On a personal note, I’m still happy to stay in the UK at the moment; after all I’m not yet planning and probably will not plan to stand for any elective office in Uganda, unlike some people who are doing it from UK. It is like a person who plans to get a mango fruit from a mango tree using ‘OLUSOLOBYO’( a long, straight and light stick) instead of climbing the tree. In England, they use ladders or cherry pickers to get the fruits but at least they are near the fruit tree.
Byebyo Mukwano
Abbey
Multipartism and Moshi conference explained
06 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, Moshi conference 1979
Dear Ugandans,
1.UPC was the first party to ban political parties in Uganda under Obote 1 in 1968 under the famous Lugogo ceremony.
2. Yes, it is true that UPC were more experienced in politics than any other group in Uganda and that’s why i called them the ‘tigers’ (1960-1980). They wanted to use their ‘tigerish’ status in 1980 elections but a few Ugandans under the leadership of Museveni decided to take the bull by its horns and kicked them out of the ring. Since then, all peaceful Ugandans have been working towards weakening them further and restricting them to ‘Uganda House’.However, it would be credible to franchise one of the chains of restaurants in England called’ Tiger Tiger’ on one of the floors at ‘Uganda House’ for the sake of remembering the UPC of 1960s.
3.Since I’m not a politician, I’m gonna be honest with UPC supporters:when Museveni banned political parties in 1986, he was targeting mainly one group and that was UPC.Trust me, i would have done the same during that time if i was the president of this country. NRM were still ‘young’ in politics and needed to learn on the job to stabilize the country. Guys likeDr. Besigye, Tumwine, Rwomushana, Salim Saleh,…….. and Museveni himself were so young when they took over offices in 1986. Therefore, they needed no disturbances from the experienced groups such as UPC. If UPC was not around or already weak at that time, i can bet you, with all my heart, that Museveni and group would not have banned political parties in Uganda in 1986. Parties were released when everybody was sure that UPC were in a ‘nursing home’ somewhere. Most of their young cadres had left the country after the fall of Obote 2 and gone abroad to start new lives, and several of them are still living abroad. So most Ugandans are not worried about them. They don’t want to come back to Uganda because they have become comfortable abroad with some career jobs or something like that. Even the few Ochienos(like my brother,Joseph Ochieno, in London here) who make trips back home every now and then, don’t wanna leave Europe indefinitely.Ochieno went back to contest for some post in the last UPC delegates conference but he immediately came back to the UK as soon as he realised that there is less hope for him in Uganda
4.There was nothing in Moshi like ‘locking out’ as in like stopping Ugandans to attend the conference. Please, brother Ochieno, stop misleading readers. UPC wanted to cheat in the conference by bringing their majority in exile in TZ to the conference. So they had to be stopped because each group was asked to send in two representatives. However, UPC again went for their plan B of ‘cheating’ by creating bogus groups under different UPC leaders which represented them in the conference.
5.UPC or Obote’s men were ready to dominate the military Commission(MC) and UNLA as the latter was under the direct control of the former.MC comprised mainly of UPC ‘TABLIQS’ such as: Paulo Muwanga(UPC) as the chairman,Col Zedi Maruru(UPC) as its secretary, Tito Okello(UPC), Oyite Ojok(UPC), Colonel Omaria(UPC) and others. ‘Musajja watu’, Museveni, who has now turned into ‘Gusajja wattu’, was only sneaked into the position of Vice chairman of MC at the intervention of Nyerere. Obote was controlling the MC and UNLA using a remote control in his sitting room in TZ.
Byebyo
Obote and UPC inheritted their Economic program from the colonialists
19 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in history, Obote and UPC
Dear Ugandans,
If you follow the speech made by Sir Andrew Cohen, the former Governor of Uganda at a joint meeting of the Royal African Society and the Royal Empire Society in 1957 before he handed the tools of leadership to Sir Frederick Crawford, then you will realise that Obote 1 inherited a good future plan from the British after our independence. Whether he implemented it well or not, that is another issue. I stand to be corrected with facts if I’m wrong on this.
Uganda under Governor Cohen had a five-year development programme, from 1955 to 1960, involving capital expenditure of some £30m by the Government and another £8m to £10m for the Uganda Electricity Board. Frederick extended this programme though the independence in 1962 caught up with him. So Obote took over and continued with the program implementation.
Under Cohen, agricultural organisations and farm institutes were introduced under the aegis of Agricultural Enterprises Ltd.,a subsidiary of the State-owned Uganda Development Corporation.These things did not start with Obote as they were already being implemented. The mining industry was already functional when Obote took over .The textile factory and Kilembe copper and cobalt mine were in production. Other projects are going forward.
The Uganda Development (UDC) was set up with the aim of bringing private enterprise into partnership in these important projects. Things like electricity, road and railway construction and rural and urban water supplies were already in place when Obote took over.
Cooperatives which Museveni killed were introduced during the British time and Obote just strengthened the implementation process. This was a process intended to help Africans to play a larger part in trade and commerce. So long as commerce was mainly confined to Asians and Europeans there was a state of unbalance which held back the country. There were already 1,300 co-operative societies in Uganda before Cohen handed the administration to another governor. Their total turnover was £4 m a year. There were ten co-operative-owned ginneries. The Bugisu co-operative union, the biggest in the country, was playing a large part in the marketing of the arabika coffee. Also there were technical institutes put in place for the advancement of Africans in trade. The Public Service Commission was set up with the task of promoting the appointment of local people and the maintenance of standards in the civil service. Scholarships were set up and educational colleges built to get qualified people for the jobs. Regardless of the above, I think Uganda benefitted a lot from Obote’s first presidency economically though he made political blunders along the way which are haunting UPC up to now particularly attacking the Lubili in Mengo.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Differences between Luwero-Museveni war and Kony war
19 Aug 2009 1 Comment
in luwero war after 1980 'theft'
The problem with some UPC supporters is that they just take things at face value without critically analysing issues. Now let us analyse the internal dynamics of the war before they start comparing the silly Joseph Kony war and the NRA war (1980-86) again.
First of all, there is a difference between the conventional war and an irregular war (guerrilla war). Conventional wars have clear front lines in which attacks take place mostly from barricades and stable positions. Violence against civilians and combatants takes place in clearly distinguished spaces. Civilians are generally isolated from the battlefield: while some may live close to the frontlines, or even go there to visit combatants, their life is somewhat independent from the events taking place in it. The American Civil war (1861-1865) was a typical example of a conventional civil war. We have not had that kind of war in Uganda history since independence.
In Guerrilla wars (like Luwero Triangle), such a clear spatial distinction between battlefield and non-battlefield areas is lacking, as the war takes place unevenly all over the territory. In consequence, there is a greater mingling of civilians and combatants. So despite the fact that it is called the Luwero Triangle war, civilians were killed in other parts of the country as well. The battle lines were not limited in Luwero.
Civilians are killed in a guerrilla war when, for example, civilians hide potential victims, they help them to flee to other places; they give false indications to the groups, remain silent, or even engage in violent confrontation with the group. Going by this explanation, it is so likely that the Obote men or UNLA would be the one to exert violence on the civilian population during the Luwero Triangle war. Several people were killed between 1980 and 1985 because they were thought to be ‘Bayekela’ (rebels) or helping the ‘bayekela’. Obote had no support from Buganda where most of the killing took place. He had ‘lost’ an election in 1980 but he decided to impose himself on the people of Uganda. So the aggrieved party here were the people of Uganda.
In Kony’s case, civilians in the north are most likely killed by the rebels because of non-cooperation with an enemy or occupier (NRMO government), civilian disobedience, and ideological opposition- “civilian defence”. Actually, the war in northern Uganda is one of the trickiest civil wars in the world. It is very difficult to know who is doing the more killing between LRA and UPDF but my bet would be on LRA because they don’t have enough support where they are fighting from.
The difference between the Joseph Kony war or LRA war and Luwero Triangle war is that Joseph Kony failed to mobilise majority of the population in the north to support his cause unlike museveni who convinced majority of the population in the south of Uganda to support his cause to get rid of Obote dictatorship. Where there is a high level of mobilization of the population, armed groups are prone to target civilians in order to sweep the rears of potentially challenging enemies.
In a nutshell, there is no justification for the LRA war and that is why it is bound to end in failure. The best Kony can get out of this situation is saving his own skin. I know Mr. Matek,one of the UPC supporters, does not agree with us on this one but it is the truth.
Abbey
UPC started the rigging of elections at Makerere University
21 Aug 2009 24 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, Obote and UPC
Dear Ugandans,
UPC started rigging of elections at Makerere University. Obote 2 and Amin(a UPC member who later turned against his boss) both banned the guild offices at Makerere University because they looked at them as power threats.
Under Obote 2 the student Guild was abolished because UPC had lost popularity at Makerere. Therefore, the Guild was abolished in 1981, and the then Guild President Mr Opiyo Oloya was driven into exile. After the Guild was abolished in 1981, the UPC leaders named Mr Mbaine-a Munyankole doing Bachelor of Commerce as the new chairman.
The Obote army intimidated and killed a lot of students at Makerere university in the 1980s purely because they wanted to devise ways of either UPC dominating the Guild or closing it altogether if UPC couldn’t have it. At one time, one George Bwanika was shot and damped in Namanve forests.
UPC also used the offices of the then Dean of students, George Kihuguru and the Deputy Vice chancellor,Gingera-Pinycwa, to plunge the whole university into chaos with the help of obviously the army.
On 20th February 1981, Obote invited some UPC student supporters and Mr.Kihuguru for a meeting at state house and this is where they devised the plan to get rid of the then Guild president, Opiyo Oloya. I think this guy(Opiyo) is now writing for the New Vision as I have read several articles authored by him in that paper. After this meeting, UPC students broke into the offices of the Guild, looted files, beat up the Guild officials and announced that they had overtaken Opiyo’s government. The whole thing was done in Amin style and then you wonder where Idd Amin learnt these coup tactics from.
Before Opiyo, there was a UPC Guild president in the names of Welikhe Watuwa who was the first to abrogate the constitution of the Guild (just like Obote did abrogate the national constitution in 1966), because he(Welikhe) was simply a fascist or rather neo-fascist. When Welikhe did this, a resolution of vote of no confidence was introduced and tabled in the Guild General Assembly to boot him out. Opiyo Oloya was the one that was elected to replace Welikhe and in the press release of 6th Dec 1980, Opiyo warned that the majority of students he represented wouldn’t recognise any government that would come in power illegally or fraud.So when UPC stole the election, they booted him out and that’s how he ended up in
Canada.
Ogenga otunnu was Guild President 1982-3, and was succeeded by Okuraba who was also rigged for by the same UPC machinery. The late Paulo Muwanga also rigged for UPC’s Badru Ssebyala.
UPC is a party that trained and started rigging in Uganda. They rigged the 1980 elections because they wanted Obote to become the president of Uganda by all means.
President Museveni, a former UPC member also started where Obote stopped by rigging the elections in 2001 and 2006. He however accused UPC of rigging the 1980 elections and gave it as one of the reasons for waging a gurilla war against the then Obote government. For instance, Museveni who was in Uganda People’s Movement(UPM) in 1980, is quoted to have said that “Kategaya was a very bad UPC. He even stole our votes. He stole eight. He told us. He voted eight times”. Probably president Museveni learned all the tactics of rigging elections while still a member of UPC because he also has been taken to court for the same after the 2001 and 2006 elections.
Abbey
Why is sport not taken seriously by govt?
23 Aug 2009 1 Comment
nakivuubo stadium
Dear Ugandans,
As a lover of football particularly the premier league, I feel disturbed that our governments in Uganda have not taken sports very seriously since independence. Sports in Uganda are not taken so seriously by the government because they say there have got to put money in other more pressing areas such as health and roads. Unfortunately, even the other ‘pressing issues’ like poverty alleviation, health or infrastructure, have not improved so much from the government funding due to poor leadership and corruption.
The British colonialists gave us a good foundation in sports by forming the first international sports organization in 1954 called The Ugandan Olympic Committee (UOC) . This gave us a chance to Ugandans to participate in the Olympics in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1956. The Olympics Movement in Uganda was started by a Cambridge graduate called Richard N. Posnett, who arrived in Uganda in 1941 and he was the first chairman of the UOC until he left the country in 1958.
Since 1956, we have participated in all subsequent Olympic Games, with the exception of 1976, when most African countries did not participate as a protest against New Zealand’s continued rugby contact with apartheid South Africa. Iddil Amin despite his dictatorial policies,put a lot of effort in sports such that we ended up having about 32 representatives Uganda in the Olympics compared to any other time. There was also a lot of boxing during Amin’s time and we registered some success in 1972 when John Aku-Bua won the gold medal in the 400-m hurdles in Munich. Yes in 2006 under president Museveni, we were represented by about 49 athletes but most of the funding was not from the government.
The UOC is apparently independent of government aid, but are reliant on the Olympic Solidarity Fund. This is where they get the money to pay for their staff and most of their activities. The UOC does not receive funding from the government, but there is provision to appeal to the government for funds to finance its participation if necessary.
Uganda had no representatives in the Paralympics mainly due to lack of funds, though it did have one disabled athlete compete in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
When Mutesa 2 was the president of Uganda,the Ministry of Education and Sports was established in 1962 as the overall governing body of sport and physical education in Uganda but several ministers would feel as if they are being demoted when they are given this ministry, mainly because there is no money in it. In June 1964,the Ministry of Education and Sports established the National Council of Sports (NCS) by an Act of Parliament. The NCS is funded with grants from the government, loans from the government, or any monies generated by the government. It is responsible for financing the organization and administration of sport, financing the training of sports coaches, providing facilities and equipment, financing local and international activities, and financing the training and preparation of sportsmen and sportswomen for the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth . With all these activities, the NCS has been getting a lukewarm reception from the Museveni government to finance their activities. They only get a grant of Sh150 million from the government which is clearly not enough to fund even a quarter of their activities.
Then we have always got a problem of politicians who just want to use sports to push their hideen agendas because theydon’t have sports at heart. For instance, late Obote tried to play his fascist politics between the UOC and NCS in 1965 which led to a lot of conflicts in relation to areas of responsibility. Therefore,in November 1965, the NCS used its new political power as an arm of government to take over the UOC and make it a subsidiary of the NCS. This adversely affected the role of the UOC as an independent body affiliated with the IOC. However, Iddil Amin sorted out this problem out by eventually reaffirming the independence of the UOC in October 1975 ,in conjunction with the constitution of the IOC (IOC, 1980) .
Under Museveni, the same story of little funding and more politics has continued when it comes to sports such that even the draft by the former minister of sports, Dr. Khiddu Makubuya, in 2004 which aimed at improving the funding of sports in Uganda has not been that effective as expected. We have not had so many medalists under Museveni apart from Dorcus Inzikuru, the women’s 2005 world champion and 2006 Commonwealth champion in the 3,000-m steeplechase, and Boniface Kiprop, the 2006 men’s 10,000-m Commonwealth champion.
People like Ouma Kassimu would not have been known in boxing if he had not deserted the army to go and push his dreams from USA. Ouma was one of the NRA child soldiers used by NRA to fight the Obote dictatorship from Uganda. If Ouma had remained in Uganda where there are little funds for sports, he would not have probably won the boxing world title in 2005.
I therefore appeal to the government to start putting money into sports and support the few academies in the country like the ones started by Vice president,Dr. Gilbert Bukenya and my Kibuli OB,Mujibu Kasule. Ugandans should be able to watch their teams on TV other than watching the premier league alone. I Love Chelsea FC but I would also love to watch Express FC from my sitting room in England without the need to travel to Uganda.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
FDC policies are different from NRMO
04 Sep 2009 4 Comments
in FDC, federalism in Uganda, kingdoms, Politics
Besigye shaking hands with Joyce sebugwawo in 2006
Ugandans,
I’m happy that some of you have put in the bin the myth that FDC is the same as NRM based on membership. So let’s move on to the next level some people have raised which is about ‘same policies’ between them. I wish to say that this is also a very wrong assumption and I hinted on it in my last paragraph in the link : http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/fdc-is-different-from-nrm/.
The fact still remains that FDC policies are different from NRM. For instance, the FDC election manifesto 2006 was talking about “Delivering Social Security for All” and they promised “strategies to ensure sustainable incomes for senior citizens …who have no pension cover…..They will have a monthly stipend provided by the state”. This wasn’t in the NRMO manifesto but instead they(NRMO) promised ‘prosperity for all’ or ‘ Bonna Baggagawale’ which Dr. Besigye was criticising recently while in Busoga.
I must also mention that NRM has been copying FDC and Besigye’s policies since 2001 when Besigye stood as an independent. They copied the ‘delivering the social security for all’ (FDC, 2006) and ‘getting rid of graduation tax’ (Besigye, 2001) policies. If NRMO manifesto or policies was an essay, they could easily have been accused of plagiarism because they don’t reference the sources where they get their policies from.
Mr. Augustine Ruzindana also recently wrote something interesting which got pro-federalists like me smiling. I think he was responding to some UAH members who asked for FDC’s proposed draft on federalism. In his article on September 4, 2009, he wrote:’….. Finally, in my last article the allusion to the FDC position on federalism has resulted in demands for documentation. After explaining that in a federal system each state/region/province would have a constitution providing for qualifications for leadership I concluded as follows: “The FDC has worked out an arrangement the various regions would have such constitutions”. This was already stated in the 2006 FDC election manifesto, page 9, thus: “The FDC will uphold the aspirations of Uganda in respect of a Federal System of governance as contained in the Justice Odoki and Prof Sempebwa Constitutional Reports. We…”.
“Within the first year of the FDC Government, we will institute a genuine dialogue for the establishment of a Federal System of Governance”. Anyway, I still think Mr. Ruzindana should avail us with a detailed document about federalism to put our minds at rest.
The NRM manifesto of 2006 was talking about issues such as: professionalising the army and police force, women emancipation, UPE and USE, industrialisation of Uganda……. and more ‘paper lies’. UPE and USE are functional but not effective. They still need more planning and improvement provided donors don’t pull out of the deal.
Having said this, I don’t see any thing wrong with parties having some similarity in policies. For instance, I would love FDC to come up with a better planned UPE or USE program than that of NRMO. Policies are designed using empirical data and opinions among the Uganda population. Then after a policy has been implemented by the party in power, the people responsible look at the results to determine whether the policies were efficacious. It is not easy to tell whether the results were CAUSED by the policy, but there is a STRONG correlation that a bad policy will always produce bad results. With UPE, I think the policy itself is ok, its just that it was either not well planned or wrongly implemented. Another problem is that most of Museveni’s policies are based on prejudices and fears and not on results.
Nze bwendaba
Abbey
Note:
Besigye on Ngoma Radio on14/02/2010:
1.Besigye clarified that he never voted against the restoration of the Buganda kingdom while in parliament. He challenged Mrs.Njuba who made those allegations to produce evidence from the Hansard archives. He said that he supported this sissue when the Army High Command met to debate the restoration of kingdoms.
2. Dr.Besigywe also clarified that the 9000 square miles( mailo Akenda) rightly belongs to Buganda and it should be restored where it belongs
3.He also clarified that Dr.Ssemogerere never handed him the Kayiira report after the death of Kayiira. There was nothing concealed between him and Dr.Ssemogerere after the death of Kayiira
FEDERALISM AND NRMO FASCISM
28 Sep 2009 1 Comment
in federalism in Uganda, kingdoms, Politics
Dear Ugandans,
I don’t know whether Besigye is right that Kabaka can have political power or not. I’m still thinking about it. All I know is that president Museveni has now got unbridled political power in Uganda such that nobody can stop him from doing anything he wants and that is why we need to all struggle to get federalism in the country. I feel let down by our some of our brothers in Bunyoro who claim that they want the regional tier, a system or a deal which was negotiated between former Katikilo of Buganda, Mulyanyamuri Semogerere, and the central government, without Bunyoro’s input. The people who negotiated this thing don’t want it and that would have been enough for Bunyoro to back off.
What is federalism?
Federalism is a mode of political organization that unites independent states within a larger political framework while still allowing each state to maintain its own political integrity (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1994, vol. 4, p. 712). While the distribution of power between states and the federal authority will vary from system to system, all federal systems preserve the ability of state governments to decide matters of local importance without interference from the federal superstructure.
In the American system, for example, the states are considered to be the source of political power; it is the states that call the federal government into existence, and it is the states that have the right to legislate on matters of local concern. I think this is what Besigye meant when he said that Buganda will determine its own constitutional rule under a federal arrangement.
So, If we are to have federo in Uganda as supported by Besigye and asked by Mengo, the federal government headed by Museveni or any president will enjoy delegated power, i.e., power that the states hand over to the federal government for the purpose of dealing with issues of national scope. This can only be a good thing because it will stop any president from standing in a national parliament and make announcements like ‘any civilian found attacking another civilian or security operative will be short’’ or ‘ I don’t kneel for fellow human beings’.
Media in Uganda
The media is all living in fear because they fear running anything against NRM or the president, and I have no doubt they would shut any radio or newspaper down in a heartbeat in the pretext of protecting “national security” – the age old catchall bullshit excuse for doing whatever they damn please.
Fascism in NRMO
As history frighteningly and repeatedly demonstrates, unchecked government power invariably leads to fascism and totalitarianism – a fact realized by millions of Germans, Russians, and Chinese in the 20th century. In Uganda, we had fascist parties like UPC but we never learnt from it because all signs are that NRMO has overnight turned into a UPC plus.
One of the common characteristics of fascist movements is totalitarian ambitions and this is where NRMO has headed very fast without any breakers on the paddle. For instance, although Hitler had not revealed the full extent of his totalitarian aims before he came to power, as Führer (“Leader”) of the Third Reich, he attempted not only to control all political power but also to dominate many institutions. Similarly, we have been telling Ugandans that president Museveni is dominating institutions in the country and something needs to be done. Now look where we are at the moment. The signs were there for everybody to see but we ignored them.
Again, before they came to power, Hitler and Mussolini, despite their dislike of democracy, were willing to engage in electoral politics and give the appearance of submitting to democratic procedures. When Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, he abandoned his military uniform for a civilian suit and bowed profusely to President Paul von Hindenburg in public ceremonies. In 1923 Mussolini proposed an electoral reform, known as the Acerbo Law, which gave two-thirds of the seats in Parliament to the party that received the largest number of votes. Although Mussolini insisted that he wanted to save Parliament rather than undermine it, the Acerbo Law enabled the Fascists to take control of Parliament the following year and impose a dictatorship.
This is no different from the time when Museveni came to power and we all welcomed him with open hands. He started the LC system in Uganda and he also started as a democrat, at least on the face of things. Probably, this is how most of us were duped into singing this movement fallacy. Baganda supported and loved Museveni because they believed that he was gonna restore our ‘ebyafe’. Instead, he has played games with them for 23 years. Yet the longer he takes to resolve this political problem, the more his ratings will slip — diminishing his power to achieve anything.
Now we are in state where by to criticize Museveni’s pernicious power is the most egregious societal taboo in Uganda. Actually, I have turned this statement into my email signature for a while. One risks being beaten up, tortured, imprisoned or even probably killed just to be anti-Museveni and I don’t think this is right.
Byebyo banange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Good Videos to watch
28 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in Entertainment, international
http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=171
5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKNzSfoKeK8&mode=related&search=
6.
Buganda’s CBS fm is not comparable to UNITA’s Guerilla radio
30 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in kingdoms, Politics, Riots and genocide
Yes, Savimbi’s clandestine radio played an important role in the 30-year war in Angola.It provided UNITA rebels broadcasting, provided a means of recruiting supporters, sustaining rebellion and appealing for external support . This is totally different from CBS since Buganda is not in some form of armed struggle against the government. However, CBS can be used by the Kingdom and the state to communicate important messages to Ugandans as has been the case for a long time.
What is similar here is how radio stations in Uganda owned by the state and NRM people do not say so much bad things against the governemt in power or the president. Radi stations owned by the likes of the vice president and others always refrain from criticizing government violations such as corruption and censorship. This was the same during UNITA days when the Angola state owned radio publicized Savimbi’s human rights abuses only without saying anything bad against the state. We need to strike a balance here if journalism is to be respected as a professional in Uganda.This imbalance has made people to stop listening to state owned radios.
As with other clandestine broadcasters, Savimbi’s station did not reveal the location of the transmitter relaying its programmes. In this case, however, the main reason for concealment was UNITA’s alliance with South Africa, which provided the rebels with a secure base to carry on their propaganda war as well as the military means to rebuild their guerrilla forces, which had been largely destroyed by Angolan and Cuban troops three years earlier.
On the otherhand, CBS radio is not a clandestine radio at all. It’s purposes are well published and it had a licence to carry its duties officially in Uganda before it was revoked 2 weeks ago.
Lastly, Savimbi’s Voice of the Resistance of the Black Cockerel (VRBC or VORGAN) served as the main propaganda channel for his National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) in its 30-year war against the governing Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). On the other hand, I highly doubt whether the Kabaka is using CBS for Buganda to secede from Uganda or fight for buganda independence because this will be breaking the rules or the Press Act 1995 as written in the Uganda constitution.Yes, Some Baganda may raise this issue but majority of Baganda are agitating for federalism and this is where I fall.
Byebyo munange
Abbey
Radios didn’t cause the genocide in Rwanda(part 1)
30 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in Entertainment, federalism in Uganda, international, Riots and genocide
Dear good people,
What happened to our brothers and sisters in Rwanda is regrettable and hope it never happens in Uganda but so many factors led to the genocide in Rwanda, and therefore it cannot be compared to CBS and the recent riots.It cannot be entirely the propaganda spread by the radio RTLM alone that caused the genocide in Rwanda.
That said, there is some evidence of conditional media effects and that Radio RTLM catalyzed a small number of individuals and incidents of violence, framed public choice, and reinforced messages that many individuals received during face-to-face mobilization.
On the other hand, i have received information that on the day of the riots in Uganda, CBS radio broadcasts were not racist or tribalist in nature or openly inflammatory as was the case during the Rwanda genocide. But if there is any presenter or moderator of CBS or Suubi FM who was calling Baganda/Ugandans to slaughter Banyankole, then he or she deserves punishment.
The problem with policy makers in Africa is generalizing debates on genocide.In policy circles, debates on how to contain the genocide often focus on jamming the radio which is not right. Genocides are caused mainly by long term problems in the country which leaders tend to ignore for a long time. Just closing a radio station does not remove these problems. Without sounding seditious, i think you all know why some Ugandans feel aggrieved by the Banyankole in Uganda right now. The leaders need to address the root causes of this and probably radio stations will have no reason to talk or discuss about it anymore.Closing a station just burries the issue in people’s minds and hearts.
Again, in comparison to Rwanda,Radio-Télévision Libredes Milles Collines (RTLM), which began broadcasting in July 1993, was owned and controlled by Hutu hard-liners within the ruling regime who ultimately organized the genocidal violence . Before the genocide,RTLM broadcast a steady digest of belligerent, nationalist, antirebel, and often openly inflammatory statements. During the genocide, RTLM announcers encouraged listeners to fight, and in some cases, the announcers broadcast names of individuals and places, which were subsequently attacked by citizen bands.
CBS on the other hand is a radio which is privately owned and nobody in the ruling party(NRMO) has got a stake in it. It is easy to control and close if the government wants to.It only encouraged people to go and attend the Kayunga function in big numbers and i see nothing wrong with this. This was all politics, my friend.
During and before the genocide in Rwanda,Rwandans could listen to the more state-owned station, Radio Rwanda. The government of Rwanda was mainly responsible for the genocide as they promoted the killing of the Tutsis. If the govt had no stake in it, then this genocide would not have taken place. So how can a genocide take place in Uganda if the state does not want it to take place.They have got all the mechanism to stop it from happening. So CBS should be the least problem for anybody in Uganda. It’s just CBS gets more audience than the state owned radio, Radio Uganda, and probably the government does not like it.
Let us also not forget that the Tutsi-led rebels, who were fighting the government in a war that began in 1990, operated a station called Radio Muhabur.I’m yet to find out whether their radio also promoted genocide but all indications are that a genocide is mainly caused by the government in power as was the case in Rwanda. Radio stations have got a responsibility to report what’s happening during a genocide or riots and probably this is what CBS, was doing on ,9th,10th and 11th September 2009.
Nze bwendaba
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Suharto Vs Museveni in CBS fm AND Suubi fm saga
30 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in Entertainment, kingdoms, Riots and genocide
Dear readers,
The solution lies in president Museveni or whoever becomes the president in 2011 to start listening to the people they lead.All this arrogance of ‘i can do anything i want as long as I’m in power‘ should stop.Suharto (who came to power in 1966 in Indonesia) also had almost similar media measures as Museveni has put up in Uganda but he was brought down after three decades in power.
For instance,the Kedaulatan Rakyat daily in Yogyakarta was once ordered by telephone (typical in the then popular ‘telephone culture’) not to print reports about the collapse of a stage built over a swimming pool belonging to a bupati (regency head), who had been hosting a traditional ceremonial meal. The incident was caused by a live concert given by a group performing dangdut, a popular local style of music. The second case, also involving the Kedaulatan Rakyat, was a ban on printing news about a plane which crashed in Klaten, a town close to Yogyakarta. They were never told the reason behind the ban.
Suharto did everything in his powers to intimidate the media as we are witnessing today in Uganda but as they say:’even good or bad things come to an end’. As long as a leader does not respect the wishes of the people they lead, then you know we have got a problem.If people want their CBS and its representing the views of the people, then this should not be a problem
Radios were not spared either during Suharto:
1. The editor of CDBS FM in Bali was summoned by the local prosecutor’s office; he was even told to report to that office every day for a period of time. This was due to a prediction by the station that unrest would occur during the forthcoming elections (1997).
I can see this happening to any of the media outlets in Uganda before the 2011 elections. I put my money on Mwenda’s independent after that cartoon trouble that has led to Mwenda being charged with sedition
2. Periodically, the officials from min of information summoned representatives of all private radio stations and informed them of violations. They once accused Radio Arbes and SIPP, its sister station, of misdemeanors without giving a clear explanation or writing an official letter.
This has already happened in Uganda. The govt threatened to ban bimeza in 2002. Several FM presenters have been summoned to the police stations and by the people from the Broadcasting corporation.Radio licences have been revoked every now and then
3.Radio station Dikara Bawana was charged with producing a program that contravened the SARA doctrine. SARA stands for Suku,Agama, Ras, dan Antar Golongan, which means, ‘Ethnicity, Religion, Race, and Groups’. Any discussion of these four issues constituted a very serious taboo on the Indonesia media scene.
I think we have already seen this in Uganda. You discuss federalism as a Baganda wish only may land one in trouble because the 1995 constitution bans journalists from discussing issues that promote any form of tribalism.
The Suharto administration was very serious but the media especially the local ones resisted all these intimidation measures till when the regime was booted out of power.
Bimeza should never have been banned in Uganda
30 Sep 2009 1 Comment
in Entertainment, Politics, Presidency, Riots and genocide
Dear readers,
I know the president is very angry at the moment but leaders of the independent media council should have come out sooner and put their cards on the table when the five radio stations were closed and Bimeza were banned. This is the meaning of promoting institutions. Just holding a public dialogue is not enough and may not achieve that much under the current political environment.
The government brought in the Press and Journalists Act (1995) and a major point of contention under this legislation was the provision on regulating media practice by restricting it to journalists only. I believe journalists have been self regulating ever since this act came into place but as a young media in Uganda, the state should not be so strong on where mistakes are made by the media houses.
The banning of Bimeeza has been on the cards for a long time and measures should have been in place from the independent council on how to protect this big part of journalism. In 2002 the government threatened to ban bimeeza, claiming that during these public debates and talk shows people were not observing ethical standards and that the broadcast licences issued were being misused. Media houses responded by starting to hold these debates within their premises apart from radio one which continued to hold public debates at its drinking joint (Club Obligato). CBS has been observing these laws very well and sometimes they could interrupt callers who appeared abusive to the president or NRMO but obviously this has not been enough. Iam reliably informed that CBS were not breaking any laws on the day of the riots. Soldiers just acted on impulse to switch off some of these stations because of what was going on, and now the president is using them as bargaining chips during his dialogues or predicted meetings with Kabaka.
Ebimeza have been banned because they are dominated by the opposition and human rights activists despite being few in numbers compared to NRM cadres. In all honesty, I think Mr.Museveni needs more of these Bimeza now than before if he can get better NRM cadres out there to sell him. The only reason he has banned them is because NRM cadres are not doing a good job. The opposition seems to have some leverage in this department and this is not good in his books.
I think the regular use of YouTube to communicate to Ugandans in diaspora is a direct result of the closure of radio stations (CBS FM and SUUBI FM).Ugandans abroad have been listening to Suubi FM online and they are missing this. People are now finding other ways of communicating to others and this is going to lead to a lot of underground rumours (OLUGAMBO) as it happened after the 1966 crisis when Obote abolished kingdoms.
The truth is that Ugandans in general are missing programmes like: Ekimeeza and Spectrum of Radio One; Capital Gang of Capital radio; Parliament Yammwe, Kiriza oba Gana and Mambo Bado of Central Broadcasting Service; Simbawo Akati and Gasimbagane ne Banamawulire of Simba FM; Hard Talk of Monitor FM; Katuhurirane of Radio West, and others. Banning all these programmes by the state was unnecessary because it drives all this communication underground which can be dangerous.
Please the government needs to accept the media as a public sphere, where all voices can be heard. Now my grandfather is missing CBS fm and his rights have been violated by the very state that is supposed to protect them. He finds other stations boring and his rights are not even fought for by the likes of vice president who supported its closure.
Please I ask the president to reconsider and reopen up CBSFM and other stations since we are told he is the only man who can do so. Bimeeza should also be allowed back on radio stations because this is some form of therapy to some Ugandans frustrated with the system.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Rwandan genocide wasn’t caused by radio RTLM(part 2)
13 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in kingdoms, Riots and genocide
Dear readers,
Yes, there is a lot of literature to back up arguments that radio RTLM was responsible for the Rwanda genocide but like i said two weeks ago, a genocide has never happened anywhere I know in the world unless it is supported and caused by the government in power. So this thing of a radio caused the genocide is an escape route for those who are supposed to prevent it in the first place. In the case of the Rwanda genocide, the United Nations and other big nations sponsored a lot of research after the genocide that supported your view because it gave them escape routes for their responsibilities. Former president of USA, Bill Clinton, may be a darling to Africans but he stood aside and watched while Rwandese were butchering one another and this will never be forgotten.
RTLM may have been the key thing that helped transform the genocide from a state-led campaign into a nationwide project but media alone cannot account for citizen mobilization during the genocide . The same thing can be said of CBSfm radio during the 11th September riots in Kampala. There were underlying causes that made the youths to protest or riot last month and these are the ones that the government in power needs to address instead of blaming it all on the media or bimeeza.
Several people have biasely blamed RTLM for the genocide in Rwanda but it should not be forgotten that military officials had separate communication networks, and moderate Rwandans were not convinced by such broadcasts .It’s the governments in power that push people to kill and hate each other by continuously dividing the population. For instance, if the Banyara and Baluli had for years accepted to be under the Buganda sphere of influence, what the hell could attempt a national leader to awaken up and support historical grievances within this community. It still beats my understanding up to now. National leaders should instead work towards uniting all people they lead and resist any temptations to divide them. It never occurred to me that one could be called Semuwemba when he is actually a Mukoki or munyala or mululi ( and not real muganda) until when I started reading the so called ethnic propaganda in newspapers and on this forum.
During the Rwandan genocide, radio RTLM did not reach all areas of Rwanda where violence occurred and very few people had access to it. This is backed up by United Nations statistics that indicate that less than 10 percent of the Rwandan population in 1994 owned radio transmitters yet the genocide spread like fire. RTLM broadcasted in very few rural areas despite the fact that more than 90% of the Rwandan population was in rural areas.
Similarly, after Buganda/Uganda radio CBS was cut of air on 11th September, riots continued for another day in different parts of the country.I don’t think a man in Luwero was ordered to riot by CBS other than their own individual convinctions that something needs to be done to express their hunger towards the government. Probably, if CBSfm had remained open, the Kabaka or the Katikiro would have had a voice to call upon the youths to stop doing silly things like torching Banyankole businesses or forcing non-baganda to sing the Buganda national anthem.These things were not thought through by those concened. The government just acted on impulse and in the process ended up disregarding the laws in place about radio closures.
All in all, governments have a got a responsibility to ensure that media freedom is protected.The media has also got a responsibility to self regulate and follow the laws of the land. The state have also got a responsibility to serve the people they lead fairly because unfairness normally leads to packaged bitterness among the population. This bitterness can sometimes come out as a volcano if people have been pushed so much on the walls. I think this explains the riots on september 11th in Uganda. The whole thing had nothing to do with radios or Bimeza in Uganda. That is the truths.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Hope FDC takes sports seriously when they get political power
16 Oct 2009 1 Comment
I would like to thank all Ugandans who responded to my original article about sports in Uganda and I hope that the government listens to us and sort out the sports problems which are mainly caused by inadequate funding. Politicians only remember sports when it is putting them in the lime light. For instance, president Museveni ‘stole the show’ when he hosted a function for the successful 2006 Commonwealth Games team in April 2006.
The government has remained detached from sports as far as I can remember. NCS is inadequately funded. The UOC is independent of government funds because it is funded by the Olympic solidarity. Only five athletic clubs are recognised in the country of almost 31 million people. Some Athletes decide not to return to Uganda when they go for training or conferences abroad because they see no future of sports in the country( as was the case in 1998 when two of them decided to remain in USA and sought asylum).
Organisations like The uganda Amateur Athletic Foundation(UAAF) are totally reliant on the poorly funded NCS though they sometimes get help from big compnaies such as MTN.
Football is the best sport in the world. For me, it’s my best entertainment at the moment and i’m happy that my team(Chelsea FC) are doing well in the premiership.
Back in Uganda, the Federation Uganda Football Association (FUFA) where my former headmaster, Hajji Abbasi Kawase Mukasa in an influence, is one of the most illequipped and corrupt organisations in the country. Football and other sports is a big force in schools like Kibuli S.S because the admnistration there has got a budget for sports and they put too much effort in it. Sadly,I hear that sports in Kibuli S.S have declined ever since Hajji Kawase Mukasa was replaced as Headmaster.
Big national clubs such as Villa, Express and KCC are mainly funded by their companies and not the government or NCS. For instance, KCC is funded by Kampala City Council while Maji FC is funded by National Water Company.
Some people have tried to ‘clean’ FUFA by forming pressure groups such as ‘Save Our Soccer’ but they have had little impact. Some time in 2005, FUFA had to be suspended by FIFA till when Elections were held and Lawrence Mulindwa was elected as the new FUFA boss. FUFA has not been able to maintain good coaches such that the national coach had to be sacked in 2006 and compesated to the tune of $3500. Sports minister then, Charles Bakkabulindi, oversaw everything.
The truth is that there is no adequate funds to pay professional footballers, referees, and sports workers. Sport is almost dead in Uganda and few people are bothered with it. As for Boxing, I think it is one of the least funded sport in Uganda at the moment. The Uganda Amateur Boxing Federation had to withdraw from the Kings Cup organized by the International Boxing Association because there was no money to fund the whole thing.
Let’s hope that the next government, probably Besigye’s FDC, will look into this issue and galvanize sports again in Uganda.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Mengo is more of a political than cultural institution
26 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in culture, federalism in Uganda, history, Politics
Dear readers,
Africa is all about culture and traditions. Politics in Africa are embedded in the cultural institutions. When religion was introduced on the scene in Africa, it also joined the equation of things. Therefore, anybody knocking on your door and starts telling you that you can separate culture and religion from politics, just send them away because they will be pulling a blanket over your eyes.
When UPC and Obote wanted to defeat DP and Kiwanuka in the 1960s, it is alleged that Obote organized several meetings with the representatives of the Kabaka. These representatives of the Kabaka clandestinely called themselves the KAKAMEGA CLUB OF BUGANDA and are the ones that had started up the KY party. S.K.Masembe Kabali who was the main founder of the KY party was himself not a member of the Kakamega club but he again had to consult with Mengo before he launched his party.
All political leaders in Uganda have made it where they are with Mengo’s approval and this is a historical fact:
- Besigye or Mao will never be a president of Uganda without Buganda’s support.For instance, when Mao Knelt for Kabaka Mutebi while the king was touring Masaka, he scored more political points than somebody who held several rallies in Buganda villages in Masaka
- Obote would never have become a prime minister in 1962 and later a president of Uganda without Buganda’s support.The KY-UPC alliance set the presidential foundation for him.
- KY would not have been a force in Uganda politics in 1961 without Mengo support. When in May 1961, Masembe, a retired prison officer and wealthy land landowner, was planning to launch his KY party, he had to visit mengo for approval and the Kabaka advised him to consult the friends in Kakamega club.
- DP’s Ben Kiwanuka would never have won the elections in March 1961 if it had not captured 20 of the 21 seats within the Buganda kingdom. Again Kiwanuka did not last long because he had no Mengo/Kabaka blessings.
- Museveni would never have become a president of Uganda without Buganda’s support. Actually, if Buganda pulls a full plug on him in 2011, then he will just have to lead us by force. That is the truths.All NRM cadres know this and are monitoring the situation very critically. The recent Museveni press briefings published in the Bukedde Newspaper about some updates on his dialogue with Kabaka was some form of a boost for NRM cadres. He threw them a life line to spread NRM evangilism in Buganda/
Buganda is not just a cultural kingdom despite those clauses in the 1995 constitution. Nobody should deceive you on this. Mengo remains a pure political center aleast for now. People don’t go there to learn how to speak Luganda; dance traditional dances such as NANKASA or AMAGUNJU; or whatever one thinks is cultural in one’s mind. When Kabaka makes Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba one of his ministers today, it means I’m going to Mengo to play Buganda politics because Mengo has always been political.
Similarly, FDC’s Dr. Besigye is tapping into mengo politics by sending his delegation there before he starts his Buganda tour. Besigye needs Mengo’s blessing by all means.If the people of Buganda give him their full blessings all the way till 2011, then he will be a few inches away from state house provided other factors remain constant.
Byebyo banange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Both federalism in Uganda and East Africa federation are good
26 Oct 2009 1 Comment
in federalism in Uganda, Politics
Dear people,
The government needs to do more to prepare us for the East African federation. One of the things they need to do is to sort out the acceptable system of governance in their own respective countries. Uganda should become a federal state before it even thinks of establishing itself as a power in the East Africa federation. I wrote about this issue some time two years ago in the Monitor newspaper and on UAH about why the EAC collapsed and how we can make the current East African federation work afterall Uganda,Kenya, Tanganyika and Zanzibar had developed common services and institutions since the 1920s.Matters such as posts and telecommunications, harbours, railways and currency were run jointly.
Nyerere was one of those that tried very hard to push this idea of East Africa federation without doing enough research on the subject and encouraging countries to sort out their houses first.He was even prepared to delay his country´s independence if the four countries of East Africa could come to independence at the same time and form a federation. But the whole thing failed lateron after independence during Amin’s reign because the leaders concerned never gave it a goood foundation.Mr..Kategeya should have people like Dan Nabudele on his team since the later already has enormous experience about this project. As a lawyer by profession,Nabudere was brought in by Nyerere to advise Zanzibar’s Karume on the draft submitted by Tanganyika.
Abbey
Why FDC and the opposition need to stick with Besigye in 2011
30 Oct 2009 1 Comment
in FDC
Besigye at EBB airport from exile in 2006
Dear patriots,
Besigye has already proved himself more than any body else that he can take anything thrown at home. I can’t see General Mugisha Mutu, Mao Robert, Mr.Amanya Mushega or Otunnu Olara take up all this ‘Museveni’ heat when the kitchen gets hot. Mutu is the FDC national mobiliser and in that position he should have waged a lot of swords against the regime in power but he has not done enough. I don’t know whether this was a strategy agreed between him and Besigye as a way of keeping the limelight on the party president, but for me, he has been disappointing enough.Olara Otunnu is not known by majority of Ugandans despite his international profile but he can play a part in the 2011 elections.
Mutu and Mushega have not used the leverage they have got on president Museveni to shake him up. Just writing carefully selected words in the newspapers is not enough. Actually, Mr. Ruzindana has done more work for FDC than Mushega by keeping FDC in the media at least every month. Mr.Ruzindana and Ms.Anne Mugisha have done an incredible job. It’s not easy job to sit down and research what you are going to write week in and out. Most of Ruzindana’s articles are well researched and he deserves a pat at the back.
Besigye is such a very important figure for FDC and they should make sure that they keep him till when that party gets to a better level that allows the likes of Abdu Katuntu, Semujju Nganda, Wafula Oggutu, Otto and others to easily stand for party presidency or nominated for presidential candidate.
The first time I watched Dr.Besigye speak on TV was like listening to Adolf Hitler giving a speech. Besigye’s voice is so unique and it just takes your attention whether you like it or not. It’s unfortunate we can no longer listen to Monitor FM audios which used to be on their website. Hitler was great in the way he could put the audience in his palms before he even starts a speech. Besigye can become a great leader if Ugandans in the army and elsewhere give him a chance to become the president of Uganda in 2011. Besigye is very charismatic and this can be seen in his speeches that we can watch today on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giEoqo5Wp_4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLD7YdOm0UU
It’s unfortunate that unlike Hitler, Besigye has not been able to inspire his followers to gladly follow him to their deaths. That’s why he has lost the likes of Beti Kamya and Michael Senyonjo to supposedly DP.
Besigye is a very dynamic and powerful public speaker, which is what got so many to follow him in both 2001 and 2006. I will give him credit for that and that’s about the best thing I can say about him. I believe that Besigye is a brilliant leader. He could have been one of the most important and glorious historical president if NRM had accepted defeat and not went behind the back door to rig the elections in 2006.
People some times attribute Besigye’s toughness in the speeches to the Personal hatred he has got against Museveni but I don’t think there is anything in it. The only hatred between these two people is political and not any personal feuds.
Some people have attributed the rise of Mao in the race as the ‘Obama’ of Uganda. There wont be any ‘Obama’ for Uganda in the next 15 years. Uganda is not like USA where you can become a president because you are genius or just charismatic or something. To become a Uganda president now, you first of all need the army and media behind you. You also need a strong network of people behind you within the army and the executive. If Uganda was like USA, then almost a half of UAH members are all capable of becoming presidents because we have got a lot of brilliant minds on that forum.
In a nutshell, it is my prayer that FDC stick with Besigye as the presidential candidate in 2011. The moment Besigye is out, that party can as well have a funeral. They need him for the time being till when they have sorted themselves out. Obviously, all NRMO people are working hard behind the scenes to see Besigye out and it will make their day if Besigye is not a presidential candidate anymore. Please stick with Besigye for just ONE MORE TIME.
Abbey
Black Mambas did not start with Museveni
30 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, FDC, Politics
As far as I know, Black mambas were in existence during Obote 2 as has been the case in Museveni’s government too . Whatever Obote did during his reign, Museveni can do better. When president Museveni sent the ‘black mambas’ in the case of Dr.Kiiza Besigye and other PRA suspects Vs the state of Uganda during the 2006 presidential elections , and black mambas surrounded the court, he was just polishing what he had been taught by his political master, Milton Obote.
Similarly,when Obote stole the 1980 elections just like most political thieves, he started manipulating the judiciary as a way of keeping himself in power. Lawyers who tried to represent people in courts were either intimidated, detained or killed. For example, Cprian Kawoya was abducted from the high court while the court was in session and later murdered by Obote’s ‘black mambas’. Other lawyers killed or tortured under similar circumstances include: Hon. George Bamuturaki, Gideon Mutanga, Sewava Sempala,e.t.c.
Another incident is when Barak Kirya was acquitted of treason charges in Dec 1984, he was rearrested in the same way Dr. Besigye was rearrested and taken back to Luzira Prison. Kirya just like Besigye was co-accused with others on treason charges( who included captain Mark Kodili, major Hussain Ada, Captain Sajjad Soori, Frank Kivumbi and James Balamu), who were also acquitted by the judge but the Obote’s ‘black mambas’ surrounded the court and these guys could not leave the court room. They were eventually forced out and taken back to Luzira prison.
So Ugandans, the black mambas you saw in 2006 who surrounded the high court did not start with president Museveni. He is doing exactly what Obote used to. We shall see all these things as we continue throughout this year and see how UPC and NRM are now similar in the way they approach national issues. The man (Matsiko) who wrote an article in the monitor about the similarities between NRMO and UPC did not just dream about these things. We have got UPC 111 now in Uganda.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
An article written in 2008 before the Buganda riots
Federalism in Canada compared to Uganda
30 Oct 2009 5 Comments
I can’t understand how some Ugandans can develop and enjoy themselves in a federal arrangement like Canada but they could not support it at home. Uganda is a country with different ethnicity and welcoming federalism will provide a viable framework for people who can live together even as they maintain their diversity. The need to reconcile diversity (ethnic, religious, linguistic or others), while maintaining national unity has prompted a growing number of states to adopt or take a serious look at a federal political system. Switzerland, Canada and India are all run on federalism. Spain adopted it in 1978 while Belgium welcomed it with open hands in 1993(when Museveni had been in power for almost 6 years).The EU is also moving towards some form of federalism. So is our East African Community. Zanzibar is already a ‘special status federal arrangement’ within East Africa Federation or Tanzania.
The idea of federalism involves two different trends and aims: a concentration of power at a level above that of the state in order to tackle big issues like competition, monetary equilibrium and international relations; and a greater autonomy at local levels (state, regions), enabling them to choose what suits them best in matters close to their communities’ lives. It also involves mechanisms of cooperation among the different levels, so that concentration at the higher level helps to empower the levels below.
Yes, the federalism in Uganda may not be at Canada or USA level but there but it is undeniable that federalism and evaluation have been good friends. For instance, the founding Fathers of USA federalism, the Federalists, created unity out of a multiplicity of small states. They recognised the importance of the sovereignty of their states, but they knew that they needed a ‘national’ government to preserve their liberty and democracy. Is this possible in Uganda? Yes. Do we need to support it as Ugandans? Yes
All these noises some Baganda are making about secession or Buganda getting a ‘special- status- arrangement- federo’ as it was in the 1962 constitution are all symptoms of a country yearning for federalism. It has happened in Canada where some Ugandans are living and that’s how Quebec came about. Asymmetrical federalism or ‘special status arrangement’ is one of the strategies adopted by federal systems to satisfy the demand of national groups for political and cultural autonomy. Canada was perhaps the first modern federation to take recourse to ‘special –status-arrangement-federo’ way back in 1867 before most of us were even born. This was intended to accommodate the aspirations of the French speaking majority in Quebec province. Is this possible in Uganda for the central government to give Buganda ‘special status’ federalism? Yes
There were a lot of Kyanjos, Beti Kamyas and Nambozes in Quebec in the 1960s who were asking for secession from Canada as some Baganda are now asking for Buganda secession. Two attempts by the Canada Government to meet these demands, through the Meech Lake Accord in 1987 and Charlottetown Accord in 1992, failed because of strong opposition from the English speaking majority in the rest of Canada. This was the background of the Quebec referendum of October 1995 on the question of separation from Canada. Like the earlier referendum of 1980, this was also defeated but by a margin of only 1 per cent. Since then, the issue of Quebec nationalism appears to have been put on hold.
Now, most of the Baganda are only asking for federalism or ‘special status’ arrangement federalism not secession. Why can’t the Uganda or Museveni government subject this to a referendum (if they are democratic as they claim) or just grant it to Buganda if the rest of the regions aren’t interested. As far as I know, the north,Busoga and Toro welcome federalism apart from Bunyoro which has embraced just regional tier arrangement as Mirima Ford enlightened recently. Both Uganda and Canada are from the common colonial past.
What happened in Canada can happen in Uganda. Both these countries are diverse and plural societies faced with demands from constituent parts for greater autonomy or self-determination. The only differences I see between Uganda and Canada but they are negligible are: Canada is a parliamentary and federal democracy while Uganda is not but that can be sorted out. Canada has got institutionalized judicial reviews on constitutional matters while Uganda’s judicial reviews are put in place when it is necessary. That’s why we keep calling the constitutional reviews commissions as sempebwa and Odoki.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Coffee in Uganda
30 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in culture, Economics, Politics
Traders selling matooke in Markets in Kampala
Dear Ugandans,
Could some one do us a favour and send a detailed programe which was unveiled by the new Katikiro,J.B .Walusimbi. We would like to know how the growth of coffee in Buganda is going to be boosted. Uganda used to be a strong coffee grower and I remember my grandfather paying school fees for most of us because of coffee. New records show that Uganda’s Coffee exports jumped by 24% in 2007. According to the Uganda’s Coffee Development Authority, statistics point to a 24% year-on-year (y/y) increase in the volume of coffee exported in 2007 and a further 36% increase in revenues. According to the statement, reported by Reuters, total export volume increased from 2.17 million bags in 2006 to 2.7 million bags, with total earnings increasing from US$21.6 million to US$29.5 million.
Uganda’s coffee exports have performed strongly through 2007 on the back of better disease control, stronger prices, and an initiative to double production by 2015. High global coffee prices have helped to drive growth in export earnings for the sector, but poor productivity, a constrained supply of inputs, and infrastructure bottlenecks continue to hamper growth.
Coffee remains Uganda’s main export and its revival is indeed good news for an ailing current-account deficit. The documented, continued rise in production and value through the season marks a strong comeback for the crop and will also, if sustained, benefit the rural population, which relies heavily on this sector. This proves that the government made a mistake of asking people to cut their coffee trees to promote non-traditional crops in the 1990s.
Indeed coffee has been one of the external conditions that have supported Uganda’s strong currency. The continued strength of the shilling is supported by projected stronger export growth, remittances, and a near-60% expected rise in transfers to non-governmental organizations. With strong increases in these foreign-exchange earners and drivers, total foreign-exchange earnings increased by 22% in 2007. Implicit in the finance minister’s budget is strong expected growth in export earnings. Indeed, total exports are expected to rise 21% from US$1.4 billion to US$1.7 billion supported by a 34% increase in coffee export revenues and a 31% increase in non-coffee exports such as cotton, tobacco, tea, soap, fish, and horticultural products. However, the Ugandan shilling experienced some pressure and depreciated through the end of December 2007, but remained fairly level through January 2008.
Kenya is one area that has hampered with regional trade and stability. Kenya’s stock market and exchange rate took a significant, with all financial markets closing early on 3 January 2008, and the postponement of the tea and coffee auctions. The World Bank estimates that around 25% of Uganda and Rwanda’s GDP relies on the trade running through the corridor to the port of Mombasa, with Burundi’s reliance climbing to 33% of GDP. However, if aid flows continue to increase Uganda will expect to receive sizable support, given its favourable position with the international donor community.
It is my hope therefore that the new Katikiro of Buganda strongly supports Coffee growth in his newly availed development program.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Please introduce Commuters in Kampala City
30 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
in Kampala, Politics, Trasport and communication
Old taxi park in Kampala
While I would like to agree that regional development is very important and I support every one to develop their own regions, I can’t see how this can affect negatively the development of a capital city or commercial city such as Kampala. Kampala is apparently so jammed because there is nothing like public transport in Uganda. Brother Alhajji Sebagala who is the current mayor of the city, had promised commuter buses or city buses in his manifesto while campaigning to become a mayor but I have never personally seen them.
The increasing number of car users in Kampala is causing a lot of problems for everybody in the city and that is why we need an immediate introduction of public transport like commuter trains. Nevertheless, the population in Kampala will just keep growing despite the developments taking place anywhere else in the country. For instance, the population of London has been increasing despite the fact that UK has now got other larger cities such as Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool with almost everything or same services as that in London. These other cities some times act as the ‘magnets of investment’ for themselves and later on London thus creating some form of parasitic relationship among cities.
In a similar vein, preference for public transportation is higher when commuters believe that it is less environmentally damaging than the car. At the moment, all the environmental activists like Ken Lukyamuzi have somehow kept quite about the increased use of cars in Kampala and how much these old cars are destroying the environment. When I was in Kampala in 2009, I was surprised to find that almost all the people I considered friends were driving or owning cars and they could do anything to make sure that I see their cars, but some of their cars were too old to be on the road but nobody cared. There is a generally lot of ‘showing off’ with cars in Africa and I think I understand where it is coming from.Most Africans have been born out of poverty and cars have always been a luxury. Basically, the issue of the environment and cars needs to be addressed because it is causing a lot of problems to the country.
Bus park in Kampala
In addition,the population in Kampala is not gonna go anywhere because of the introduction of public means of transport such as trains. Kampala will keep growing and expanding- whether the central government takes over the city management or not, or whether Soroti or Gulu becomes another city or not. Kampala is similar to India’s Mumbai in a lot of ways.For instance,the growth of other cities in India has neither reduced the population of Mumbai nor affected its development negatively. By 1990, Mumbai was the world’s sixth most populous metropolitan centre and it also generates more wealth, both through production from its industrial base, now mainly on the outskirts of the city, and from its service sector, than many cities in India put together. The city produces 10 per cent of India’s industrial output, handles 60 per cent of the maritime trade, accounts for 33 per cent of total income tax collection and 60 per cent of customs duty, and has the single largest share of the services sector. It registered an employment growth of 59 per cent between 1971-91.
Mumbai has grown from an island city – or rather a city that grew out of the joining together of seven islands – into a vast urban agglomeration .Similarly Kampala is a product of joining together several hills though some people want to extend its official boundaries for reasons best known to themselves, an issue that has raised some storm between the central government and the Buganda kingdom.
Unlike Kampala, Mumbai is served by five railway corridors. All originate in the south of the city and then branch out to the north and north-east. The government there encouraged people to use public transport to beat the traffic jam such that an incredible 88 per cent of all travel in Mumbai is by bus and rail. This statistic in itself illustrates the popularity and the necessity of the public transport system, particularly the railways.
The trains can carry four times the traffic load of city buses in terms of passenger kilometres of travel. The local trains carry 5.5 million passengers every day. Although the normal capacity of each train is 1,700, at peak hours more than 4,000 people crowd onto them. On a typical day, according to the Mumbai Metro Planning Group study, Western Railways operate 923 trains and Central Railways 1,072 trains. During the peak period between 9 and 11 am, 118,000 passengers.
Please let us encourage our government to start investing heavily in public transport such as commuter trains in cities or linking up cities because it will help reduce the problems in Kampala. I remember listening to FDC’s Dr. Besigye one time on KFM radio in 2005 and he was promising Ugandans a modern railway system across the country if elected in power. How i wish Ugandans had put him in the Statehouse then than being stuck with the current mess in Kampala.
Byebyo banange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
English should be more promoted in East Africa than Swahilli
30 Oct 2009 1 Comment
1. It is true that USA has got no official language . It is again true that official languages are those designated by the law. However, a language can be considered to be de facto official language, meaning that although a language may have no official status in a particular country, it is the most commonly used language in that country and the one usually used in official settings. In other words, English is the de facto official language of the USA. It is considered the official language in practice if not in law. The US constitution and all federal legislation are also written in English. 30 of the US states already have got official languages. US naturalization laws standardize English.
2. It is also true that the US Senate voted in favour of making English the national language in 2006 according to the BBC(2006) (internet: available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4996512.stm ). 83% of the population of USA speak English. What I’m trying to say is that English is both the ‘official’ and ‘national’ language of USA whether it is endorsed by the law or not. It has got the hallmarks of both an official and national language of USA. That’s why I stated in my earlier message that Ugandans don’t need government legislation if they want to support Luganda as the national language. All they need is to promote it in their homes and the rest will just be a piece of cake.
3. Swahilli is already one of the official languages of Uganda, but like I stated, the decision was just political. Swahili does not qualify to be an official language of Uganda if we are to look at the basis of an official language. English is rightly the No 1 official language of Uganda and Kenya and I hope this status quo remains forever.
4. It is true that Swahili has got a bigger following in Sub Sahara Africa than Luganda. On the other hand, Luganda is more spoken than Swahili in Uganda.Luganda is also spreading very fast in Rwanda and south Sudan. If we are looking for something national, then Luganda fits the bill very well.
5. In terms of technological advancement, both Swahili and Luganda are being technologically promoted in East Africa and Uganda respectively. Last year (2008), African software and language experts launched a project to translate Mozilla’s Firefox web browser into the local Ugandan language of Luganda.
6. A-China will always be on board with or without our people learning Chinese languages. China itself is promoting English for strategic reasons. Angola and DRC are some of the African countries that have got China as a strong key economic partner but they have got Portuguese and French as their official languages respectively. Angola president’s second visit to China in five months in December 2008 was an example of the strong partnership that exists between the two countries. Angola is now China’s largest-supplier of crude oil. The DRC government has also signed a series of landmark asset-backed deals with China, totaling around US$9.25 billion.
B-However, Language is a concern for foreign patent applicants. Both Chinese and English are the official languages of the Hong Kong SAR and it is only necessary to provide limited information in Chinese. In Hong Kong, traditional characters are still used, but in mainland China an application for a patent must be in simplified Chinese characters. Further, while some patent offices allow applicants to file in their own language and submit translations later, the Chinese Patent Office does not allow this.
7. Fifty-five countries in the world have got English as their official language. So it’s not a delusional for any country to get on the band wagon anymore. So probably Rwanda is on the right track to promote English rather than the French. Again, the politics between the current Rwanda government and France are very complicated just like the tensions between Tutsi and Hutus. So I don’t want to read much into why Lunyarwanda did not directly replace French. Kagame is really making the right decisions so far. Remember Rwanda was the first to come up with the idea of free primary education before Uganda.
Abbey
How the 1980 elections were generally rigged by UPC
30 Oct 2009 Leave a Comment
Like I promised Ugandans, we are going to get a detailed evidence of how the 1980 elections were rigged by UPC .I found this topic very interesting because whatever means UPC used to steal the 1980 elections are the same means NRMO are now using to steal the presidential elections in Uganda. It shows that Ugandan leaders never learn anything from history and that makes us doomed. So how did Obote’s UPC steal the 1980 elections?
Obote while in exile in Tanzania wrote to Paul Muwanga ,who was then a cabinet minister under Binayisa’s government, to do everything possible to get UPC back to power even if it meant staging a coup. The letter is a public document which can be seen by anybody in various textbooks and is dated 06/02/1980. Muwanga ,Rwakasisi and group implemented this plan in July 1980 by getting rid of president Binaisa through a ‘coup d’état’. Before the 1980 elections were held, Muwanga wrote to the UPC tabliqs to start laying grounds for the rigging of the 1980 general elections and they awarded him handsomely. Muwanga’s letter is also public property to those who want it.
Another document written by Obote on 12/08/1980 reveals how Obote personally laid out the master plan as to how UPC would stop the election, or, if it was held, rig it, or seize power by military force if his party lost. This document is also public property if any one fancies it.
The appointment of the Electoral Commission was also strongly part of the process of rigging the 1980 elections. First, the military commission was full of UPC people and there were the ones that appointed the Electoral Commission (EC)- just like the current EC is full of people loyal to NRMO and Museveni. The few voices in the military commission who were anti-Obote like Yoweri Museveni could not change anything. Secondly, the chairman of the electoral Commission appointed by Muwanga and group was a strong UPC cadre called Kosea S.M. Kikira. Furthermore, the EC was both partisan and incompetent. Most of the people appointed did not have any experience in election monitoring apart from the chairman himself.
The military commission (MC) was the one that kept announcing the election programs instead of the EC as required by the constitution. The MC reached to the extent of dismissing the 14 DCs who had been appointed as Registration Returning officers by the EC, because they had refused to be comprised by UPC and Muwanga. Muwanga replaced them with 15 UPC members to pave a way for the rigging within the EC.
In addition, the MC interfered with the voter registration exercise such that a certain man who was acting as the UPM publicity secretary called George Grace Bakulu Mpagi, decided to challenge the irregularities in the courts of law. However, the judge came out with almost a similar ruling as the judges in the Besigye Vs Museveni cases of 2001 and 2006, when he said that everything was unlawful but his hands were tied.
The nomination exercise was also flawed and almost every electoral law was broken by the Muwanga and group for the sake of winning the 1980 elections. For example, polling stations in the 4 Kampala constituencies did not open until mid-day which broke the EC laws but was done with the intention of showing common wealth observers that the situation was the same all over the country where there were few observers.
As if that was not enough, UPC made violence and intimidation part of the rigging process just like we have got the Kakoza Mutale of NRMO. For instance, a rally organised by DP candidate,Mr.Anthony Ocaya was disrupted by the UPC gangs while he was campaigning in Gulu. Muwanga also wrote to the Kayihura of that time-directing him that potential DP candidates particularly: Martin Aliker , Hajji Akbar Nekyon, Yoweri Kyesimira and James Kaigiriza, be banned from speaking at public meetings and rallies.
UPC did a lot of things to rig the 1980 elections but the most embarrassing one was when Paul Muwanga stopped the returning officers from announcing the election results and he directed he alone was to announce the results and declare the elected candidates. He took over full control of the EC when he realised that UPC was losing to DP. Obote refutes this in his memoirs published in the monitor newspaper before his death but that was expected from a fulltime politician like him. Muwanga then released the doctored results after 18 hours to the EC whom he asked to announce them on the radio Uganda.
The question that bothers me from all this is that:’ why would Museveni employ the same tactics used by Obote to rig elections in 2001 and 2006 yet he was part of the MC and witnessed how the country went into decline after the rigging of the 1980 elections?’ Does this make Museveni a better politician than Obote or they are birds of the same feather.
Tulabye nyo banange.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UK
Why is Kenya more politically stable than Uganda
12 Nov 2009 1 Comment
Kenya’s political stability rests on a balance within the military system, on the centralization of power within the state structure and on the neutralization of potential organized opposition.I dont know wther this is a good thing but atleast these guys are more stable than us. They have got less BIG BOYS in the army and executive than us.
The way Kenyata set up Kenya after independence has contributed to its stability.Moi weakened the government instiutions but Kibaki strengthened the principle of respect for institutions ever since he became a president.If he had not done this, probably the kikuyu and Luo would have finished each other indefinitely after the recently disputed presidential elctions.
Kenya has got more stable institutions than Uganda such that just a murder of a politician or army General cannot distabilise the government.Their army, for instance, is more stable than that of Uganda.A president cannot just use it anyhow as is the case in Uganda.I think this can be explained by the fact that Kenya has continued to embrace the British way of doing things up to now.
Until 1966 the army commander was a British officer. When he was replaced in December 1966 by Brigadier J. M. Ndolo(a LUO), the government continued to employ several British officers in advisory roles in each of the three battalions.
Again, unlike the Uganda army where since Obote 1 where the army was dominated by his tribesmate(the Langi and Acholi), in Kenya, ethnic balance within the army was addressed as soon as Kenyata took over as a means towards neutralizing the army politically. At independence the army was composed mainly of Kamba and Kalenjin tribesmen. After 1964 the government began recruting the Kikuyu into the army.On the otherhand,In Uganda, we have continued to have an army why people from one region are dominating. So, if a person like Salim Saleh or the president himself is murdered today, Uganda will be distabilised politically whether we like it or not.
Abbey
Political murders and Commissions of Inquiry
12 Nov 2009 1 Comment
in Politics
Political murders happen all over the word including Uganda and in most cases such decisions are made by a few high profile people in the government. Obviously,brother Katerega as an NRM cadre will keep telling you otherwise. Kenya has got very good institutions such that even the murders of Tom Mboya in 1969 and J. M. Kariuki in 1975 did not cause any political instability.
Nevertheless,we can argumentatively make all murders happening between now and 2011 elections political murders because NRM/Museveni have lost popularity among the wanaichi but wishes to stay in power at all costs.There are several Ugandans who agree with Timothy Kalyegira’s version of Kazini’s death than those who look at it as a product of domestic violence. That’s why we need an independent comission of inquiry to investigate both Byran (Dr.Bukenya’s son) and Kazini’s death regardless of those who cheer brutality and murder of these NRM Generals.
Again I would like to say that all murders are about hate at some level. Even the guy who kills the cop trying to escape from a crime scene or riots- has hate in his heart. There must be a good reason why Mukyala Atim Dralu decided to bat Kazini’s head to death.At what point did she decide to kill him?
As part of the murder probe, police must investigate the friends of lady Atim to see if she had premeditated thoughts to murder the General.Her mobile phone must be in police safe custody by now to establish the people she has been in contact with for the last 6 months. MTN and other communication companies can help on this one.
The only problem is that government does not set commissions of enquiry for purposes of getting to the butoom of the matter. That’s why Kazini’s family and friends should do their own investigations.Most African governments are just corrupt. Anybody can murder anybody and get away with it.
When governments agree to set up official investigations, they usually hope to divert public criticism of human rights abuses. They hope either that public interest will have waned by the time the inquiry is complete or, better still, that the investigation will find in the government’s favour .
For instance,in 1986, the Museveni Government set up a Commission of Inquiry headed by Joseph Mulenga, to investigate human rights violations from the country’s independence in 1962 until it seized power. Up to now, we don’t know the conclusions and recommendations of the report. Yet if they had made everything public, probably some Ugandans, like Mr. Mulindwa Edward, would not have continued to accuse the NRA rebels of murdering people in Luwero and blame it on Obote 2 government. I think Mulenga later became our Attorney General in the same year. I wonder why he was given this post after heading such a sensitive enquiry.
Another example is when in June 1974, President Idi Amin Dada established a Commission of Inquiry chaired by an expatriate Pakistani judge,Justice Mohammed Saied, to look into the ‘disappearance’ of large numbers of Ugandans since his government came to power on 25 January 1971. But the report never came into public domain though the Commission concluded that the Public Safety Unit and the State Research Bureau, special security bodies set up by Amin, bore the main responsibility for the ‘disappearances’. It also criticized army officers for abuse of powers, as well as the activities of the military police and intelligence.
The bottom line here is that the currrent government should facilitate murder investigations into the country and reports from these enquiries should be made public.There is no point for the president to order for a probe into Bryan’s death and the public never gets to see anything in it.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Obote 1 had only 2 Muslim ministers
14 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
1.Obote 1 had only 2 Muslim ministers:Adoko Nekyon and Shaban Nkutu. Abu Mayanja was never in Obote 1′s cabinet. protestants were the majority in Obote 1 government though Obote 1 tried to move UPC away from the religion to make it a party for all.please find more details on the following UAH link:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/829/
2. I also beg to disagree with some UPC supporters that Obote had the most ethnically balanced cabinets since baganda were less presented in Obote 2.To be fair, Museveni’s first cabinet was more balanced than anybody else.For more details about this visit the following links:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/829/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/fascism-in-upc-exposed/
3.Also please visit the following links to know why there was no Muslims in Obote 2 government:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/why-there-was-no-muslims-in-obotes-1983-cabinet/
4. So was Dr. Obote a nationalist or tribalist, please vist the following link to give you more details:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/was-drobote-tribalist-or-nationalist/
Byebyo munange
Abbey
NRM has not given enough political cake to Muslims
14 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in Obote and UPC, Politics, Religion
Becoming a politician is not inborn or prophetic as in like Jesus or Muhammad born with unique features of prophecy. Anybody can become a politician if the situation warrants one to become one. Kazini was teacher but he has died a military officer. Late Kiggundu Sulaiman was a banker and researcher but he died a politician.The current chairman of the electoral commission,Dr.Badru Kiggundu was an academician in USA and later in Makerere university but now he is fully in politics.
Let me go back to the gist of this debate which is Muslims and how we have been marginalised politically in Uganda.During Iddil Amin,Uganda was admited as an islamic country at a conference in Lahore, pakistan in 1974 but Amin was just day dreaming. According to the 1958 consensus, i think muslims were not more than 5%. Because we are a minority, we need catholics and protestants at our side when making political decisons.This means that a muslim president or Vice president can act as a bridge between different religions in Uganda and does not need to turn Uganda into an Islamic state.Obviously Amin later messed this up but it makes sense.
Muslims in general do not discriminate people based on religions. In Senegal, there was a catholic president called Leopold Senghol but the majority of the population that voted for him were Muslims.In Tanzania, Nyerere was a catholic but muslims loved him in big numbers. Museveni1(1986-1998) was also loved by majority of Muslims.
Religion, culture and politics are like three brothers competing with one another.The link between religion and politics in Uganda can be explained in the earlier relationship between Sudan and Uganda during the rise of the Mahdi, a force that overpowered the British and Egyptians and later led to what we call ‘NUBIANS’ in Uganda. When the Acholi, Lugabara, Kakwa, banyoro and others were converted to Islam, they became BANUBI. Amin was a kakwa muslim which makes him a Nubian is some way.
In the 1950s, religion played apart in party membership and formation. DP was mainly dominated by catholics and it had a catholic Lawyer in Kiwanuka as its first leader.DP was originally supposed to be called christian Democratic party before the word christain was omitted.It also used people like archbisjop of Lubaga, Joseph Kiwanuka, to tap into Baganda and catholic support during the elections. I think Kiwanuka died in 1966, the same year Obote abolished kingdoms.
Uganda National Congress(UNC) and later UPC were dominated by protestants. 75% of the UNC central committee came from King’s College Budo School, a protestant school.74% of their branch chairman were protestants.Islam was not an influence but it once acted as a unifying factor for protestants and catholics when the British and Arabs were fighthing for influence in Buganda. The British later sided with protestants as the formal ascendasy or official religion for Buganda.
For UPC, it benefited from the 1961 elections because of its protestant base. The greater the precentage of protestants in adistrict, the higher the vote for UPC though DP benifited from this more than UPC. Nevertherless,UPC tried to move away from religion in the 1962 elections.
Unlike Muslims, protestants have produced national and traditional leaders that have helped to unite them. Most of the Kabakas have been protestants including the current one. Obote was a protestant and presided over cabinets dominated by protestants. Catholics have also continued to be atleast well representated because they are the majority in Uganda.Muslims were also united when Amin was in power but it was short lived because since then we have not been having strong national charcaters to unite us. That’s why atleast we need a strong Muslim Vice president or prime minister as things stand and it could benefit all of us if we get a good candidate.
AbbeyKibirige Semuwemba
WHO IS A NUBIAN
14 Nov 2009 2 Comments
Nubians started as a colonial army in Uganda recruited in the upper Nile region(South Sudan) by Emin Pasha before they were integrated into the civilian communities in Uganda.This happened way before the Mahdist rebellion in 1882.But they later qualified as a tribe since they developed a culture,language and religion. The original Nubians used to be called SUDANESE and were immigrants into Uganda who got integrated into the Uganda society as like any other immigrants.
They came as mercenaries to Uganda to fight alongside the British in Uganda and all the original Nubians were Muslims. The Nubian language is a variat of the Arabic.Islam was used as a determinant to recruit the tribes in the Nile region which some scholars came to call NUBINISATION. Emin Pasha Himself later converted to Islam.
Lugard hired or used the Nubians in 1891 to bring the whole of Uganda under British control.They were called ‘SUDANESE’ at that time when they entered into all sorts of agreements with Lugard.They were specifically used by the British to fight the Banyoro who had resisted the British rule. Majority of them eventually settled in Buganda where they were already military barracks particulalry in Bombo(Buganda) and some later intergrated into the east african army called King’s African Rifles in 1901. They contributed a lot to the first world war.
Eventually, land was given to them in Bombo under the Buganda Land Law of 1908.Other Numbians were settled in different parts of the country especially the north. Those who settled in Bombo became land owners under the Buganda government.They accepted to be intergrated into the Buganda system and pay allegiance to the Kabaka of Buganda. A nubian exheadman was appointed a gombolora chief and they had to pay tax to the Buganda government.
On that background, a muganda who converts to Islam is not a ‘Nubian’ though Muslim Baganda lived a ‘i love and i hate you’ relationship with the Banubi before the Nubian question was setlled by the British. To be honest, im still not sure whether to call BANUBI a tribe on its own because these were a mixture of different tribes. Its like calling the BASWAHILLI or BAKYOTALA a tribe on its own. Both these groups are identified with Islam. Most of the Kakwas, Luguburas,……. who converted to Islam as explained above came to called the NUBIANS. Some Nyoros were also Nubinised after the Nubians helped the British to defeat the Banyoro. I think this is how one of the ways how some Banyoro became Muslims. As for Amin and Kakwas, they are found in both Sudan and Uganda.
Nubians are my Muslim brothers
16 Nov 2009 1 Comment
Dear readers,
I would like to make a few comments and probably my last about this issue.
- Please I would like those who are Banubi by tribe to explain to the members what they understand by a Ugandan Nubian since this is just a debate. Brother Ahmed Katerega and I have heard our say on the issue and I think it will only be fair if they give us their version about this issue.
- Like I said, up to now I don’t know why the colonialists settled on calling the Sudanese who migrated to Uganda, under the watchful eye of captain Lugard,Nubians, because the whole term meant a mixture of different tribes that went through a certain procedure to become abanubi as I explained earlier on. Again, how can we compare the Nubians in Uganda with the true Nubians of upper Egypt, northern Sudan and the people residing in Nuba Hills in sudan.
- Hate-Love relationship between Nubians or Sudanese as they were called then and Buganda:
- In 1893 when the Baganda Muslims were dissatisfied with the British, the Sudanese or Nubians supported the former( Muslims) out of Muslim brotherhood. But the British acted swiftly to break this alliance by disarming all the Sudanese in Buganda and also deported their leader back to Sudan.
- Nubians initially did not want to be part of Buganda.They wanted to be independent of Buganda yet Bombo where the majority were staying had become part of Buganda’s crown land.For instance, at one time 50 Nubians refused to pay tax to the king of Buganda and as a result 4 of their leaders were arrested.The fact was that the Nubians did not want to go back to Sudan but at the same time they wanted to be independent of Buganda.BUT In the end, they accepted to be part of Buganda
- OLUNUBI spoken by the Banubi in Uganda as a language is some kind of modified Arabic and all the original speakers served under Gordon, Samuel Baker and Emin Pasha.The numerals are in Arabic.
- A muganda Muslim is not a Nubian and i think i explained this already. Just read the following links to follow all the details so far discussed on this issue:
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/who-is-a-nubian/
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/where-did-the-nubians-in-uganda-come-from/
6. Ahmed Katerega was also right about some Nubians in Kenya. The first Kenyan police was composed of mostly Nubians.In Uganda, the British intergrated them into the army after using them to fight in Bunyoro.
7. It is also a fact that most of the Nubians came to permanently stay in Uganda under Lugard Fredrick in 1891. Ahmed Katerega is also right that the original Nubians and their true ancestors may all be dead. What we have got now in Uganda is ‘diluted Banubi’ following the Nubian culture, religion(Islam) and dress.
I think the true or ‘CONCENTRATED Nubians’ lived in the north of Khartoum, up to the border with Egypt. While Nubian males here spoke Nubian languages at home, they tended to have a strong command of Arabic since they came from communities in which economically motivated migration to Egypt, and later to Khartoum and other Sudanese towns, was common. Most of the tribes in northern sudan(Darfurians, Nubians, Beja and Beni Amer) are all Muslims: the majority of Nuba are Muslims though their predescors were christians. The last Christian king of Nubia came to the throne early in the fourteenth century and was succeeded by a series of Moslem puppet kings imposed by the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt. They(xtian nubians) used to put black crosses on their foreheads.Nubian king Silko was the first Christian king.
For the sake of unity and promoting the spirit of feeling ‘Ugandan’, i suggest that we bury all this historical nonsense and tribal pride and accept the way things are. Having a Nubian as a Muslim brother is more important to me than how he or she came to be called a Nubian.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Semuwemba
A message to UPC’s Joseph Ochieno
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in history, Obote and UPC
Dear Ochieno,
You are very good at starting political debates with the following words: ‘ the next Upc government’ and i would like to tell you that the ‘” next UPC government ” mantra is not selling to some of us when the historical UPC image has not been shade off in any way.
Before independence, the UPC, by virtue of its non-Baganda domination, was assured of support outside Buganda—and not because it had a party organization which could deliver the votes but because the rest of Uganda hated Buganda at the time. It used the tribal divisions to accumulate support for itself outside Buganda. It’s not that I blame Obote for using tribalism to his advantage because afterall, several politicians including Beti Kamya and Museveni are using it to get keep themselves in power. The moral principal here is that it is wrong and Obote should have done better.
After independence, when the elections to the national assembly were held, UPC faced no rivalry outside Buganda. For instance, In Lango, Obote’s home district,UPC held all but one of the council seats, UPC was 100% in the district council of Bunyoro who hated Buganda so much,……….
In 1962 -1966 period, although each of the legislators was known in his local area, his popularity rested on the tribal identification tag attaching to him rather than on any sustained contact of a political nature developed between him, and the people of his area. In other words, they had no local base of power. Local power rested in the hands of politicians who were active in district government.
By 1962 the UPC was able to establish itself as a party capable of reaching a compromise with Baganda by using the KY rope or alliance to reach them. UPC itself did not have a lot of confidence in its party officials and that is why they fronted a few for elections. For instance, the 139 candidates put up by the UPC for the 1962 elections to the National Assembly included 47 teachers, 30 business traders, 16 fanners, 8 advocates, 3 doctors,5 clerks, 4 journalists, 6 co-operative officials, 2 engineers and only 6 party officials
The UPC was able to consolidate its position only after bringing the conflict within the traditional order of Buganda to a violent and decisive end in 1966 with the aid of Amin and the military. Amin was a UPC through and through.
In one sense, the central government was a bit inclusive because almost other tribes including the baganda were represented, but the people wielding real power were northerners. In some cases, as in that of Kigezi, UPC leaders who occupied ministerial positions at the centre were far less powerful than the Ceremonial Head or Secretary-General who was in a position to develop personal bases of power within the district
After 1967, Obote increased his power tremendously. The 1967 Constitution was designed to get rid of feudal rule at the sub-national levels of government by increasing the powers of the District Commissioner, who now became the effective instrument of the central government policies in the district, and the removal of outmoded offices at the local level. Chiefs and ministerial figureheads at the district headquarters were removed. Obote also increased his powers so much as a president
Finally let us examine Obote’s CV before he became the president of Uganda and see if it makes anyone feel any butterflies:
1. expelled from Makerere university after the 1st year
2. apprenticeship in Kenya trade union politics (of little direct relevance to the political situation in Uganda)
3. A spell as Chairman of the Lango District Council before being elected to the Legco in 1958. Lango is not a populous district, and though his popularity in that district was built up soon after his entry into politics upon his return to Uganda, his power stemmed from the influence wielded by his clan rather than from any mass organization he was able to create there.
That was summarily his CV before he became the leader of UPC and eventually the prime minister of Uganda in 1962.
Byebyo Ebyange
Abbey
DONT DESTROY CEMETERIES IN CITIES FOR NEW BUILDINGS
22 Nov 2009 11 Comments
Dear Ugandans,
The government must not destroy Jinja Road cemeteries because they want to construct new business buildings.Graves are almost in all cities in the world. In the USA, Nevada has got old cemeteries and graveyards that have become tourist attractions. Many older cemeteries in Nevada have tour guides or park rangers on hand to provide details. Washington DC is another one where people tour some Civil War battlefields and cemeteries.. While in the Gulf Coast and New Orleans is a city where the dead, for centuries, have had to be buried in above-ground structures because the water is so close to the surface of this sinking city. If coffins are put in the ground, they will rise to the surface as the underground water pushes them up. We all watched these scenes during some Tsunami called Katrina when Bush was touring the city.
Anybody who attempts to destroy cemeteries is condemned world wide. France was the first to be condemned the time when they used to burn synagogues, terrorize Jews, profane their cemeteries. Jews also didn’t learn from their historical pain they suffered under the French and Russians as they also bombed 5 of the Palestine cemeteries in Gaza in 2009. Brother Saddam Hussein was another one that was also condemned when he destroyed Kurdish villages and cemeteries in 1987.
In Islam, the religion I follow, the dead and their wishes MUST be respected. That’s why caliphate Ali had to be buried in the now modern Iraqi city of Najaf because that’s what he wanted. Najaf is now considered so sacred by the Shiite Muslims. Ali was Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, adopted son, and son-in-law. He was killed in a mosque at Kufa, approximately 6 miles from Najaf. Prophet Abraham also visited Najaf while still alive and stated that those buried in Najaf would be guaranteed entry to paradise. So Ali had requested that, when he died, he be buried not in his capital of Kufa but rather in neighbouring Najaf.
In addition to Ali’s tomb, the Najaf city also boasts one of the world’s largest cemeteries, the Wadi-us-Salaam (” Valley of Peace “). Several Shiite prophets are buried there, and some believe that Ali himself endorsed the site as part of heaven. Shiites from around the world long to be buried there.
In 2004, Fallujah residents in Iraq decided to bury their dead in the city’s football stadium since cemeteries on the city’s edge could not be reached. This is the time when Bush and USA were relentlessly bombing them.
We are still a poor country and therefore we should not pay or lease for plots where we are buried as is the case in England.So , the dead should be buried where they wish and their wishes must be respected by the state. Well, Obote wanted to be buried in Uganda and he got his wish. Why not us? We are all going to die some day and personally wish to be buried anywhere near the city where Muslims and my kids can easily access my grave to pray for me. I hope to organise this when I’m still alive inishallah(God willing). I pray that nobody plays around with shifting my grave mbu I’m near the city.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
UPC is Museveni’s ‘political capital’
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
I know some Ugandans still love late Obote and UPC but the continued existence of UPC as a political party is big political capital for president Museveni. He will keep reminding Ugandans how he fought Obote’s dictatorship and so on. Ugandans need to be released from the terror prison called UPC. If we can get rid of UPC which looks impossible at the moment but it is possible, then Ugandans will find themselves in a less confusing environment that allows them to think properly. When UPC comes out to say anything on Buganda publicly, their speeches produces ‘net political profit’ for Museveni. According to Professor Mazrui, it was Obote who did not want the body of Sekabaka to return to Uganda because he thought it will arise the 1966 intafida. The continued existence of Uganda house in Kampala(Buganda) is like a Political Gross Domestic Product(GDP) for Museveni. UPC is mentioned several times in Museveni’s speeches and books because it is capital.
How can UPC disappear as a party? It can if the Ugandans in the north and East stop looking at it as a party that will solve their problems. If UPC’s support in the north is taken away, then what will be left of the party will be ‘Uganda House’ and other buildings. There are still question marks on Uganda house as it was allegedly built using Tax payers’ money. So probably one day some body from UPC will come out with evidence that will put this case to bed. Anybody who builds something out of tax payers’ money has got a case to answer. Like they say: ‘omusango teguvunda’. Even the current ‘royals’ will feel the pinch when things turn upside down.
The current ‘royal’ family would not be in place if Muzeyi Obote had not messed things up. He started nepotism and Museveni copied him. Whatever evil thing Museveni is doing right now, he learnt it from late Obote. What hurts some of us is when some people keep praising this man and wish to use his name for their political capital. That’s when it becomes our duty as patriots to tell Ugandans what UPC and Obote did. Does this make us being stuck in the past? No.
To be honest, if there is a way UPC can disappear off the current political map of Uganda, it would be easy for Ugandans to unite against Museveni and other future political evils.I will expand on this when I get a chance because we need to create a better environment that can unite all Ugandans and we can’t do it when there is still a party called UPC. At least, let them change their name to something else.
As for CP, it was started by Mayanja Nkanji before 1980 elections but Baganda had had enough of Mayanja Nkanji. He was very instrumental in persuading Mengo and Kabaka to go into deals with bwana Obote- DEALS which did not do anything good for Buganda. So Baganda never forgave him and that is why CP never had too much effect on the 1980 elections. If CP had been started by someone neutral, probably the situation would have turned out differently. CP was an organisation started by a Muganda but it is not a Buganda organisation as you stated. If CP had picked up in high gear during the 1980 elections, DP will be weak by now in the central region because there were both fighting for the same voters
The debate on national language is ongoing
22 Nov 2009 15 Comments
in culture, international, Politics
Dear Ugandans,
I’m yet to know why the Bunyoro kingdom spokesperson, Sir Henry Ford Mirima one time addressed me as ‘omunyoro semuwemba’ but I’m here to plead with Banyoro and the rest of Ugandans to back Luganda as the national language of Uganda because this debate is ongoing. All I know is that one day this issue will be revisited by the parliament of Uganda because laws change with the dynamics of the society, and I ask those who consider themselves to be nationalists to consider making Luganda the national language of the country. These debates on national or official language are reviewed from time to time. Remember, English defeated German by 1 vote to become the official language of USA in a congressional debate in 1795. And this was because more than 45 million Americans say that their ancestry is German. Spanish speakers also make up a big percentage in USA (estimated to be around 40 millions).Right now, English is has been accepted as the ‘official’ language of the USA.
We should not worry about the politicians in Uganda because they make policies depending on how they benefit from the situations. So this debate is not concluded at all. Because the politicians don’t want to offend the non-Baganda voting bloc, which is becoming larger every year, the trick is to play both sides, giving non-baganda what they want (making swahilli the second official language of the Uganda) while not losing the Baganda vote. They do that by trying to justify Swahilli as our language by using many ruses, hoping that one of them resonates with as many Ugandans as they can, such as: 1) Swahilli is spoken by many tribes in East Africa; 2) Swahilli is the language that can unite different tribes in Uganda; 3) How can Uganda be ashamed to adopt other languages?
Please let us not beef up this issue of a national language into Baganda arrogance and lose sight of what is best for the country. The truth is that one is free to speak whatever you want, but the big problem is when you have 52 people speaking 52 different languages in one room then you have a major organizational problem. This is why I think a national language like Luganda is necessary, because it is at least spoken by several tribes in the country. It is unfair that indigenous African languages in Africa do not enjoy the status of national language because Africa has got a lot of tribes. We need to go around this problem by agreeing to at least one language.
Declaring Luganda as our national language will be a good thing for the country in the long term. Requiring immigrants to Uganda to be able to speak and write Luganda will be a needed requirement. The national language is the language in which commerce is conducted, the language used in public education, the language embraced by government. To have a foreign language as one’s national language carries a very deep message of the lack of self-determination and one’s liberties.
USA has got more languages than all of Uganda combined but they managed to agree that English becomes their national language. In 2006 the USA voted in favour of English as the national language despite having Spanish and other languages being spoken in the country. Actually, they didn’t exactly use the words “national language.” Instead, they chose to call it a “common and unifying language.” Whatever way they called it, it was a good start. If you want to come to the United States and be a part of the culture or become a citizen, you should have to learn English. The same was recently started here in the UK. For too long, Ugandans have coddled people who expect to come in the country from all directions and continue speaking whatever language where they came from. This needs to stop as soon as we get Luganda as our national language. In fact, before anyone is granted Uganda citizenship, one should be given a simple Luganda language test. If you cannot demonstrate your ability to speak the native language, you’re out. Go home, learn Luganda and then apply again, as simple as.
I have also been impressed with some non-Baganda women who dress in a kiganda way and speak luganda on their weddings because they are indirectly promoting nationhood. Nationhood usually involves some combination of a national language, diet, dress, religion, physical appearance, etc. If somebody’s Swedish, the safe bet is that he’s a blond Lutheran who’s eaten lutefisk, and if he’s Italian, I’d guess he’s Catholic, brunette, and eats pasta. If he is British, he should somehow like our traditional fish and chips.We can promote our national identity without necessary being Baganda by tribe.
I would also like to pint out that we missed a chance of adopting English as the official language of East Africa and instead went for Swahilli but all these things are reversible if people can see these things clearly without bringing a lot of tribal pride or prejudice in it. Please let us keep English as Uganda’s official language and promote Luganda as the national language. Whatever policies the current government came up with on this issue can be changed by the will of the people. So the matter is still in your hands.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
SEMEI KAKUNGULU IS A UGANDAN NATIONALIST!
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in history, Obote and UPC, Politics
Increasingly, I have heard of people calling Semei Kakungulu a traitor, hero or a nationalist but I want to take my discussion to mostly the ‘nationalist’ part, whatever that might be. At the same time, I see confusion in people who have thought of themselves being allied with one political or ideological outlook or another to base on this to call some one a nationalist or not.
Assuming we all agree with the definition of a nationalist as one who places the nation above the individual, can we call Bunyoro’s Kabalega a nationalist and leave Kakungulu out? I don’t think so. Kabalega was defending the existence of Bunyoro Kingdom and Kakungulu was participating in the creation of a nation called Uganda by fighting with the British and Baganda. So which one of the two is a nationalist by that definition? I think Kakungulu qualifies to be used as a fodder for national purposes compared to Kabalega.
What about the nationalists or internationalists in the present day situation in Uganda. How would you categorise the following groups of people:
· Those presidents of Uganda or leaders who give more leverage to foreign investors compared to local investors. They treat foreign investors like ‘brides’ compared to local ones.
· Those who think that a government should be selected by its own citizens in fair and free elections but they turn around and rig the elections. When you think of rigging elections in Uganda, the following years come into our minds: 1980, 2001, 2006 and 2008 ‘Kyadondo’ elections.
· Those who think that a government should be granted unlimited powers by its own citizens. For instance, I have heard some people on radios in Uganda questioning the powers of judges who did not fight in Luwero bushes.
· Those who don’t believe that rights are inherent to being alive and not privileges to be dispensed by government.
· Those who think that it is right for one country to overthrow the lawfully-elected governments of other countries and replace them with dictatorships or Generals from their own army.
· Those who believe that it is okay for Uganda to break apart into separate countries, each with its own ethnic background, as did the former Soviet Union.
Kabalega and America’s George Washington may both be called nationalists because they both risked certain execution as traitors against Britain. But then again, they both just didn’t like British tyranny. Many people both in USA and Uganda didn’t like it, that didn’t mean they were nationalists. Indeed many of them would have fought against the “nation” having the amount of power over the individual states or regions or kingdoms that it now has.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
‘Dual citizen’ Bill is another way to divide or label Ugandans
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
This bill is like a cancer that intends to split up Ugandans abroad and home. It is like a borderline between us and the Ugandans at home. It is not different from the bills that try to divide Uganda into more kingdoms other than those recognised by the 1962 and 1995 constitutions. What happened to building ‘Africa for the Africans at home and abroad’ as envisaged by Marcus Garvey? How can black people continue to cooperate and achieve the African dream if we keep having parliaments that bring bills that divide us?
When you look at the contribution the Africans in Diaspora have made towards both fighting colonialism and economic backwardness, then no country on that continent needs to introduce a bill as backward as this one. Pan Africanists like Kwame Nkrumah, Kenyata, Mandella, Du Bois, Blyden, and so many others all needed to travel some where abroad before they launched their wars against aggressors at home. Garvey was the major African Diaspora leader in the 20th century to see the importance of African self-development being linked to the development to black communities outside of her borders. He never set foot in Africa but his contributions inspired the future leaders to fight colonialism off the continent.
The DUAL CITIZEN bill should be reviewed immediately because it is not needed in the present climate in Uganda. Uganda still needs Ugandans abroad so much and surely this is not the best way to repay them.
Speaking of African unity, I some times wish that Buganda had captured the whole of Bunyoro as was the plan when Semei Kakungulu and the British made a successful military offensive against the Bunyoro Kingdom. We would not be having more Henry Ford Mirimas dividing more Ugandans. We would be having a bigger part of the country speaking one language and probably more united that it is one.
Kakungulu had managed to bring Busoga kingdom under the British protectorate but the British never allowed him to create his own ‘kiganda’ kingdom within Busoga. If they had allowed him, we probably would have had that part of the region more gandalised as well which would be good for the unity of the country. It would have reduced on the number of kingdoms in the country.
Generally, what people like Museveni and Group are doing to create more kingdoms for us in Uganda is a deservice to the unity of Uganda and gradual unity of Africa. There is no reason to divide us more than we are divided now. Those new Museveni kingdoms like ‘Bululi’ and ‘bunyala’ should not be supported by any pan-Africanist or pan-Ugandan in Uganda. The voices from people like Mr.Henry Ford Mirima should not be given a platform in our brains if we are to build a more united Uganda. At the same time, the voices calling for secession of Buganda should also be given a similar response if we are to remain a strong united Uganda. We should however support necessary federalism within Africa federation or East African federation. So a Buganda federal state within Africa or East Africa is not a bad idea at all as it brings services closer to those who need them.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Honourable Beti Kamya Is a politician fighting for herself
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
Musumba,besigye,njuba,beti and kiggundu when they were all FDC 'friends'
I would like to make one thing clear: I have got nothing personal against Beti Kamya. If I’m to look into my heart and not brain, I think I admire Beti’s passion and a bit of honesty when she is writing or saying things. I used to spend hours every day with my grandfather listening to political programmes on FM stations from 8pm onwards, and I can confirm that Honourable Beti is one of those people I enjoyed listening to.
Having said the above, my brain tells me that what Kamya is doing now is good and bad. Good in the sense that it generates debate in the whole country about tribalism. This can be good if it can make leaders look into their hearts and dispose off tribalism in the state administration but the fact is that it serves no purpose other than to stir up tribalism in the country. It is bad because tribalism tends to promote instability. It makes democracy very unstable. In all honesty, the bad outweighs the good side of it.
I don’t look at Kamya as some one genuinely fighting for Buganda’s interests. I look at Beti as a politician who can switch sides depending on her personal political benefits. History has shown that fighting for the clan (family) has always been a path to power. Some politicians use it when they are on the ropes to make a point in political circles. It makes some one to stop doing the right thing and only do what is necessary for their political survival.
I agree that Uganda is not like Japan where there is a monoculture society. So tribalism is a reality in the country. There is a lot of tension between Banyankole and other tribes basically because president Museveni has treated his tribes mate with soft gloves most of the time. There is a lot of unfair tension between Baganda and other tribes because of the history of Uganda.
If one looks closely, I think one will find that history offers nationalism as the only consistently effective alternative to tribalism. We can all overcome tribalism as a country in the long run but the problem is that all our leaders are not ready for the experiment of nationalism. Obote was not ready for it as evidenced by the way he stuffed the Uganda Army in the 1960s with his tribes mate, but you will find people calling Obote a Ugandan nationalist. Museveni is not yet ready to be a leader of a national country and that’s why people are rightly pointing out at tribal flaws in his administration. While I was in Kampala you could hear statements like: ‘ebisajja bitubye sente nezibitwala eli ewabwe’ meaning ‘these men have stolen all the money and taken it to their regions’ or ‘bwoba toyina nyindo mpanvu tofuna mulimu Uganda’ meaning ‘if you don’t have a long nose, you don’t get a job in Uganda’. So what is the truth in all these statements?
The truth is that tribalistic instincts inform all too much of human behaviour throughout the ages, and an effective nationalism can seek to transcend those instincts, bringing people together, as it has traditionally done in the United States. With the current unfashionable nationalism of the Obotes and Musevenis, there is no way one is going to stop tribalism in Uganda. Some wise politicians like Beti Kamya have realised or foresighted this situation and therefore have hijacked it to further their own interests. How can one say that there are publicly fighting for Buganda but want to be national chairperson of FDC? Does it make sense to any body? The FDC national chairman in supposed to represent all tribes in Uganda. If you want to fight for Buganda’s interests at political party level or national level, you need to go about it in a wiser way than opening your mouth carelessly. Can any body see Beti achieving anything for Buganda at national level if she keeps opening her mouth like that? We have got to be honest about situations if we are to achieve even an inch of what we claim to fight for.
We were all lumped together by Europeans inside artificial national borders and we have got to find a way to make it work like some people have done. Indonesia has got 13,700 scattered islands comprising more than 360 distinct tribes and ethnic groups and a mix of languages and religions but they are more developed than Uganda with just 52 tribes. The following could be good starting points:
- Due to continuing regional differences, let us make Uganda a federal nation. Mengo and the north are yawning for federalism and I see no reason why they can’t have it. Bunyoro and Mirima are happy to refuse federalism and settle with regional tier because of their morbid jealousy for Buganda.
- Luganda can become our national language because of the various reasons given by several people.
- English can be strengthened as our official language to help with communication between federal states of Uganda and East Africa. You can get anything in East Africa and the world when you know how to speak English. We should not allow the shadow of Swahilli to hang over us.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
‘Sowing the Mustard seed’ is both Museveni and Obote’s book
22 Nov 2009 4 Comments
in luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC, Politics
‘Sowing the Mustard seed’ is both Museveni and Obote’s book. It is a book which don’t tell us a lot about some of the main things we need to know. I actually pray that another of the historicals like Besigye and Muntu write a different book and keep it somewhere to act as a second reference to what happened between 1980 and 2006. We have been fed with enough lies about NRA and Obote and some of us have had enough. Some one somewhere needs to start telling the truth or we shall force the truth out of them.
The 1997 ‘Museveni- Obote’ or ‘sowing the mustard seed’ is a book that is much dominated by the name Obote and UPC.Apart from Museveni, the item, group, event, or personality that gets the second highest number of mentions is Milton Obote.
According to the Monitor newspaper(2005),In Sowing The Mustard Seed, Obote appears on 51 pages, followed by Amin on 47 pages, the Uganda People’s Congress party on 34, Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere on 26, Museveni’s first fighting force Fronasa on 25, the Democratic Party on 21, Museveni’s comrades Eriya Kategaya 19 and Martin Mwesiga 18 respectively, the National Resistance Army on 16, Museveni’s brother Lt. General Salim Saleh also on 16 pages, and the National Resistance Movement party on 10 pages. Museveni’s wife, Janet Kataha Museveni, appears only on 8 pages.
Absurdly, the UPC party of Obote gets more space in Museveni’s book than any political group Museveni has ever founded and led, from Fronasa, to the UPM, and the NRA/NRM.
I also just wish that the UPC guys like Ochieno Joseph stop hiding the truth about Obote and write everything for the sake of us, the young generation, who endeavour to find the truth wherever it is. It pains me when I open my inbox and read a message about UPC that is indefensible from Ochieno. This kind of stand does not do any fovours for UPC at all. UPC killed Ugandans and we want a UPC cabinet member like Tiberondwa or Rwakasisi to come out and say everything as it happened. We don’t need to be refered to Obote memoirs like Ochieno has been doing.
So basically we need atleast three books from another NRM historical and an Obote or UPC historical to corraborate what is in Museveni’s book.
Nze Bwendaba
Abbey
Notes:
Muntu had to defend Museveni against the Luwero murders out of principle. The luwero murders are something that keeps popping up in discussions here. I don’t know the full truth about this but all I know is that Museveni threatened to sue the Daily monitor and Obote in 2005 when Obote accused Museveni of being responsible for Luwero murders. Do you remember the Andrew Mwenda-Obote interview and when he was hosted on the KFM station? Museveni did not go ahead with the libel suit because some people thought that he would fall into Obote’s tricks of justifying something which was not there. It is believed that Obote made these allegations to whip up controversy and confusion because it is common knowledge that the UNLA [Uganda National Liberation Army] was guilty of mass murder in the Luwero Triangle between 1981 and 1985.I’m not a soldier and I did not fight in Luwero triangle but surely Obote failed to protect the Ugandans in Luwero and that makes him a weak statesman.
Rwakasis’s freedon, Muwanga and Obote’s death and tittles was just UPC PR
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC, Politics, UPC current politics
Uganda house was allegedly built using tax payers' money
Rwakasisi should not be linked to our Nelson Mandela at all. Not every murderer or thief that pops out of prison should be linked to Nelson Mandela. I think this was a simple PR by UPC which did not go down very well. I’m also happy that Rwakasisi announced not to involve himself in politics anymore because his involvement would have been the biggest injustice to the politics of Uganda in 2009.He has chosen to die a man of God and let me hope that he does not do a U turn and start ‘mubajjeling’ in politics as sheikh Mubajje is doing.
Surely the UPC wanted to use Rwakasisi’s freedom as a way to rejuvenate their party. That is why mama Miria rushed to call Rwakasisis a ‘Mandela’. UPC are very good at using painful situations to galvanise their party. They did it during Obote’s funeral. They also know very well how the death and funeral of their vice president Paulo Muwanga galvanised the party and brought it back from the limbo it had fallen into after the coup of July 1985.
However, Joseph Ochoeno is right about UPC playing a crucial role during apartheid. That is why Mandella very much wanted Museveni to make up with Obote before his death in Zambia. Mandella also invited Obote during his inauguration as president of South Africa. Mandela acknowledged Obote by name as one of the people who helped their struggle. Mandela also helped Obote with money while he was in exile in Zambia. Nyerere was also friends with both Museveni and Obote and they both tried very hard to bring the two together but Museveni could have none of them could have any of it.
With due respect, What was Obote studying in Ethiopia to be called a DR? Obote was expelled from the University for organizing a food riot, and there are no records anywhere to indicate he ever studied for a medical degree, or a PhD in any field. So what is with this fixation of calling the man Dr.? I think I agree with Mr. Shyaka Kanuma , UNHCR (Rwanda) Media and Information Consultant when he said in 2005 that people who praise Obote all the time can be assumed to reflect some pathological inability not to tell the whole truth. Have we ever heard of any UPC supporter or sympathiser coming up to say that Obote did A,B,C and D and therefore let us move on. It was only Omugeye Miria Kalule Obote who apologised in 2006 elections on behalf of UPC but she never told us what she was actually apologising for. That is why I have been asking Mr. Joseph Ochieno to give us a list of the things UPC was apologising for. By the way, Joseph promised to send us this list and we are still waiting.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Note: Joseph Ochieno is UPC ‘s representative in the UK and Ireland
Video:
STABILITY OF ‘FEDERO’ IN UGANDA
22 Nov 2009 11 Comments
in federalism in Uganda, international, Politics
Buganda parliament building
What I want to inform anti federalists in Uganda is that they should not be scared about the stability of Uganda and federalism in the country. Stability in most federal states is measured on the basis of three yardsticks: the constitutions, fiscal arrangements and party systems. Switzerland, which is considered as highly federal on all the three counts, is stable (that is, free of secessionism and violence).Uganda has got noises about secession from some Baganda but the government can easily put an end to this by granting full federalism to Buganda or the rest of the country. The reason why secessionist voices won’t go away is because there isn’t even a small bone to cling to at the moment. So let the Museveni government give Buganda ‘egumba’ or ‘bone’ to chew. Then, it will be the responsibility of the rest of Baganda to silence the secessionists. At the moment, the secessionists are more powerful than us and that’s how it gonna be till when the government gives throws us a bone.
Canada, which is believed to have an ambiguous constitution, quasi-federal fiscal relations and a federal party system, is partially stable since it faces a peaceful secessionist movement in Quebec. The Quebec secession movements have gone quite because the Canada government gave Quebec federalism. So what is Museveni government waiting for? Nevertheless, Canada is a federal society despite its constitution which is only quasi-federal.
India is also believed to be quasi-federal in all three respects (the constitutions, fiscal arrangements and party systems) and is therefore facing violent secessionist movements and thus is unstable. Uganda is still lucky that the secession movements are not violent and it’s in government’s interests to grant Buganda federo to keep them that way. The longer they delay it, the more chilli these guys will put in their sauce.
Let me also remind the antifederalists in Canada that Buganda, just like Quebec, are asking to secede because they just want to run their own things. It’s not out of economic neglect and backwardness, cultural discrimination or excessive centralization of power and lack of provincial autonomy. The Quebeckers may be one of the most culturally protected and virile, economically advanced and politically assertive minorities in the world. May be one of the reasons why some baganda aren’t happy can be found in the fact that some forces are trying hard to destroy Buganda culture and economic foundations and that’s why some people see secession as the only way to protect them. Can’t you see how coffee and Banana or matooke production has shifted from Buganda to other regions? Some people aren’t happy about these things and rightly blame the NRMO government.
All in all, Federalism is not bad at all. I even don’t know why some people even call it ‘crap’ as if it is a MacDonald burger and chips.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Enjoy this video about federo
Brushing teeth in Canada or USA has the same impact as in Uganda.So is Federalism
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
Ugandans,
Federalism in Uganda is not bad or crap as some people have called it. It is one of the political principles in which so many nations have been organised and governed .The worlds super power; United States is among the federal nations of the world and it has been under that system for over 180 years. If probably Africa becomes one nation, it will also be governed based on the same principle of federalism as the united states of America, since the USA name reflects the various states united together to create a nation. In Uganda’s case, it will be about various regions united together to form a United Uganda.
When regions like Buganda,Toro,Bunyoro,Ankole and North become united in federalism, they will give some important powers to the central government and they will also keep some. In other words, this division of powers is what is called a federal arrangement. People will stop looking at Kampala for solutions to their problems under federalism. The power of the central government in Kampala will be reduced and this will probably reduce on presidents who use languages like: ‘when they see us quite, they think we are not military men’’. Most of the power is restored to the regions or federal states and cities other than just Kampala. The federal states will become laboratories of new ideas if Uganda becomes a federal. These new ideas will include: housing issues, education reform, helping the poor, way to sort out sewage and roads, improving on regional health, e.t.c
The federal system as Mr.Semujju pointed out in his latest article in the Observer, it brings the states closer to the people compared to the central or unitary system. The federal governments are also more responsive to the people. Federalism recognises the fact that what is good for one section of the nation, after all, may not be good for all sections. What is good for Buganda may not be good for Bunyoro or Ankole. It avoids a mixture of ‘katogo’ interests. By having a multitude of different districts, it allows regional laws to be kept in tune with regional mores and preferences.
The same arrangement also allows more small-scale administrative and policy experimentation, and over time the policies that are successful locally can become more widespread. A multitude of districts also offers more opportunities for participation and access (though, at the same time, it adds complexity). For instance, if rice growing in Kiboga or Kakiiri becomes a successful experiment or project, it can be spread to other federal states or districts with the help of the central government or regional or federal cooperation. If cattle rearing or livestock production has been a proved profitable business in federal Ankole, it can also be adopted by other areas with the help of the central government provided other factors like climate remain constant.
Federalism can also be one way of reducing on the current election fraud in the country. This is one of the reasons why I support both Uganda federalism and East African federation (EAF). With an EAF, we can have an EAC Electoral Commission to supervise elections throughout the member states. With Uganda federalism, several advantages are noticed. These are:
- Voter fraud investigations are labour intensive. So labour can easily be organised locally to get people to supervise or gather any evidence of rigging. The locals are going to be more interested in whoever is going to be their governor or prime minister and this motivates them to watch everything keenly.
- Voter fraud matters are always politically sensitive and very high profile endeavours at the local level. People will find it hard and embarrassing to forge documents because they are known locally by the voters.
- The successful prosecution of voter fraud cases demands that critical witnesses (including voters whose voting acts have been co-opted) be examined under oath before criminal charges based on their testimony are filed. Many states lack the broad grand jury process which exists in the federal system.
- The defendants in voter fraud cases are apt to be politicians – or agents of politicians – and it is often impossible for either the government or the defendant to obtain a fair trial in a case that is about politics and is tried to a locally-drawn jury. The federal court system provides for juries to be
drawn from broader geographic base, thus often avoiding this problem.
Let us support federalism in Uganda. It may be the best thing for the country. The Unitary has not worked.Why does some one think that brushing teeth in canada cannot serve the same purpose as in Uganda.If federalism has been succeful in Canada or USA, why can’t it be succeful in Uganda?
Abbey
UPC failed the 1980 test and Exam
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, Obote and UPC, Politics, UPC current politics
- Both NEC and NCC were dominated by UPC people .
- Secondly,Nyerere was running the show in Uganda in post Amin administration and whoever acted against his wishes was shown the way out. Lule was the 1st to be shown the way before Binaisa. Nyerere was Obote’s personal friend and he was somehow in control of the UNLF government or the military commission. When Binaisa removed Oyite Ojok from his position, he could not consult the NCC b’se he knew the majority were Obote’s men or UPC people.
- The Museveni whom some people call strong in the NEC was not even around when Binaisa was being removed. He was not consulted at all b’se there was no need to consult him. He was a small fry in the pan by then. In any case, Binaisa knew that Museveni could not be trusted in the 1st place and he had demoted him to the ministry of regional cooperation from Defence. So they were not seeing things on the same page already.
The 1980 elections were a political landmark in the country called Uganda and that’s where we will mostly pin UPC and Obote b’se they failed the 1980 test and exam.
It’s a chicken-and-egg thing, isn’t it? Dictators like Idi Amin,Obote ,Mugabe and Jean-Bedel Bokassa weren’t white guys imposed on African nations – but citizens of Africa who rose to power through those nations’ “legitimate” political structures! Obote was born and bred in Uganda. He fed on politics. He knew what he was doing by stealing the 1980 election that it will set the country back. Amin was born and bred in Uganda. Museveni is also legally a Ugandan citizen supposedly bred in Uganda and he knows that rigging elections is not good but he does not care as long his party is in power with him as the president.
On the other hand, the population is also to blame to an extent. Even people in the NRMO know that certain aspects of the electoral process aren’t right but nobody gives a monkey as long as NRMO wins and they retain their daily bread and butter. Unless this changes, we are going to see more rigging as if the 1980,2001,2006 election ‘thefts’ were not enough. The good thing is that all this rigging has been documented and it will be used as a reference as we sort out this mess in our country. What perturbs my mind is the continued denial of rigging by certain parts of the population like as if Uganda will end with Obote or UPC or Museveni. For instance, the documents I and Mr. Otto Patrick posted to the UAH forum with regard to the 1980 elections are genuine but you will find a certain part of the population passionately ready to kiss the hot flat iron just to say that they are forged. These are genuine documents and they will be part of the future reference for the future generation in regard to the 1980 election.Have people ever stopped wondering what Uganda would be like if DP had been given a chance to deservedly lead Uganda after the 1980 elections. The only thing people talk of the immediate war that was sparked after this election theft.The UPC people then continue to blame buganda and baganda for losing their power and these are signs of a selfish person.Very soon they will be asking for the independence of the north b’se that’s where UPC support is.Actually,Mao is steering the wheels towards that way.
Therefore, I would say that both the leader and the population (party members) take the blame. This business of saying: ‘I eat chicken but not an egg is non starter’.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey
Human Rights in Uganda
22 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
Dear Ugandans,
I recommend you to visit the human rights website at: www.humanrightsdefence.org. I have been browsing through it and found it so interesting. It is my belief that when a population do not know their rights, then every Tom and Dick will just play around with them in any way they want. So we probably need to encourage our people to learn a thing or two about human rights.
I would like to comment on the essay titled:’ Enlarging the Scope of Democracy by Changing our Interpretation of Human Rights’ written by Uday Pasricha. I found the essay so interesting such that I picked few bits to share with the Ugandans. I agree with Uday that the line in the mission statement of the website that says ‘shielding Humans from Humans’ is awesome but it is not realistic and unachievable in the current world. Some of us who have participated in discussions online with other Ugandans across the globe find it interesting that a Ugandan based in London or somewhere abroad can have the courage to send you an email threatening you with prison because you have disagreed with him over something. So how can any one shield a Ugandan based in Uganda against his rights being violated when a Ugandan in a developed country can still violate the rights of a fellow Uganda abroad.
Uday also mentioned that human rights that are merely granted in a constitution do not always provide freedom for individuals if there is poor governance and lack of infrastructure. This is a factor that has led to the development of a certain class of people in poor countries that think that they are even above the laws made in that constitution. This class of people tend to be mega-rich or just connected to the big people in the government. The poor governance in Uganda has, for example, led to people being evicted off their land without any protection given to individual tenants. The current fights between Mengo administration and the central government over the land bill and federalism also mirror a society where individuals or a certain sect can no longer trust the central government to grant human rights of individuals.
I also agree with Uday when he summarily said that’ democracy now creates an elite of unequals who control the majority through their ever increasing economic control or muscle power’. This is a situation that has embraced the whole of Africa particularly Uganda for the last 23 years. Late Dr. Sulaiman Kiggundu rightly put it on my graduation party that a certain sect which is around 3% controls and own the Uganda economy while the biggest percentage are suffering. This 3% can organise the elections and win it using their influence over the majority ,therefore using democracy and economic power to protect their rights vigorously. Nobody is bothered about the rights of individuals like myself in Uganda.
Taxation and subsidising goods were policies introduced to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in any society but these policies have been abused so much. When Uganda Revenue Authority collects annual taxes, the biggest percentage of the taxes collected again benefits mainly the minority who are already rich. As the poor yearn for the roads and good heath services, the politicians are demanding for transport allowances abroad and also being taken abroad for treatment. So who is protecting the rights of a common man in the developing world?
Finally, the developed countries because of trade benefits have globally integrated dictatorial regimes. It is true that this started with countries like China, Singapore and UAE but it has now spread to other developing countries. This makes the developed countries look like hypocrites in these situations. For instance, Britain and USA were one of the countries squeezing Museveni’s regime before the 2006 presidential elections. These countries were incensed by the need to remove presidential term limits from the 1995 constitution and the subsequent arrest of Dr. Kiiza Besigye. UK went ahead and cut off some aid it had promised Uganda. However, this position dramatically changed particularly after the discovery of oil in western Uganda and Tullow (a British Based company) was given the licence to explore Uganda’s oil. So that means, USA and UK cannot even ‘cough’ when individual human rights are being violated in Uganda. This is more like a closed chapter till some miracle happens.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
BRIBES AND MUSEVENI FAMILY ASSETS
03 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics, Presidency
Garden city is allegedly owned by Museveni family
We need to be careful when responding to the issue of the shs.5m given to NRM Mps before the presidential term limits were removed from the constitution. This issue tests the patriotism of any Uganda alive today because whatever side you fall on, people will always judge you. It’s very clear that none other than president Museveni, was the beneficiary of that giant constitutional step and Ugandans rightly feel that he used our parliament to get what he wants as a president, just like he is gonna use them to pass the ‘regional tier’ bill into a law.
But then again, I’m not so sure whether the right word to use here when referring to the shs.5m offered to Mps,is bribery or gratuity. Did the Mps take this money knowing that they had to vote for what the president wanted or not? If the money was for facilitation into their constituencies as officially claimed by some people, why was it distributed to a selected group of MPs? Why was it also distributed from NRM headquarters other than the state structures?
So, what is bribery?
- corruptly attempting to influence a public official in the performance of official acts through the giving of valuable consideration; or
- when a public official seeks something of value in return for being influenced in the performance of any official act.
What is gratuity?
- rewarding a public official on account of or because of an official act, whether or not the payor acts with corrupt intent.
- unlike bribery, gratuity applies to both past and future official acts
- payments to public officials for acts that would have been performed anyway, whether before or after act has occurred, is probably a gratuity and not a bribe.
My understanding is that it is against the law to offer a bribe to a public official but not illegal to be offered one, for obviously the donor’s intent may differ from the donee’s. So did Museveni use his office to offer a bribe to Mps to remove the presidential term limits? This is for you to work out as a Uganda patriot. Can it only be called a bribe when it is offered only to opposition Mps not NRMs? So is a bribe given to NRM Mps called something else? Have Ugandans demonstrated enough to you that the shs.5M was in fact a bribe? Did the parliamentary Ethics committee ever bothered to look into this issue or they left the whole thing in the public court?
The truth is that nobody would ever prove it beyond reasonable doubt that president Museveni offered a bribe to remove presidential term limits.President Museveni can relaxingly defend himself on this in public without any problem and he can take to court anybody who claims that he offered a bribe to Mps. This is basically because bribing a public official is a crime that’s hard to prove. Prosecutors must show an explicit deal between the official and the person offering the bribe. But God will judge him on the day of judgement because HE knows the truth.To be honest, it’s legally going to be difficult for anybody to seize Museveni’s family property when they leave power because these guys have done it in an orderly manner where the law of the land is on their side. This is the same way Obote used tax payers money to build Uganda House but it is legally difficult for anybody to prove it, thus the building remains in UPC hands up to now.
Now, personally, I can authoritatively say that it was unethical for the state to offer shs.5m to Mps when such an issue as the presidential term limits was being debated in parliament. I know that illegal and unethical mean different things but if Ugandans could “demonstrate” that the shs.5m was a bribe, that would mean that it’s illegal.
I therefore appeal to the government to combat the culture of favors and gift-giving between the executive and the legislature as a way of undercutting public corruption cases across the board.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
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Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
My views on the 2007 land Amendment bill
03 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics, Presidency
One UAH member called Mr.Musisi Bosco wrote:’Whenever the law is bad, it lacks legitimacy and becomes unenforceable. If you say it is bad, what you should be doing is treating it as such and not suggesting that “we accept to work around it”, but condemn it.”
The ancient Greeks maintained that “a bad law is no law.” They did not expect people with common sense to take bad laws seriously. A modern example of a bad law would be SEDITION law. Yet, as a nation, we are so regimented that we are willing to use guns, sticks, clubs, jails, prisons and all manner of violence to enforce bad laws on otherwise law abiding citizens like journalists or Bimeeza people. A journalist like Mr.Kalundi Serumaga ended up being turtured and imprisoned just because somebody thinks he shouldn’t say certain stuff against the regime in power just because there is a ‘bad’ law. Sedition law was passed and because it is bad, people are challenging it using all means.
In the case of the 2007 land act,just because a law has been passed making it legal does not mean it is correct or right.Nevertheless,it has been passed and after the president has signed it, its going to become a law, and there is nothing we can do for now. What I ask Ugandans is to find a way to work around it as they plan to develop their lands.How they work around it, I dont know yet unless if you have got any suggestions but there are always ways to beat a ‘bad’ thing(if at all it’s bad)
One of the ways i can suggest is that If Ugandans think that the recently passed land bill is really so bad, then they should vote for a president who also thinks that it’s bad. I heard Besigye saying that the land bill is bad. So let them go ahead and vote for him for this(if they really think that the land bill is bad).The President of Uganda has the ability to stop any bad law (or has more of the ability to do so than anyone else). This is his true ultimate power.
Another UAH member called WBK asked:’How do you work around the fact-it is the law-that the land Bill gives 100 percent ownership to both the land lord-mail land holder-and the tenant/kibanja holder? That is the real problem.”
If this land Act or law is as bad as we all say here, then it wont last that long. When tenants and landlords continue to be at each other’s throats, this will be a sign that the land laws are bad and need to be changed. Bad law contributes to an adversarial relationship between the police and the populace. Bad law contributes to the corruption of the police and the populace. Bad law raises the level of interpersonal violence. Bad law will destroy your society. So personally, im not worried so much with the recently passed land bill and im not gonna allow anybody to make a decision for me. If it is bad, it will go into the bin on its own without too much influence from politicians.The people themselves will raise up and throw it in the bin. Does this make any sense?
Again, I must say that the Law does not need to be logical; law has to make sense. These are two different things.for instance, “Because law (X) may make something worse, we ought not have law (X).” If X were the law against theft, would you still say we shouldn’t have it?
Again, let’s assume that law X makes matters worse(as some people say with the recently passed land bill) it should be changed”, yes. Not necessarily repealed but changed. But I really don’t think that would be the case with the land law anyway as long as it’s solving the current land problems in Uganda and Museveni is still in power.
WBK, like most in opposition, is convinced that there is no logical foundation for the law in the first place saying that the current problems would be solved under the old laws.The question is:’do you think this law would have been an issue if the old laws were really working?’ May be the old laws are also pretentious bad laws. Hope Mr.Musisis helps us on this one.The fact that the PREVIOUS land law wasnt working properly was just the icing on the cake needed to get rid of it.
ABBEY KIBIRIGE SEMUWEMBA
Learning from Banyankore solidarity
05 Dec 2009 1 Comment
in Agriculture, cultures, Politics
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A worker supervises his herd of cattle at a ranch in Mbarara district, May 18, 2008. Over the last 20 years, Ankole has become the food and livestock basket of Uganda.
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I think its high time we also start thinking of various ways of developing our own regions without [President] Museveni and his government.
There is a lot of fertile land in Buganda and northern Uganda and its high time we revived our own agriculture and make it a little bit modern and forget about Museveni for a moment. The president just needs to help us to find a way to stop his “Balalo” buddies and UPDF officers from encroaching on other people’s land.If the current land bill can stop them, then we should move on and concentrate on other important issues affecting us. Again, I’m saying this with due respect to my king, Ssabasajja Muwenda Mutebi, who was one of the opponents of the recently passed land bill. Museveni has used his political muscle to overpower us on the issue.So we need to find a way forward without shelving other issues that are very important. Yes, Mr. Museveni set himself an agenda since the 1960s to develop his Ankole region and find a way to get rid of pastoralism. I think he mentions this in Indeed, Museveni continued with this mission of developing his region when he became the President of Uganda such that most of the farming currently in the country is now done in western Uganda compared to Buganda and other regions. Mbarara district has the highest number of cattle in Uganda, an estimated one million head. In 1994 the total number of cattle in Uganda was estimated at 5.1 million head. Surely, one just needs to sell two Friesian cattle to take his daughter or son to Makerere University without wasting time on MTN booths on Kampala streets as some Baganda youths [are now doing]. Mbarara District Veterinary Office is probably the most facilitated office in the whole country because it has direct access to State House. It should also be noted that the passing of the 2007 Land Bill that is intended to Under the Ankole-Masaka Ranching Scheme (AMRS), land was then subdivided into smaller land parcels and reallocated to individual owners by the state appointed Ranch Restructuring Board (RRB) in the late 1980s. The owners were encouraged, and in some cases assisted, to fence off the allocated land. The primary goal of this privatization scheme was to mitigate overgrazing. Among the Bahima, pastureland was traditionally jointly grazed (‘owned’) by the tribe. Nyabushozi is Museveni’s home area and about 90 percent of the people in this area are members of the Bahima [sub] tribe. The Bahima alone account for 20 percent of Uganda’s cattle population. Milk is the main product of this area, and the number of cattle is deliberately kept high to ensure a consistent supply of milk. At the moment, they are one of the biggest suppliers of milk in Buganda and other neigbouring areas. Minister [Wilberforce] Kisamba-Mugerwa at one time said that milk is the main product of the households in Nyabushozi. On the other hand,the few Baganda (like Muwonge in Kyabazala) who used to own big farms are either dead or too old to do anything about it. The Baganda youths who would have taken over have given up on farming and just waste their time on Kampala streets doing nothing.This is where Ssabasajja and his team need to help to encourage Baganda youths to go back in the rural areas and utilise their land. The Bahima have an informal insurance plan, through which they insure each other against the risk of total loss of cattle. If a Muhima loses a significant number of cattle, usually to disease, he would be almost guaranteed of at least a partial Therefore, although these people have a special love for their cattle, they will give some of their own heifers to friends or relatives who have lost cattle, knowing that should it happen that they suffer such losses, those who had been helped will reciprocate. On the other hand, the Baganda never support their own on developmental issues. You make loses, you have to find your own way out of it. There is little solidarity among the Baganda. It is only the “Banamasaka” in Kampala who have got something that resembles solidarity among the Baganda.The rest we just want to pull each other down most of the time instead of uniting. Surely, this is a weakness we should look into instead of putting the whole blame on Museveni. My point here is that , yes, President Museveni has favoured his region at the expense of others but this should not be a reason for us not to develop our own regions. Some of these people in Mbarara are not in public service and are genuinely earning a lot of money from farming (obviously after presidential assistance), but we should do the same regardless of state support. We should only teach Museveni a lesson and deny him our votes in 2011 for being the ‘president’ of just one region yet he is supposed to be for everybody. END Source:http://www.ugandarecord.co.ug/index.php?issue=36&article=464
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PROTECTIVE SEX SHOULD BE OFFICIALLY ALLOWED IN PRISONS
11 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in Politics
I think prisoners should be allowed to have protective sex because the alternative creates more problems for the world.Several male inmates in several prisons have sex with fellow men out of sexual frustration and this leads to temporary gayism.Most of these inmates, by the way, view themselves as heterosexual and plan to resume sex with women once they get out of prison. As you know, Anal sex leads to a lot of health problems and we need to find a way to help both men and women to access their spouses if it can control this anal nonsense. For instance,Prison systems in Canada and Europe have tried to cut down infection by making condoms available to inmates. We can surely do the same in our Uganda prisons.
Again, we should note that people who participate in sex behind bars do so for a variety of reasons. Some barter their bodies and risk disease in exchange for protection from marauding gangs. Others perform sex acts in exchange for necessities like soap, food and access to telephone calls. Others particulalry females are just victims of male guards who use them for sex in return for certain favours like posting a letter to a boyfriend or husband on the outside.
Some of this sex is not voluntary as both men and women are raped on a daily basis while in prison. This act of rape happens in almost all prisons all over the world including Uganda. In USA some research was carried out on the rapes in prisons which led directly to the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, which sailed through Congress and was signed into law by former President, George Bush. The law, which requires the Justice Department to collect data on prison rape and develop a national strategy for combating it, provided a much needed mechanism for weeding out sexual predators behind bars.
Yes, some people argue that inmates are not supposed to have sex in prison since that’s one of the “punishments” that proven, convicted rapists and child molesters receive in prison, let alone deserve! But common sense tells us that sex among inmates will not disappear even if it is not officially allowed. They’re going to have sex, one way or the other.
Therefore, I appeal to prison officials to revisit rules that outlaw condoms behind bars. These rules aid the spread of diseases that flourish in prison and then make the leap to the world outside. The government should also find a way to help inmates have sex with their partners to reduce on behaviours such as homosexuality or lesbianism that develop within prison.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Police brutality unnecessary
11 Dec 2009 1 Comment
in Politics, Riots and genocide, Uncategorized
Police brutality unnecessary
Thursday, 10 December 2009 16:28 katende Bob Roberts
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I keep wondering why the Uganda police always get their tear gas out whenever there is an attempt by the opposition to demonstrate or group up against any government decision. We are so saddened by the incident in Hoima where the police, totally unprovoked, lob tear gas into groups of men, women and children who were just happy to see their hero, Dr.Kizza Besigye.
It was totally unnecessary. It saddens me greatly that people’s civil right to demonstrate or welcome a leader of their choice in their respective regions is being denied to them by the state organs particularly the police. And it’s certainly no justification for calling the opposition violent, not when they have been recipients of violence several times.
I know there are a lot of folks on here that don’t understand this but teargas is chemical warfare, and therefore it should not just be used irresponsibly. The effects of tear gas are immediate It is virulent, noisome and irritating that even in a fresh air out of doors situation, it is guaranteed to cause people to flee from its presence simply in order to be able to breathe ,but some governments use it to repress the voices of those opposing their leadership. For instance, the South Korean government is the world’s largest consumer of tear gas, to repress the people who hate the government that has sold out to foreign interests.
Tear gas may be dangerous through long-term exposure. Physical effects of this tear gas are felt almost immediately and these include: severe burning in the eyes, involuntary closing of the eyes, copious tearing, extreme burning in the nose, tendency to breathe through the mouth, extreme burning in the throat, coughing, consciousness of pain, holding of breath, breathing and heart rate slows down, blood pressure rises, circulation on the periphery of the body shuts down. In some cases there can be mucus secretion, nausea and vomiting, also burning sensations on the body in places touched by the hands. Recovery quickly follows after an affected person is immersed in fresh air. Tear gas is not known to have caused any deaths or permanent injuries; however its use has been banned in some American military operations.
The heartlessness of the NRM Government in subjecting innocent children to tear gas is so hurting. Most of these kids just turn up because they have seen so many cars passing on the roads in their areas or just to have a gaze at leaders like Besigye. They are innocent but this does not stop the Uganda police from tear gassing them. I wonder what the Geneva War conventions says about this because this is clearly illegal…you cannot use tear gas on people just excited to see a leader in their region? But the Uganda police is not afraid to use tear gas on kids….and babies.
In the civilized world, when a government is faced with a hostile people, the police are called in to form a barricade, if this proves insufficient to keep the peace, water cannons are used, then onto tear gas, and if this still is not enough to control rioters the police may use rubber bullets to disable their targets. In the extreme case police may resort to live bullets and shoot at the legs and in the extremely rare case when this may fail to stop the most determined opponent…shoot to kill if life of a police officer is directly threatened. This is the definition of “Minimum force Necessary” which is totally different from Museveni’s directives of ordering the security organs to shoot anyhow after the Buganda riots without following all these steps. It is totally wrong.
Now since this is developing into a pattern of recklessness on part of the Uganda Police, I request all Ugandans who turn up to welcome their opposition leaders to buy themselves masks (gas masks, goggles, scarves, scuba masks, filter masks, and sunglasses) as these can serve to minimize the effects of tear gas. This situation may become worse as we approach the 2011 presidential elections.
On the other hand, I request the government to stop using tear gas irresponsibly because it gives a bad international image to our country. Uganda’s image has already been badly damaged by the recent September 11 riots, and before we have even recovered from that, police is at it again. It is not good for the country.
*Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba*
*UK
N.B. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of Independent Publications Ltd.
source:http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/component/content/article/106-myblog/2256-police-brutality-unnecessary-
Congratulations prince kassimu Nakibinge
13 Dec 2009 1 Comment
Good people,
First of all, I congratulate brother Kasimu Nakibinge for getting ‘OMUFUMBI WETTOKE’( Wife). Hope Allah blesses this marriage for the good of Islam. There is nothing wrong with marrying a munyarwanda woman whom we have added to the Muslim ummah in the process.
Apparently the whole thing about prince Kassimu Nakibinje’s marriage to a Munyarwanda lady , went over some people’s head. I’m particularly concerned with a gentleman who wrote that Uganda men go for Banyarwanda/ western women because they are better in bed than other tribes. This is all just talk and pure nonsense. It’s like some times when you meet some Ugandans here in the UK who engage in debates like ‘ white women are better than blacks in bed’. It’s all in our heads and that’s all.
Hispanic women, Asian women and black women, banyarwanda women, Baganda women, banyankole, bakiiga, and whatever, they are all the same when it comes to sex. It’s the attitude that differs. Actually, Mr. Henry Ford Mirima can quote me on this in his sex book if he wants. Black women are the craziest. Hispanic women and Bakyotala are the most passionate. White women are adventurous and Asian women or Bakyotala ladies, as we call them in Uganda, are submissive. Balugwala women, I don’t know but I hear they are strong, hardworking and very serious.
So I wouldn’t say that Banyarwnda or Baganda women are better. They are different with respect to attitude. But built the same and respond the same as any other women.
It doesn’t change the fact that Baganda/Muslims are better for UAH’s sister Rehema because she prefers them. It just means that her like MOST other Muslim females they are genetically and religiously programmed to prefer their own tribe and religion. And western women aren’t “better” just because a muganda man likes them. We need to get away from this “we are better” crap. It’s just plain tribalism.
As a nation, most of our sexual attitudes today would be shocking to earlier generations. Gay relationships, marrying without parental guidance, marrying without religious consideration, just marrying because you think you are in love with some one, marrying purely for money…………….. are now “morally acceptable” to everybody today.
Never underestimate the power of women and sex in politics
13 Dec 2009 1 Comment
Besigye with his wife,Winnie Byanyima, in 2006 from exile
Dear readers,
The Besigye-winnie- Museveni factor in the elections has been there since 2001. Dr. Besigye has been keeping quite about it for such a long time till when some people decided to continuously make it an issue in presidential elections. We now thank Dr.Besigye that he recently came out to explain himself during his tour in Butaleja. Surprisingly, the same voices telling us that he made a mistake to talk about it are the same that were pinning him on it. All NRMs have been saying that the only reason why Dr. Besigye stood against Museveni was because Museveni has never given up on Winnie who is now the former’s wife.
Some people are either locked into denial or just plain lying when they say that there are no votes in talking such stuff (winnie-Besigye-Museveni issue), but either way im going to labour to explain, because I know for a fact that there are NRM cadres doing mobilisation(KAKUYEGE) on the ground in Uganda and radio stations telling people that Besigye is fighting Museveni for personal reasons or differences.
In fact it is not news anymore that Winie Byanyima was once Museveni’s girlfriend. It does not need confirmation from Dr. Besigye or anybody else. It is well known internationally and within NRM historicals. UK’s channel 4 news openly talked about it the day after Besigye was arrested in 2006. Click on the following link to watch the news:
http://edge.channel4.com/news/2005/11/week_3/15_uganda.wmv
The point here is that Dr.Besigye is trying to tell voters that he has been in this for the sake of Uganda and not for personal reasons. He is fed up with voices that keep thinking that his political challenge is personal. Now that Besigye has come out to put an end to this issue,some Ugandans are now saying that Politicians must respect our women and stop using them for their political footballs. I believe Dr.Besigye respects women in general and his wife, and appreciate their efforts. I’m sure he doesn’t see them as inhuman props as he is sometimes unfairly accused by some NRM supporters. One of the biggest posts in FDC, secretary General, is being occupied by a woman and the party is on a mission to award 40% of the party posts to ladies in future,as far as I know..
The same anti-Besigye voices have further said on the Internet forum, Ugandans at heart, that it was disrespectful of the voters who went to listen to him in Butaleja and Busolwe and end up with an explanation about the winnie-Besigye-Museveni speech rather than the real issues. I would like to say that as far as “disrespectful” goes, the headline on the Monitor neewspage was ‘Besigye Reveals His Secrets With Museveni And Wife Winnie’’ But then again,”How does one solve a problem like winnie-museveni-besigye factor Vs Media and politics?”. Wasn’t Winnie Byanyima aware that her husband was gonna talk about her affair with museveni in Butalejja and Busolwe? Doesn’t she already know that she is a public figure and therefore there would be implications in this? Doesn’t she understand the meaning of “it goes with the territory”? Winnie cannot have her cake and eat it too. Now that his affair with Museveni is out for public consumption, it has become like toothpaste.You cannot put the tooth paste back in the tube. Therefore,It’s gonna take a lot more than the ‘winnie’ factor from the NRM cadres to fool voters this time
Other issues they would like Besigye to talk about like : rice growing or agriculture, poor roads, corruption, poverty, the marginalization of the north, ……..………….. have been addressed by almost all politicians( NRM and opposition). These are not vote winners so much till when people see them implemented physically. Just talking about them is not a vote winner that much. Ugandans like rumours ( OLUGAMBO) and believe in it so much than anything in the party manifestos or political speeches. This is where Dr.Besigye needs to go for the mean time and kill off some baseless rumours around him before he embarks on the real issues.
By the way, we should never under estimate the power of women and sex in politics. People have always used them to bring down politicians. America’s Bill Clinton had to do a lot to win his voters for re-election despite his sexual revelations with Monica Lewinsky. In the UK here, our former deputy PM,John Prescot, did not survive when it was revealed that he used to shag his secretary .His wife forgave him but he later had to vacate the office.
This women-sex virus is not only limited to politics. Tiger woods has not survived it which has led to his indefinite leave from golf. Playboy is allegedly trying to book alleged Tiger Woods mistress Rachel Uchitel for a spread. Playboy magazine has published photo shoots of women at the center of other sex scandals such as Paula Jones, who settled a sexual harassment case with President Clinton.
Therefore, the Museveni-winnie- Besigye issue is something open for public ridicule whether we like it or not? They tried rape charges to bring Besigye down but it did not stick and now they are desperate for something to stick. What better way of doing it than saying that Besigye is challenging Museveni because they have got personal differences between them.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
SUPPORT FDC PLANS TO REGISTER VOTERS
15 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in FDC
Besigye and winnie Byanyima in 2006
Ugandans,
Under the circumstances, particularly the failure of the museveni government to embrace electoral reforms proposed by the IPC, FDC’s hand has been forced here and I just wish they do more.Official registration lists in the Uganda have become so faulty that something needs to be done before the 2011 elections. We have got ghost voters and stuff like that and the current Electoral Commission(EC) have done very little to correct these mistakes.
The EC is supposed to be a nonpartisan GOVERNMENT-FUNDED company that is mandated to register voters regardless of party affiliation but we all know that is not true anymore. The EC is so sympathetic to the NRM causes as reported by this week’s Observer newspaper and recently by the independent newspaper.
Consider that taxpayer money, from the pockets of FDCs,DPs, UPCs,JEEMAs and NRMs alike, has been funding a one-sided drive to register mainly NRMs, and to refuse to register opposition supporters or discard opposition registrations. The consequences of such a government-funded effort would clearly rig the forthcoming election in several ways;
- Opposition that could have been registered at their homes are ignored,
- opposition or FDC supporters that insist on registering to vote with EC only will show up at the polls and find out they are never registered to vote.
On the basis of these clear and unmistakable election consequences any rational person would conclude our forthcoming Presidential election has already been fixed, rigged and setup by the NRM and that M7 is gonna win it.
The only fair way to correct the efforts of EC and NRM to rig the forthcoming election is to either postpone the presidential elections for at least two more years(2012) to sort out all election mistakes but the constitution does not allow us, or at least adopt the proposed Electoral reforms before 2011 elections. I doubt if either of those solutions will happen. So the nearest alternative here would be for the opposition to register all their supporters as FDC is going to do. It does not eliminate rigging altogether but it reduces it.Then this register can be compared with that of EC and see how it goes.
Another top goal here is to change the mindset of people who rightly harbor deep suspicions about everything from the accuracy of voting equipment to how polling places are chosen and what role the current partisan EC, will play in the 2011 elections. The FDC voter’s registration exercise will have a job to convince a lot of people who are thinking, `Why bother, it won’t matter anyway.’ It will be empowered to register and to educate, reassure and entreat,i hope.
Party voter registration is a common thing all over the world. Mbabazi has already proposed it for NRMO while he was in Masaka recently. In USA, both the democrats and republicans do voter registration in different states by hiring private companies to do the exercise.Both parties wage huge campaigns in the battleground states to register millions of new voters. For instance, in 2004 a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America did this exercise in Las vegas.
In 2004 US elections, a trade organization for adult nightclubs was asking owners to register
customers and employees and then encouraged them to cast their ballots against the president Bush.I guess most prostitutes and exotic dancers ended up voting for Kerry in this way.
Let us support FDC Voter registration exercise because the government has blocked all alternatives for fair elections come 2011.
Byebyo banange
Abbey
Where are M7 votes outside western Uganda?
19 Dec 2009 4 Comments
in Politics
Don’t be so sure about M7 winning the next general election. Politics is such a rude business which can knock any body’s teeth before you even know it. Let’s face it, how can M7 win the next general election against a united,well facilitated opposition without rigging. I can’t see it happening and he knows it. Apart from the west, where are Museveni’s votes? Buganda has said ‘goodbye’ to him apart from a few elements eating. NRM will not get the majority in the north despite some gains they have made in a few areas recently. The same goes with the East apart from probably a few areas in Bosoga and Mbale. Bunyoro is one unpredictable vote.
If the opposition fields candidates almost in all regional positions then they have got a chance of forcing M7 into a coalition govt in 2011 if he wins in kenya’s KIBAKI style. The most important thing for the opposition to do right now is to resolve most of their differences and keep the IPC going. They also need to mobilise funds in every corner of the world. Any party without enough funds will not win elections in Uganda. Lukyamuzi and Mabike would probably be the last to become MPs when they didn’t have a house or car of their own. MONEY is such a very big factor in politics all over the world.
The truth is that there are opposition votes and sympathy within the NRMO itself. I know for a fact that there are people sympathising with FDC but they are in NRM to keep their current accounts flowing. This number may even be bigger than those within the opposition that sympthise with NRM/M7. FDC has got sympathisers in the army, police and all state organs though their hands are tied at the the moment, but they wont be tied when they will be casting their votes in 2011.
So MONEY, UNITY AND SYMPATHY will help the opposition in their endevours to dislodge the m7 government from power.The opposition just needs to convince the public that they can do it and probabaly even the UPDF will notllow the president to use them if things go wrong against him in 2011.
Nze bwendaba
Abbey
‘IPC’ IS A X-MAS GIFT TO THE OPPOSITION IN UGANDA
19 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
readers,
One UAH member in Canada,Mulindwa wrote:”……Are you really this naive that can believe that an election can be carried
out with an organization that is not registered as the national laws dictate? ”
Yes, as far as I know, IPC does not need to be registered anywhere for it to carry out its functions. If it is registered as a political party then the NRM cadres will use it as a yard stick to say that FDC is trying to kill traditional parties like DP and UPC, and nobody needs that. If it is registered as an organization or pressure group then somebody is likely to use some hidden law somewhere to kill it off.Personally, i dont encourage registration of any sort. We know it exists and just needs to be supported by all good souls in Uganda.
besigye in 2006 elections
The most important thing now is that there is an overall agreement that the opposition political parties need to work together to dislodge the NRM government from power. Obviously, this can only be achieved if an election is won in Uganda in 2011. The issues of a first coalition government have been discussed by the major political parties under the IPC. Please I request members to read the IPC document posted by Mr.Wafula before we ask questions already answered by the IPC partners.
Obviously, those who disagree with positions taken by their leaders in IPC (UPC,DP,FDC,CP,JEEMA and SDP) are more than welcome to start their own party, or join one that reflects their beliefs(i.e, a fragmented opposition Vs NRMO). Just because some of you apparently are on the political fringe doesn’t mean that the IPC should have to bow to your wishes. You have choices…use them. When was the last time you were told you couldn’t vote in a presidential election, because you weren’t under IPC or NRM or because you dont support the IPC position taken by your party leader(Miria Obote of UPC)?
While you can’t decide for members of parties you don’t belong to, who will represent them in elections, you can decide which of all the parties representatives you think would make the best president.Will it be Besigye Kiiza(FDC), John Lukyamuzi(CP),Olara Otunnu(UPC), Mayanja Muhammad(JEEMA), or Mao(DP)? If you don’t think that any of them are qualified, you’re more than welcome to field your own candidate or support him as an independent.
Either way, Ugandans are the ones who will put in the deciding vote as to who becomes President in 2011 provided M7 doesn’t rig so much. Ever hear of the electoral college in USA politics?? It is an equivalent of the IPC’s national conference or national electoral affairs committee . That’s what will decide who becomes President of the opposition parties under IPC but your vote will ultimately chose the president of Uganda. If it were up to me, Dr.Kiiza Besigye or Dr.Obedi Bwanika would become President of Uganda in ’2011′. We should all look at the big picture before we make any choices !!
Basically, maintaining cooperation among opposition parties before and after 2011 is very important. They need to approach this in a measured way and do it in a way that recognizes that we have mutual interests with Uganda and that we are all stake holders in Uganda.The Uganda people have an expectation of cooperation among their elected and unelected officials in the opposition. Provocative commentary of that sort (such as, ‘IPC is a political group a very reason we haveopposed it all along for we ask how do we get out of it? Jesus Christ on his bike to Galilee‘) makes cooperation more difficult and doesn’t serve the People’s interest.
IPC is solely there to provide the structures needed to facilitate consultation and cooperation
among opposition political parties, not only in political fields but also in many other areas. We should support it and improve in areas where there are weaknesses.It is probably the best x-mas gift they have given to Ugandans.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Mr.Kasirye Gwanga wrongly made a good point
29 Dec 2009 1 Comment
in Religion
Dear Ugandans,
The Brigadier Kasirye Gwanga case is very interesting since the rights of people’s expression of religion are conflicting with other people’s right to privacy. Of course a person’s right to privacy extends to controlling the noise level measured in decibels that can be heard within the vicinity of a person’s property.As far I know, according to current Uganda laws, freedom of speech and religion have some restrictions. Unfortunately, there is an active effort by the some people to suppress religion in the society in every respect and I suspect Kasirye may fall in this category because he could have used other means to make a point other than firing bullets in the air.It made him look uncivilized with a proper display of a fragile character. I hope the UPDF condemns this act and distances itself from his behavior completely.
Uganda should remain a great country that respects everyone’s right to practice their religion but in practicing their religion it is not appropriate to trample on the rights of others. The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never used a loud speaker to call the Muslims to prayer. I believe he would have if there was one available but the facts of history stand. The decibel level around these resident’s home (those complaining) should be measured and compared to the local ordinance regarding noise. Personally, I always feel bad whenever I go to Kampala and there are people on the streets holding a bible in one hand while shouting or rather preaching to bypassers. These people should be got off the streets because they are invading our space.
There are also those who complain about loudspeakers used by Muslims to call people for prayers but I think we need to strike a balance here and this goes to the media in Uganda. Muslims don’t get enough coverage of their prayers on TV and radio stations and probably depend on these loudspeakers to make their presence known and also reach out to fellow Muslims. When we watch television on Sunday, even here in the UK, we are bombarded by Christian church programs and during the Christmas season we are forced to hear the multitude of Christmas carols. Muslims also believe in Jesus (peace be upon him) but his birthday is not celebrated as such. Also, Jesus’s Sabbath was on Saturday not Sunday.
As far as the loudspeakers are concerned, this is an invasion of privacy for the residents who do not accept Islam or christianity, and probably something needs to be done about it. Nevertheless,if this becomes a law as I expect soon,the same laws should apply to a Christian that is blasting Christmas carols.
In USA,Muslims apply for a licence to use these speakers while calling Azan.For instance,the City Council of Hamtramck, Michigan, gave its preliminary approval to the Bangladeshi al-Islah mosque to carry the Arabic call to prayer five times a day through a loudspeaker though some residents in Michigan again complained.I dont know what happened after several complains. In the UK, both mosques and churches cannot use loudspeakers that interfere with the privacy of the neighbourhood.
Nevertheless,In any city which permits the use of bells by churches, equally there should be permission for the Islamic muezzin to use amplification, or for that matter, for the cantor of a synagogue to call Sabbath. We just need common sense on this issue to move forward.Please keep in mind that I stand for religious freedom, and for freedom from religion, in equal measure.In any case, the truly faithful know when are their religious services, and need not be called to worship. Regardless of the calling, the faithless will not come.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
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Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
A letter to Museveni’s Presidential advisors and Bunyoro well wishers
29 Dec 2009 Leave a Comment
in culture, kingdoms, Politics, Presidency
Entebbe state house
Dear Presidential advisors and Bunyoro Kingdom well wishers,
With all due respect, please inform Mr.Mirima and President Museveni to stop inciting violence and dividing our people in Bugerere because it is not necessary in this case. Divisional voices like that of former Bunyoro Spokesperson,Mr.Mirima Henry, are the ones that helped president Museveni to make a wrong decision to ban the Kabaka of Uganda from visiting Bugerere, a decision that resulted into the death of 30 people in Kampala. There would not have been as much death or loss of property in Kayunga, if any, compared to what happened in Kampala during the Buganda riots of 11 sep, if the Kabaka had been allowed to tour his constituency.
I grew up from Bugerere and had my primary education from there. My grandafather is a muganda and he raised almost all his kids from Bugerere before he became OWESSAZA EBUSUJJU. Bugerere is in my blood and there are a lot of Baganda in Bugerere than Banyala or Baluli. Other tribes in Bugerere other than Baganda also make a bigger percentage in population or numbers than the so called Banyala. Other tribes in Bugerere are living peaceful side by side with the Baganda there up to now despite the divisional voices from the Bunyoro elements like Mirima. Abanyala are not many in Bugerere and i wonder which kingdom they are planning to create there because i will be among those that will fight this unnecessary creation as long as i live. I have got a big stake in Bugerere and i love the people there and therefore i would love the things to remain the way they have been for ages. We are not gonna allow some people to divide us from our friends there because we are Baganda and they are Banyala.
Museveni made a mistake to stop the Kabaka from going to Bugerere and he knows it. The problem is that he cannot do a U-turn now as a leader because it will inflict pain on his ego. So he has got to find a way forward that does not appear to embarass him as a president. The whole decision by the president was emotional since the Kabaka had refused to answer his phone calls. The president had planned to visit Kayunga and Kangulumira ages ago before the riots but he postponed this trip because people there had promised to leave him with his soldiers after the way he had treated the Kabaka.
Time heals a lot of wounds and this is what has happened in the Bugerere case. I spoke to friends there and i was told that some people have already forgotten about the closure of CBSfm and those who were angry with the president have now calmed down. I think this is the reason why the president has renewed his interest in visiting Kayunga very soon. But i was hurt that people have easily forgotten about CBS fm just like that. A friend told me that since the closure of CBS, most people have resorted to listening to Jinja based radio stations which are normally aired in Lusoga. In Kayunga and other parts on Buganda, Bukeddefm has taken over the CBS audience.
The Katikiro of Buganda recently told us that CBS would be reopened before the end of this year and now they are only two days remaining before we enter 2010. Is Walusimbi going to resign for publicly making false promises or he is just gonna behave like some one who promised Uganda a fundamental change in 1986 and later did ‘super-glue change”, as in like i’m going no where.
All in all, i ask Mr. Mirima and others in Bunyoro to stop interfering in Bugerere matters. Bugerere will become one again after the departure of Museveni and several people are willing to make this their life time commitment. Bugererians have generally always loved each other without too much trouble but there are people hell bent in changing this status quo. We wont allow it.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Bred in Bugerere
–
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
Gomesi is the de facto national dress of Uganda
04 Jan 2010 17 Comments
in Buganda, culture, cultures, kingdoms, social issues
Two women wearing a Gomasi and a man in Kanzu in Kampala
Dear Ugandans,
I think we need to find a way to resolve some of the issues ourselves that have divided us for a long time- without even asking for government help. It’s just a matter of common sense. For example, If we agree on the national language as Luganda or national dress as Gomesi, then we can just go home and either implement it or encourage others to do so. We don’t need Museveni or anybody to tell us what to do on this one. Luganda is so widely spoken in the country and as such it qualifies to be our national language. Gomesi has become very popular in all tribes in Uganda such that it qualifies to be our national dress.
women wearing gomasi on Kampala streets
As for Ugandans not wearing the national dress(in this case supposedly Gomesi) for dinner, I think this is just a matter of personal choice. Do I think that national dress should be encouraged? Yes, but it still remains a personal choice. Every body goes for dinner for different reasons and therefore telling people to put on traditionally or nationally may make some people miss out on their reasons for the dinner.
In Islam, we encourage women to dress in Hijjabu whatever the reasons for the dinner and probably this should be encouraged by all Muslim parents. Hijjabu refers to traditional Islamic dress, intended to encourage modesty, in which women often cover everything but the hands and face.
Gomesi is the de facto national dress of Uganda just like Luganda is the de facto national language. So it’s upon Ugandans to promote the national dress code or Gomesi in the fashion industry and to call upon their government to subsidize such products. Ugandans abroad can try to dress traditionally on their important occasions if possible.
The Kingdom of Swaziland today is composed of a homogeneous population who share language, culture and loyalty to their King and country. There are no tribal conflicts; the country is stable, orderly and at peace with her neighbors. Perhaps Swaziland’s greatest asset is her people, who are always happy, friendly, courteous and willing to assist visitors to their Kingdom. Swaziland has got a distinctive national dress which is regularly worn by men, women, and children in urban as well as rural areas. Probably, it makes sense if we also develop a few bits ourselves like: national language, national dress, national holidays like ‘Uganda day’,……… to somehow make us all feel like Ugandans. Honestly, why are we fighting over small things like national dressing and national language?
‘Busuti ‘or ‘kawunda’ (like those ones put on by some Makerere University lecturers and late Julius Nyerere of Tnaznia), or suits, have come to be accepted as official dressings in Uganda or East Africa. This is no surprise considering that English is already our official language. This explains why Kabaka Mutebi sometimes puts on suits on official businesses. On the other hand, Sabasajja normally puts on ‘eKanzu’ and ‘koti’ while on national or traditional businesses.
In England where I live, female Members of the Royal Family normally go for special clothes, hats or gloves. There is no requirement on the side of the general public for hats to be worn, though it is entirely acceptable to do so. Hats are not normally worn at functions after 6:30 p.m. Secondly, There is no requirement for gloves to be worn. However, if a woman wishes to wear gloves, they need not be white but should not be taken off before the wearer is presented.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
MARRIAGE AND OLARA OTUNNU GAY RUMOURS
06 Jan 2010 11 Comments
in culture, Politics, Religion
People,
I have been reading opinions about Olara Otunnu’s delay to get married up to now yet he is in his 50s which has allegedly been attributed by some people to being gay or sexually dysfunctional. Then Prince Kassimu Nakibinge’s recent marriage to sister Haniffa who is a Munyarwanda by tribe. Before this, we have been exposed to regular reports in the Bukedde newspaper about Billionaire lady Babirye’s pending divorce to Mr.Mugerwa and how the husband want more from her wealth before they go separate ways. The question bogging my head is:’ what happened to marriage in Uganda?’
olara otunnu
Historically,marriage was a civil, contractual event for the purposes of property and inheritance clarification purposes, and to cement family and dynastic connections. It was primarily limited to the few in the upper classes. It existed long before Judaism,Islam in all civilized cultures, and certainly long before Christianity. For example,in all of the old testament, the words for “marriage” or “wedding” (or their equivalent) do not appear. There is no description of a wedding ceremony. There seem to have been no word for “marriage” or “wedding” in Hebrew. “Marriage” and “wedding” are mentioned only indirectly in the new Testament.
Basing on what is happening in Uganda today and elsewhere in the world, it is now obvious that “Marriage” has changed more in form, purpose, method, intent, and significance than any almost any other institution. The only thing that has remained the same is that it is a civil, non-religious instituition even though religions and cultures have interjected themselves into it with a good aim of saving it altogether.
All religions believe that marriage is supposed to be a sacred contract between a man and a woman, and their god. It should be governed by the religion’s rules: (Catholic=no divorce, just annulment, Baptist=divorce, Islam= divorce is allowed but after 40 days of trial to patch things up, etc..) .Those who dont believe in religion take marriage to be just a personal partnership agreement and therefore it can obviously be dissolved by the consenting parties any time they feel like moving on. The children will still be the shared responsibility of the parents, no getting out of that, ever.
African cultures make it mandatory for men and women to marry after adolescence and whoever reaches in their mid 40s without a wife or husband will be looked at in a different way. That’s why some people are now openly accusing UPC’s Olara Otunnu of having a sexual problem because they have not seen him hanging out with any woman publicly. Some people are saying that he is not fit to be either a party president or president of the country if he is not yet married.
As if culture and religion are not enough, government has also butted in by being involved in divorce because the state believes that marriage is a contract, a partnership,just like any business relationship, and therefore they have got the mandate to interfere in it any time they want. This is what has pissed many youths in nations like UK and USA and therefore decided to stay single, since everybody has made it their business to interfere in marriage.
Personally, I believe that the Government should have no say as to the persons that make the contract, or even how many personal partnership contracts an individual can have at one time.Let’s leave marriage to be a religious and cultural issue. If a muslim wants to marry more than one woman then the state shouldn’t interfere. If a catholic is commanded to be stuck with one woman then that their business.
Divorce should also be discouraged and I believe most African cultures and religions do so. In Buganda, women stay in miserable marriages forever for the sake of kids and I think this is a good thing.The children of divorce make up a huge portion of the drug culture, the prison population and add to the fuel of anger that so many feel.People also divorcing should stop telling everyone around them every detail of their pain. If Mugerwa and Babirye cannot be reconciled by religious and cultural groups then they should say ‘see you later’ to each other quietly.Divorce comes about, often, because one of the partners decides that it is more important to be free, to be independent than to deal with the reality of dealing with people.
Therefore, for the sake of strengthening both the religious and cultural institutions, I second those who say that Otunnu should not be our president if he is not yet married. Homosexuality and divorce should also be discouraged in our societies for the sake of continuity in human race and protecting the already produced human race respectively.
Thank you
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Ugandans have never elected for Unmarried Obote
07 Jan 2010 4 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC
people on kampala street
Dear readers,
One UAH member called Mr.Musisi,wrote:’’When I say that Obote was elected into office unmarried, I surely mean 1962 – and did not get through rigging, regardless of process, and tye electorate preferred umarried Milton Obote’s UPC to married Ben Kiwanuka’s DP’’
I would like to say that apart from the time when Obote was elected to the Legco in 1958, he never directly got elected by the people of Uganda into any office. He never presented himself to be elected and when he did in 1980, he rigged his way into power which led to the luwero bush war because Ugandans could not accept him.
He was chairman of the Lango District Council before being elected to the Legco in 1958. Lango is not a populous district, and though his popularity in that district was built up soon after his entry into politics upon his return to Uganda, his power stemmed from the influence wielded by his clan rather than from any mass organization he was able to create there. So basically he relied on his clan to win that election as well not his popularity as a person or leader.
In 1962, Obote was ‘elected’ or chosen by parliament(and not the people of Uganda) to become our PM because his party had become the majority in the legislature. In 1966, he imposed himself on the people of Uganda and he assumed the powers of the president and VP but we spared him till when Amin kicked him out in 1971. He again imposed himself on us through election rigging in 1980 but we never allowed him to enjoy the chair even for a second because he was already very unpopular among the masses.
Actually, we should have had a General election in 1967 but because of Obote’s fear of elections, the Republican constitution was passed in that year and under it, it was specifically provided that all members of the then existing parliament were deemed to have been elected for a further term of 5 years. I guess Museveni picked the trickery of extending ‘5years term’ from the man buried in Lango and now we are stuck with him too.
In 1980,when Obote came back in Uganda via Bushenyi which was a strong UPC stronghold, he declared his intentions to stand for presidency. Because of his known fear of direct elections, he immediately failed to to call a delegates conference. He knew that some people within Upc were planning to get rid of him and this group was headed by Akena Pojok and Tiberondwa. They later held a bogus delegates conference( current NRM style) after some pressure within UPC in which he was endorsed as the party candidate without any one challenging him. He rigged the 1980 elections and the rest is now history as he is history too.
But I must also say that both Obote and Muwanga did not deserve to be in parliament in the 1980s for they were not elected. Paulo Muwanga should never have been in Parliament in 1980 as a member because he did not contest any parliamentary seat. He was also not specially elected by parliament to sit there as a member nor was his elected by his party to sit in parliament. So Muwanga and Obote’s membership in parliament in 1983 were legally very questionable. They both broke the 1967 constitution and we need to charge their graves if possible. The 1967 constitution itself Obote used to form a cabinet and open up parliament was not respected after stealing the elections. Because Obote did not stand as an MP somewhere nor specifically elected by the UPC parliamentary group,he broke the law to allow himself to be sworn in as a member of parliament
Democracy was not part of Obote’s dictionary or needs and anybody who relate anything democracy to Obote is taking Ugandans for a ride. So it is unfair to say that the electorate preferred unmarried Milton Obote’s UPC to married Ben Kiwanuka’s DP since Obote has never been directly elected by the people of Uganda. In any case, UPC went through because the electorate in Buganda loved their kabaka and voted for KY which had earlier formed a coalition with UPC to defeat Kiwanuaka’s DP. Obote and UPC alone would never have defeated Kiwanuka because he was even popular in the north.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Dr.Bukenya has qualified for the Champions League spot
12 Jan 2010 6 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Politics, Presidency
Good people,
All i can say ‘wow’. For the first time, i have managed to unblock Proffessor Bukenya’s head because all that i predicted when the Observer broke his so called retirement story, have turned out to be true. Like i said, he has managed to get the CHOGM story off the front pages of newspapers in such a short period of time before the NRM delegates Conference. What a genuis political strategist! The Newvision yesterday gave him a front page to clear the air about his retirement story and his opponents like Mbabazi got almost nothing apart from ‘NRM fingerprint registration’ story which was inside with his picture on the side. A couple of days ago, it was also reported that Bukedde had also covered him. Today, both the monitor and Uganda Record have also put him in the spotlight about the same story.Not to mention The Observer which broke the story in the first place and also made a follow up on it by interviewing Mr.Otaffire. This is not a bad publicity for a man assumed to be retiring from politics and at the same time gearing up for top positions in the NRM party in the delegates conference this week.
I, however, wanna concentrate on the Newvision story which broke yesterday because it was mouth watering, to say the least, than even the original story in the Observer.Bukenya vowed to expose the enemies behind the retirement story but the truth is that there are nonexistent because Bukenya broke this story himself to be ahead in the political game and he is right now, as i write this down unless something happens very soon.I told readers here that Bukenya will deny this story and he has exactly done this, and who gives a damn anyway, apart from his political enemies. He also confirmed what some of us already knew that he was not about to retire from politics.
Nevertheless, Bukenya told lies when he said that he adores Museveni despite ‘the lies his enemies feed the President about him’‘. Bukenya probably only liked Museveni at the beginning when he had just made him the VP of the country but there is no way he can like him after being his VP for 6 years.Museveni is a control freak boss and nobody likes control freaks. All the people fighting Bukenya are probably closer to the president and more powerful than him(Bukenya). Sam Kutesa is Museveni’s inlaw and therefore part of the Museveni family.Mbabazi has been in Museveni’s life since the FRONASA days and can probably raise the ”two fingers” infront of Museveni’s face and goes away with it, but not our Bukenya. When Mbabazi’s ribs were on the walls during the Temangala saga, it was the president who saved him. When Kutesa was impeached by parliament over the privatisation mess in the 1990s, he was droppped from cabinet but he was later brought back as ‘Mr. powerful’ and ”Mr. richer” by the president himself. By the way, i would love to physically meet Mr.Kutesa one day for reasons i would probably give another day.
Bukenya also said something very interesting in the Newvision interview when it was reported:’…………… together with the President, had done a lot for the country but he does not broadcast it everywhere he goes because it is between the two of them.” This was meant to tell his political opponents that he has also got Museveni’s ears as themselves, afterall, there is nothing Bukenya and Museveni have done( Good or bad) that is not known by the public.If Museveni does anything good , he would love all Ugandans to know about it, like the way i always wanted my grandfather to read my report first whenever i was first in class during my primary school days.
Bukenya did not forget to throw another punch to Tamare Mirundi by saying:’“I am closely following Tamale Mirundi step by step. I want to know who is putting fire in him. When I get to know, I will call you here and name them,”‘.In actual sense, this was an indirect punch to president Museveni himself but he dodged it by putting Tamare infront of his face. Bukenya was basically telling the president that he should have the guts to say things to his face instead of sending small boys to do his dirty work for him. Oh Boy, i loved this one so much but im very sure that the president was incensed by it and we should therefore all watch out for Tamare Mirundi’s next press conference because im sure that will be the president himself throwing some ‘ghost’ punches.
Overall, i must give it to the professor though the game is getting more serious now. In footbal terms, he has qualified for champions league football but will he win the trophy next time, because his enemies are without a doubt rethinking the strategy, and therefore i can see the president either dropping him as VP after the 2011 elections or demoting him to some ‘do nothing but get paid’ office like they do people who have become dangerous to the USA’s FBI.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UK
President should reconsider and open up the closed stations
13 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, media in Uganda, Politics, Riots and genocide
Africa
Thursday, October 01, 2009
By: Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Dear editor,
I know president Museveni is very angry at the moment but leaders of Uganda’s independent media council should have come out sooner and put their cards on the table when the five radio stations were closed and Bimeza were banned. This is the meaning of promoting institutions. Just holding a public dialogue is not enough and may not achieve that much under the current political environment.
The government brought in the Press and Journalists Act (1995) and a major point of contention under this legislation was the provision on regulating media practice by restricting it to journalists only. I believe journalists have been self regulating ever since this act came into place but as a young media in Uganda, the state should not be so strong on where mistakes are made by the media houses.
The banning of Bimeeza has been on the cards for a long time and measures should have been in place from the independent council on how to protect this big part of journalism. In 2002 the government threatened to ban bimeeza, claiming that during these public debates and talk shows people were not observing ethical standards and that the broadcast licences issued were being misused. Media houses responded by starting to hold these debates within their premises apart from radio one which continued to hold public debates at its drinking joint (Club Obligato). Buganda’s CBSfm has been observing these laws very well and sometimes they could interrupt callers who appeared abusive to the president or NRMO but obviously this has not been enough for some people. Iam reliably informed that CBS were not breaking any laws on the day of the riots. Soldiers just acted on impulse to switch off some of these stations because of what was going on, and now the president is using them as bargaining chips during his dialogues or predicted meetings with Kabaka.
Ebimeza have been banned because they are dominated by the opposition and human rights activists despite being few in numbers compared to NRM cadres. In all honesty, I think Mr.Museveni needs more of these Bimeza now than before if he can get better NRM cadres out there to sell him. The only reason he has banned them is because NRM cadres are not doing a good job. The opposition seems to have some leverage in this department and this is not good in his books.
I think the regular use of YouTube to communicate to Ugandans in diaspora is a direct result of the closure of radio stations (CBS FM and SUUBI FM).Ugandans abroad have been listening to Suubi FM online and they are missing this. People are now finding other ways of communicating to others and this is going to lead to a lot of underground rumours (OLUGAMBO) as it happened after the 1966 crisis when Obote abolished kingdoms.
The truth is that Ugandans in general are missing programmes like: Ekimeeza and Spectrum of Radio One; Capital Gang of Capital radio; Parliament Yammwe, Kiriza oba Gana and Mambo Bado of Central Broadcasting Service; Simbawo Akati and Gasimbagane ne Banamawulire of Simba FM; Hard Talk of Monitor FM; Katuhurirane of Radio West, and others. Banning all these programmes by the state was unnecessary because it drives all this communication underground which can be dangerous.
Please the government needs to accept the media as a public sphere, where all voices can be heard. Now my grandfather is missing CBS fm and his rights have been violated by the very state that is supposed to protect them. He finds other stations boring and his rights are not even fought for by the likes of vice president who supported its closure.
Please I ask the president to reconsider and reopen up CBSFM and other stations since we are told he is the only man who can do so. Bimeeza should also be allowed back on radio stations because this is some form of therapy to some Ugandans frustrated with the system.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Will Baganda vote President Museveni again in 2011
18 Jan 2010 22 Comments
I’m a muganda and i have been around the bloke for sometime to know my people. President Museveni knows that Baganda are very shrewd people but he learnt a lot from the Rwanda history especially during Habyarimana to know when to pull the strings. He has already seen the threat being posed by Baganda and Ugandans abroad and that’s why he has started an office for the diaspora at the ministry of foreign affairs and also encourage them to come back home and engage in economic development. This diaspora office is gonna do a lot more than some people think and i think whoever came up with the idea has also been around the bloke for a long time to know its importance.I would not have been suspicious of it if it was at least independent of government interference. Im gonna explain this by relating the Rwandan experience to Museveni’s relationship with Baganda.
Rwanda got independence in the same year as Uganda but with a lot of Tutsis already in exile. Tutsis did not have the solidarity people are envying now and most of their groups in exile were divided.Circumstances sometimes force people to unite and speak with one voice as it has also happened with the Acholi and Langi under Museveni, and as it is developing with the Baganda now, despite their known differences.
Buganda nationalism and therefore solidarity has been strengthened ever since Museveni started to belittle the Kabaka in public. When Kabaka was stopped from travelling to Bugerere, majority of Baganda(including those in NRM) felt very bad because Kabaka forms the epicenter of Buganda culture. Ever since CBSfm was closed, Baganda have since founded a radio on the internet called ‘Radio ya Baganda‘ on Ababaka.com. Nkobazambogo has also started up a newspaper called ‘Eddobozi’ which will ultimately be a direct competitor with Bukedde.Youtube messages are also flying around like crazy.All this would not be possible without some form of Buganda nationalism.
When Tutsis were in exile, they formed associations such as Rwanda Alliance for National Unity(RANU)(which was based in Nairobi) and Rwanda Students organisation(which had branches in all major cities in the world).The Tutsi associations abroad were an equivalent of today’s TABAMIRUKA for Baganda.Actually,RPF was a body born out of these Tutsi associations.Both Kagame and Fred Rwigyema were members of RANU.
Baganda first formed these kind of associations after the 1966 crisis and they continued to develop till 1980s when president Museveni preempted these developments by promising the Baganda that he would correct all that went wrong in 1966 if they backed his guerilla war. As such military organisations led by Baganda men such as Andrew Kayiira and Professor Lule were later assimilated into NRA/NRM.It was a lucky trick effected by tapping into Baganda’s known excitement and i dont know whether they will learn from it.Rwanda’s Habyarimana tried the same trick in 1973 when he rejected the politics of ethnicity but his lucky number did not come up as few Tutsis abandoned their organizations to return back home,just based on promises.
In spite of northerners dominating politics between 1966 and 1985 under mainly Obote and Amin, the Baganda continued to be the most educated and richest in the country. President Museveni has indirectly tried to reverse this, and to open up new avenues for patronage, and he has made some progress as lots of his people are now loaded.For instance,when he came into power, he started up schemes such as state house scholarship which mainly benefited students from Ankole region as a way of boosting their educational standards.His people have also dominated the public service and good army positions for ages.
However,unlike Habyarimana who later openly marginalized the Tutsi with his sectarian policies, genious Museveni has done it in a clever way where by he has also recruited a few Baganda elders and youths (as NRM cadres) and other tribes into the state jobs. These few excited Baganda in the government can therefore do anything, and i mean anything, to keep him in power. They still love their Kabaka but not as much as they love Museveni.There is a way money can excite most of us and he has played on it full time.
Lastly, the Baganda abroad are more educated than those at home and therefore pose some sort of a threat to the government in power.Any government will try anything possible to divide them and there is no better way of breaking up all these associations than luring some of their leaders into government jobs.If the recently formed diaspora office was totally independent of the ministry of foreign affairs then i would have got very excited with it.Yes, most of us would love to work from home but not when under too much pressure from the government to weaken associations of Ugandans abroad.Overall, we need to control our excitement when promised things which are not yet implemented.2011 elections are going to be a crucial test for Baganda and i can’t wait to see the outcome inishallah.
Byebyo ebyange banange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UPC must copy PKK and NRM by changing names
18 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, Obote and UPC, Politics, UPC current politics
Dear UPC members,
I don’t know why you are so obscessed with the name UPC because its
associated with a lot of things in Uganda that makes some of us feel like we
have had dinner as chilli sauce and chilli burgers coupled with chilli
juice. Names of parties are just political definitions which can change
with times. Some of the UPC ‘Generals’ have acknowledged that some Ugandanshave grown uncomfortable with the term. So it needs changing, as simple as
that.
NRMO did not start as NRMO.It has been changing with the times and that is
what i called rebranding the party.UPM was changed to Uganda Liberation
Movement when some UNLA soldiers joined them. Uganda Liberation Movementlater changed to MOSPOR(Movement for the Struggle for Political Rights)which later also changed to Peoples resistance Army(PRA)-more like a replicaof the alleged rebel organisation MBU started by Besigye in 2004. PRA laterunited with Uganda Freedom Fighters(UFF) of professor Lule to form NRM.
Museveni saw it necessary to unite with professor Yusuf Lule because he
needed the Baganda and some DP on board to fight the Obote dictatorship. He
therefore met Lule in Nairobi while Lule was residing at one of his
brother’s house.Lule’s brother is called Kabanda whom i personally know as a
relative though we aren’t friends. The bottom line here is that one
sometimes need to form alliances with others if one wants to achive
something.UPC need to cooperate with other opposition parties to fight
Museveni in the 2011 elections.The current IPC can compared to the alliance
NRM formed with the UFM(of Kayiira) and the UNRF when they met in London to form what is called Uganda Popular Front(UPF).
UPC therefore should not be afraid of changing its name and also joining the
IPC wholeheardetly because it is very necessary. By the way,It was also
rumored that MJ was considering changing the name of neverland to ‘Hardly
EverLand’ before he died. UPC can also out of ‘patriotism’ change ‘Uganda
House’ to ‘Uganda’s Taxpayers’ House’ because it was allegedly built using
tax payers’s money.
Political leaders have also changed their names dependimg on circumstances.
For instance, Russia’s Lenin was once called Ulianov while Stalin was once
called Dzygasgvuku. Probably, Hon Akena was wise not take Obote’s name on
board because it would have reminded some of us the ‘chilli’ dinners coupled
with gun shots in the evening.But who knows, Akena may change his name in
future to ‘Jimmy AKena Kalule’ because his mother is a Muganda.
Cities have also changed names because names are not religions as Mulindwa
wants us to believe. For instance, India’s Bombay was changed to Mumbai as
China’s Peking to Beijing , both reverting to the correct name from a
pre-colonial era.
Terrorist also do some rebranding when they want to join the ‘political
cake’. For instance,the terrorist group in northern Iraq, known until 2002
as the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and then as the Kurdistan Freedom and
Democracy Congress (KADEK) changed its name to KONGRA-GEL because they realised that the former names were reminding people of ‘chilli’ dinners yet people want to continue eating their MATOOKE and KAWUNGA in peace.
*Byebyo munange*
Abbey
NRM is a combination of different organisations
18 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, history, Obote and UPC
NRA/NRM got that name after Museveni’s PRA had joined forces with Professor Lule’s group(UFF)(which was based in Nairobi). Museveni mentions this in his book ‘sowing the mustard seed‘ if you have read it. Lule was very popular among the Baganda and DP and he was close to then prince Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.So this alliance made utmost sense. Lule became the 1st chairman of NRM and Museveni as his deputy when the alliance was signed and dusted.
Like i wrote some time in 2007,the final NRM formed was an alliance of different organisations in exile or abroad who had been opposing the Obote dictatorship for some time.First, there was Museveni’s FRONASA that later evolved itself into UPM. UPM (started in 1980 by the Musevenis)was changed to Uganda Liberation Movement when some UNLA soldiers joined them. Uganda Liberation Movement later changed to MOSPOR(Movement for the Struggle for Political Rights) which later also changed to Peoples resistance Army(PRA)-more like a replica of the alleged rebel organisation MBU started by Besigye in 2004. It was this PRA that later united with Uganda Freedom Fighters(UFF) of professor Lule to form NRM.
Museveni also formed an alliance with the UFM(of Kayiira) and the UNRF when they met in London to form what is called Uganda Popular Front(UPF).There are several UFM members who have settled in marriage with Museveni up to now. Former UFMs such as Francis Bwengye,Kakooza Mutale and Kasirye Gwanga are still alive today and they can tell you everything you need to know.Others like Bugerere’s Sam Sabagereka died soon after NRM take over and their kids are as poor as it can get. His house can viewed at Kamuli on the road side on your way to Kangulumira.I studied with some of his kids in primary school.FEDEMU and UFM were part of NRA/NRM and were very active in the north when NRM had just taken power. Another Muganda called Nkwanga was the overall commander of FEDEMU.
Both FEDEMU and UFM were later destroyed by Museveni somwhere around 1987 and i dont think you can now trace them anywhere. All their leaders are dead. Those who are alive are just old,scared and rattled and living independent lives abroad. The bottom line here is that all these Baganda organisations were assimilated and later destroyed intelligently. They got excited with promises and alliances and forgot why they formed in the first place.
Abbey
The little i know about FRONASA
18 Jan 2010 2 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, Obote and UPC
FRONASA was formally formed in 1973 but it was operational way back before that. Museveni’s book also can give you some hints on this to show you that he made his mind up to fight Obote dictatorship in the 1960s.
Museveni also said that FRONASA was the one that attacked Makenke Barracks(Mbarara) in 1972.So what makes some people think that FRONASA was formed in 1973? I also read somewhere that Major Gen Muhoozi’s mother joined FRONASA in 1971.How and when she died, i don’t know, and i dont want speculate.
Museveni was in Obote’s GSU as insider operative of FRONASA.Obote kindly recruited him but he did not know he was recruiting a spy. Eriya Kategeya was also in UPC as an ‘informer’ for FRONASA and i think Museveni mentions him in his book’ sowing the mustard seed’ for being so courageous in this role. He also briefly joined FDC as allegedly an informer for NRM.
FRONASA operatives also continued to operate calendestinely by taking up jobs in Amin’s govt.People like Wanume Kibedi, Amama Mbabazi, Rugumayo, and John Kazoora were already part of FRONASA.Kazora later helped Museveni to marry Janet Museveni when they were in exile in Nairobi. There are those who were fighting the regime from outside amongwhom include FDC’s Augustine Ruzindana and Otaffire Kahinda who were trained in gueirilla warfare from mozambique and they were very instrumental in fighting the Amin regime between 1973 and 1978.
The first ‘official’ chairman of FRONASA was Lapwony GINYAKOL, a northerner, but FRONASA had its unofficial owners as we now know today. Electing some of these people was meant to widen the alliance base.
Yes,FRONASA was intergrated into UNLA/UNLF but they still kept their organisation intact since Obote’s KIKOSI MALUM had decided to dominate the army. The lesson here again:’Never abandon the aims and objectives of your organisation because of all alliance‘. This is where the Kayiiras and Lules got it wrong. Most FRONASAs also joined UPM and they were the one that helped Museveni to become the chairman of UPM in the first place despite resistance from guys like Professor Tarsis Kabwegyere. So UPM became FRONASA’s indirect political wing, if i can say so. People like Francis Bwengye tried to recruit Museveni into DP and they did not want him to form UPM but it was too late.
Please i dont know much about FRONASA but all i know it was already operational before it was officially lauched in 1973. As for Obote, i’m even not sure whether ‘hate’ is the right word to use here when describing him.I think im now indifferent where Obote is concerned.He just happens to be a big part of our history and therefore i cant avoid mentioing his name.
One Isaac Balamu wrote on the UAH forum:‘Okay, If I may ask, how was Dr Obote (RIP) a dictator between 1967-71?”.
In simple terms, Obote illegally aborogated the 1962 constitution and kept us without a constitution for 1 month. This was illegal and there are no two ways about it. Even a book i read recently written by a certain UPC legal expert agreed with this position. THis was a coup and leaders who come to power through coups remain dictators till when they hold an election. Obote never held any till when Amin kicked his ass in 1971. He illegall did a lot of stuff ,as i assume you already know, without the mandate of the people of Uganda, and that’s not democracy,sir.
Im however happy to hear that Isaac Balamu is also another Bugererian(from Nazigo). What did Obote do in Nazigo really?please educate me! Last time i checked, it was mainly St.Kalemba which was still the pride of the region. When you down there in Kyampisi, people have been stinking of poverty since Obote days, i hear. Museveni just added salt to the injuries.
Isaac is also right that Sabagereka did not die as soon as NRM took power but 1993 is not far from 1986, and i think i didnt mean to say that he died straightaway after the struggle, because i remember attending one of the NRA parties at his place when i was a kid.We were invited as students to sing for the NRA big people where we sang songs in Lunyankole like ‘EKIBINA KYETWE NRA. NIKYEBENGERE OMUSHAYIZI OMWETEGELEZI.JIZUNGILE EKITISA KILI OBULI UGANDA. AMAHANGA GONE NEGAKIMANYA. I recently passed via his house when i was in Uganda-that KALINA on the road side, but it looked like some deserted place.
Abbey .K.S
WILL BESIGYE EVER BECOME A CARLOS TEVEZ?
19 Jan 2010 8 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, Politics
Besigye and Wafula on a consultation tour recently in Karamoja
Dear readers,
A British Columnist and former Arsenal striker, Ian Wright, recently wrote in the Sun Newspaper when he described Manchester City’s striker, Carlos Tevez, as ‘the non-stop striker who was basically forced out of the Old Trafford door’‘. Obviously he wrote all this because of the terrific form Tevez has been in ever since he switched sides to Manchester City FC from Manchester United.I wanted my team,Chelsea, to sign him but city beat us to his signature because of their heavy pockets.Nevertheless, Ian’s statement reminded me of the time when Besigye was pushed out of NRM in the late 1990s and gave a Museveni a run for him money in both 2001 and 2006 elections.
Personally, I couldn’t help wondering why politics is such a brutal game compared to football where a man can prove whoever pushed him out that he made a wrong decision in such a short time.Carlos Tevez has proved to Alex Ferguson that he made a mistake by pushing him out of the door but Besigye has not yet fully made the same impression on Museveni and yet he has done too well beyond most people’s expectations. Actually, last night Tevez was all smiles when he scored two beauties against Manchester United in a carling cup final derby such that the BBC commentator ended the game by saying: ‘ the stage was set, the screen was played and Carlos Tevez has the staring role in it’.
Oh man, for the fist time, I felt sorry for Manchester United supporters because they could not intimidate Tevez by running to some security agents or General Kayihura as Museveni has been doing with Besigye and his supporters. Up to now, I get so amused when I hear some people say that Besigye should step down for some body else considering what he has been subjected to ever since he stood against president Museveni in 2001. People like Mugisha Muntu are proven good leaders but they joined FDC when Besigye had almost steaded the ship. That’s why I think they should let him stand for his last term as FDC presidential candidate and lateron as IPC 2011 presidential candidate.He is by far the more qualified candidate, in experience and judgment.
If the FDC 5 year strategic plan is implemented in its entity to the last dot, then I think the stage for the Besigye win in 2011 will also be set and he certainly will have a strong staring role in 2011 elections. Obvioulsy, voter turn out will be the key. The parties under IPC should not worry themselves anymore with the position of presidential candidate because I believe any sane Ugandan will tell you that Besigye weighs more than the rest of the opposition leaders in and outside IPC(including DP’s Mao). Now all they need to do is to concentrate their efforts on who takes what in positions available for members of parliament or regional elections.This will increase their numbers in parliament after the 2011 elections.
We read in the newspapers recently that Hilary Clinton will be monitoring the 2011 Uganda elections. The questions on my mind is, will the US slam the 2011 elections as they did in Yugoslavia if international observers are not allowed to verify the fairness of the electoral process, or has in Peru after international observers said the ruling party denied opposition candidates access to the media. At the moment, the media is dominated by the NRM and Besigye has been denied access to be hosted on several radio stations in Uganda. What is Hilary gonna do about it before 2011 elections?
Let’s hope that the Museveni campaign team are gonna run a pure campaign this time rather than pure character assasination,torture, intimidation and slander against the opposition candidates. The opposition, on the otherhand, should not draw themselves so much into counterracting evils in Museveni campaign because why start out with the low and sophomoric strategy, when you have the high ground to start with? It makes no sense.Buganda is there for the taking following Museveni run-ins with the Kabaka.Busoga can swing to anybody with good mobilisation skills; Teso is already FDC; Mbale can be FDC or UPC(they just have to agree as fellow IPCs);Bunyoro could be anybody with good mobilisation skills following Museveni sectarian letter; and Northern Uganda will remain opposition stronghold despite some progress Museveni has made there.
So basically apart from Ankole region, the rest of Uganda is now up for grabs if the opposition seriously wants it. Therefore,just like Besigye, Carlos Tevez has not yet won any trophies in a Manchester City Outfit but will both have their luck change at the end of 2011 afterall nobody expects city to win the league at the end of this season.The only difference here is that city have got endless pockets which is not the same situation with Besigye’s FDC.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
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Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
Islam and Prophet Muhammad videos
24 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in Religion Tags: Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
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http://freedocumentaries.org/theatre.php?filmid=56&id=879&wh=1000×720
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m] Battle of Uhud
n] Battle of Badr
o] Prophet’s last sermon before his death
WILL MUSEVENI’S KAYUNGA RALLY MAKE BUGANDA LOVE HIM AGAIN?
06 Feb 2010 10 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, kingdoms, Politics, Riots and genocide
Friends,
There’s a lot at stake in the debate that involves president Museveni’s confirmation that Bugerere is part of Buganda – our freedoms of movement and speech and the future of this country. This is one we cannot pass up. My grandfather always told me that if you couldn’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all! He also told me that the most important thing about politicians was not what party they represented, but whether you could trust them. But I’ve been breaking his advice about saying things about people ever since I picked some interest in both Obote and Museveni presidency and their relationship with Buganda. Obote broke a lot of laws during the 1966 Buganda crisis as Museveni also did last year before and during the Buganda riots. As a result, we have ended up with a country where president Museveni is the top law. When he says, ‘don’t go to Kayunga, you don’t dare go there’. As a result, minister Kivenjinja was not afraid to tell us that the Kabaka must seek permission from Sabanyala or Sabaluli before going to Kayunga despite confirmations from the president at his rally in Kayunga yesterday that Bugerere was part of Buganda. Going by his constitutional interpretations at the Kayunga rally, then I can categorically say that Buruli is also part of Buganda and Brother Kivejinja was used. The point here is that without law, we have the rule of men who do the “right” thing and ignore the law in places like Bugerere and Nakasongola and get away with it.
The relationship between president Museveni and Buganda can be compared to a woman who tells a man in the face that ‘I’ve fallen out of love with you’ but the relationship just keeps going either because they have got a kid together or the man is still in love with the woman and cant just let go. But the question I always ask guys in this situation is that ‘would you still love her if she cheated on you and ran away with another man and stole all your money? Museveni has been cheating on Buganda by having an open affair with Bunyoro, Baluli and Banyara against Buganda. That’s why sometimes I get astonished when I hear people who tend to love him or hate him without any complicating shades of gray. May be Museveni has got USA’s former president, Reagan, ability to make the people love him even as they hated their misery. Personally, I can compare Museveni’s rally in Kayunga to a rich man who rather take pictures with poor children than feed them.
All I know is that Buganda loves political power not Museveni. For the time being Museveni’s a source of it though he won’t always be. That doesn’t require Buganda to love him in any way that that term is ordinarily used. All Buganda needs to do now is to be like our normal women in the world. A woman must make herself wanted, desired, hard-to-get- that’s the whole appeal of womanliness, that she’s not easy because she is the sought one; the final decision rests with her, not with the man. A woman who lets all these creeps do her is just an idiot.
Buganda’s assumed woman role will take her very far, after all – behind every great man there’s a woman telling him he’s wrong. Women know what irks and frazzles men, and they vote accordingly. It is a reasonable speculation; Bill Clinton would not have been elected President if Joey Buttafuoco had decided to run in the Democratic primaries.
Therefore, between now and 2011 elections, Museveni is gonna pull all the tricks in the book to win Buganda’s hearts again but they should be on guard. Like they say, for some elected officials, winning an election is like an overdose of steroids. They suddenly feel all-powerful, invincible, and above the law. They believe churlishness and bullying prove their might. They treat other people with contempt. Since the current men in statehouse are wicked and will not keep faith with Buganda, you need not keep faith with them whatever they promise you.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Obama and Clinton should not shove homosexuality down our throats
09 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in culture, cultures, international, social issues
Banange,
Obama and Clinton should not kill the homosexuality debate in Uganda by making endless phone calls threatening our president when they also don’t believe in this awkward behavior.Under Reagan administration, some of his people had strong anti-homosexuality feelings. Homos were believed to be the major spreaders of HIV/AIDS in USA.That’s why Bush senior proposed mandatory testing of homos when he was still VP to Reagan. Actually, Bush implemented mandatory HIV testing in some govt institutions when he later became the president.Some of Reagan’s friends were anti-homo but at least they were allowed to express themselves.Let Ugandans also be allowed to express themselves freely without any foreign intervention.
Sexual orientation is “behavior”, since one can be lesbian or gay and later decide to sleep with the opposite sex. Homosexuality isn’t a completely self defeating mutation. Homosexuals can in fact reproduce. They just don’t like it. Some become active homosexuals after reproducing, some before. There is also no conclusive scientific evidence that homosexuality is a natural thing.
By the way,I have no problem with homosexuality as long as it isn’t pushed into the public domain or them(homos) start asking for special rights in Africa. Of course, I feel the same way about a heterosexual couple having sex in public though the later is natural.
My argument about Africa is that these things are not generally part of us despite the fact that there was an element of this behavior among some people in our history. Even up to now, most white people are forced by the law or ‘liberalism’ to accept homos in their society but they privately don’t support them.For instance,Hilary opposed same sex unions in Newyork and it was an issue during her campaigns in NY as a senator.She later backed out of it because it was damaging her campaign but she did not support this behavior at first. I remember Hilary saying that she would have voted for the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 because marriage “has always been between a man and a woman.” This legislation was signed into law by her husband(Bill Clinton) and it denies federal recognition of same-sex “marriage” and allows states to ignore those licensed elsewhere. I also read somewhere that it’s illegal to be gay in Texas though im not so sure how the law is now.So why is Clinton forcing homos down our throats if she herself found it a weird behavior.
I’m surprised that some Ugandans would not feel let down when their son or daughter comes to them and say that they are gay. I don’t know whether people in this category are trying to be politicians or not because its politicians who make such statements in public yet privately say different things. Anyway, just to let them know,such marriages end up encouraging off-springs to also become gay or lesbian. For instance,the new study by two University of Southern California sociologists said that children with lesbian or gay parents show more empathy for social diversity, are less confined by gender stereotypes, and are probably more likely to explore homosexual activity themselves.
Lastly,all religions condemn homosexuality.It may have existed before religions but it does not make it right,does it?
Abbey
Museveni’s mission is a lesson to Rwandese Haters
09 Feb 2010 4 Comments
in Bahima and Banyarwanda, international, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Presidency
Ugandans,
Please be careful not to get sacked into Museveni’s book:’sowing the mustard seed’, because it can have an effect on anybody after reading it. It shows a man who was on a mission from day one.It’s interesting because most people are only born with ambitions such as becoming a doctor, teacher or nurse or something like that- which are just straightforward careers but Museveni’s book portrays him as a man who wanted non of the above ‘give me a desk, suite and a pen’ careers. That’s why I keep telling people that ‘love him or hate him’, Museveni has got the ‘Reagan ‘ effect on the people of Uganda. Reagan also had that effect on the Americans despite keeping them in miserly. That’s why im not surprised that an FDC man like you is giving Museveni credit where it’s due.
May be this should be a lesson to people like Mr.Edward Mulindwa of Toronto- who keep portraying Rwandese immigrants in Uganda as scumbags. Yes,Museveni and Mugisha Muntu may have a Rwandese background but we should move ourselves above that if we are to move forward. The Californians voted for somebody with dual citizenship as their Governor’s in Schwarzenegger and there is now a movement pushing for the amendment of the US constitution such that he could ran for president in future. They want specifically Article II, which holds that a president must be a “natural born” citizen to be amended.
I don’t know if Museveni came to Uganda with anything apart from the clothes he had on but he has made himself somebody in the Uganda history and nobody in their right minds can deny this. I read somewhere that at least Schwarzenegger arrived in America with little more than a gym bag but he became a Hollywood star with lots of money and later a governor. So instead of people showering abuse to Rwandese immigrants in Uganda, may be we should instead do something about lives and compete with them.Abanyarwanda joined Museveni’s bush war in Luwero because they Obote and Rwakasisi was up inn their necks.Museveni gave them a home in Luwero. They later found a home in their country buy figthting Habyariman government. Abanyarwanda are still on a mission to strengthen their position in the great lakes region because they know that whatever they have achieved so far can easily be thrown out of the window. We should all be a mission or target human beings.
Nze Bwendaba
Abbey
Lule’s Professorship,Mutesa’s body& Obote’s Doctorate
10 Feb 2010 1 Comment
in history, Lule and Uganda politics
Dear Ugandans
I would like to take this opportunity to send my condolences to the family of late Yusuf Lule who recently lost a strong lady in Hannah Lule( Lule’s wife). May the good Lord keep you all strong and help you to get through this difficult time.
I would also like to use this opportunity to tell those Ugandans who are still in doubt whether Yusuf Lule was a real professor or not-that he was a professor as in like deservedly being called a professor. He had his own faults (for example, changing his religion) but he was admirably an intelligent man. I don’t know if any of his sons took after him because I don’t know them very well. However, I have got a little brother who exactly looks like Lule and I sometimes wonder whether he will also end up like him in future.
Anyway, according to Professor Ali Mazrui, Y.K. Lule acquired the title of “Professor” when he was elected to head the Association of African Universities with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana, after his Makerere years. Let us also remember that Late Lule already had 2 degrees in something I have forgotten. He did his masters degree from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland).
Lule would have made Ugandans very proud as the president of Uganda if UNLF, the Musevenis and Nyerere Julius had given him a chance. The world never gave him a chance. It was also unfortunate that he died before NRM had taken over power because he would have played a role in the Museveni government. He was the first chairman of NRM and he had very good ideas. He was the one that partly influenced people like late Dr.Sulaiman Kiggundu into the NRM. A lot of Baganda respected him.
I can only say that Lule was a victim of ‘snakes’, ‘chameleons’ and hypocrites in the UNLF government. Museveni himself never wanted Lule to become the president of Uganda at the time when one tries to analyse some of the sentiments he pours in his book sowing the Mustard Seed. Museveni believed that the FRONASA group should have had an upper hand in the post Amin era and I believe he wanted himself to be the president. That’s why he steeped on a lot of people’s toes while in the Moshi Conference (March 1979). Lule kept himself the Defence minister for a while with Museveni as his deputy (state minister of defence) because he knew how powerful the minister of defence can do to a regime that was as unstable as his. He should never have trusted Museveni at all because Museveni himself had shown signs of fighting for the presidency whatever it takes.
Lule at the same time did not trust Paulo Muwanga because he knew that this was Obote’s snake in the UNLF government and that’s why he removed him from the important ministry of internal affairs and replaced him with a man he could trust, Dr.Andrew Kayiira.
The Obote Group, on the other hand, did not trust Museveni because they knew what he was after. They recruited a few FRONASA into the UNLA and Museveni did not like this as he says in his book. But this was what anybody who wanted to consolidate his power base should have done. The UPC people wanted to keep the northerners as the majority in the army because they knew that power lies in the army in African politics and also wished to keep their strength in the north going. The UPC guys did not even like Museveni being the Vice chairman of the Military commission but Nyerere intervened in Moshi and there he was.
Museveni in return did not like them at all but kept them within his distance and that is why he tactically accepted to serve in the UNLF government. Museveni was not worried about Prof Lule’s presidency that much because he knew he was gonna fail. If Lule had come into presidency with an army of his own, he probably would have survived the ‘snakes’ and ‘chameleons’ in the UNLF government. When Lule realised that he was surrounded with snakes that were gonna bite him any time, he started seeking the shoulders of the Mengo clique to cry on and that’s when these snakes made a move. He never moved out of the central region in the 68 days he was president because he knew that there were more snakes waiting for him outside the central region and he was scared to death.
Lule wanted to create a balance in the army (UNLA) and that is why he introduced the quotoa system for recruitment, which would have been based on the population of each of the country’s ethinic groups. The UPC group did not like this as this would have meant more Baganda and other western tribes dominating the army. I think Museveni supported him on this issue because he was watching the UPC Group very closely.
The truth therefore is that Lule did try to take some steps within the 68 days he was in power to consolidate his presidency but he would never have made it without an army of his own. His insistence of going by the 1967 constitution can also be seen as a president who wanted to give himself more executive powers. Who would not want this if you wanted to consolidate your power? The UPC people moved very fast and got rid of him. They tactically replaced him with the 1960s former Obote’s right hand man, Binaisa, who was the architect of the 1967 constitution. This Binaisa knew that he was just being used and that’s why he resorted to turning state house in a business entity to make himself a few dosh here and there.
kironde Lule
Mazrui also explains why Obote was afraid of the return of Mutesa’s 1’s body by saying that he(Obote) was afraid that the return of Mutesa’s body to Uganda would provoke another Baganda intifadah like that of 1966.
I would also like to respond to the UPC supporters who are obcessed with calling late Obote a ”Dr”. What was Obote studying in Ethiopia to be called a DR? Obote was expelled from Makerere University for organizing a food riot, and there are no records anywhere to indicate that he ever studied for a medical degree, or a PhD in any field. So what is with this fixation of calling the man Dr.?
Obote was a ”Dr” without any degree or any piece of research or anything like that. By the way, even the Liverpool FC captain is supposed to be called Dr. Stephen Gerald after getting one of those like Obote, but he never uses it. Oh, even president Museveni is now called Dr. Museveni after getting ‘OBOTE’ honours recently from the Law Development Centre.
I think I agree with Mr.Shyaka Kanuma , UNHCR (Rwanda) Media and Information Consultant ,who said in 2005 that people who praise Obote all the time can be assumed to reflect some pathological inability not to tell the whole truth.
Obote_Mutesa-side-by-side
Have we ever heard of any UPC supporters or sympathisers coming up to say that Obote did A,B,C and D and therefore let us move on. It was only Omugeye Miria Kalule Obote who apologised in 2006 elections on behalf of UPC but she never told us what she was actually apologising for. When i later challenged UPC special representative in the UK,Mr. Joseph Ochieno, to give us a list of the things UPC was apologising for, he pretended like he did not know what i was talking about.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
BIBLE,HOMOSEXUALITY,WOMEN RIGHTS AND POLYGAMY
13 Feb 2010 15 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, culture, cultures, international, Religion
A man surrounded by two wives
Dear Friends,
It is very wrong for people to portray polygamy as only as Muslim thing yet it is well known that the Bible is pro-polygamy.Polygamy is one of the grand Bible based values they don’t like to talk about .You will find nothing in the Bible, Old or New Testament, that discredits polygamy.Actually, the Bible does not restrict how many wives a man can have, Only that he must be married to whoever he has sex with. In the Bible, King Solomon, who was one of the “good guys” , had 1000 wives and concubines. According to the bible, a man may have sex with any woman who is legally his property. This means polygamy is acceptable under biblical morality; if you’ll recall, almost all of the biblical greats had multiple wives and concubines (David, Solomen, Isaac, Abraham, Gideon, Machir, Manasseh, Esau, Isreal, Jacob…….).For instance, in Exodus 21:10, a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how many he can marry. In 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3, King David had six wives and numerous concubines. In 1 Kings 11:3, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. In 2 Chronicles 11:21, King Solomon’s son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines. In Deuteronomy 21:15 “If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons….”. In Deuteronomy 25:5 if a woman’s husband dies, and she didn’t have any kids from him, then she must marry his brother regardless whether he had a wife or not.
Polygamy has been practiced for thousands of years.Polygamy stretches back at least thousands of years to the Babylonian empire.In Sweden, there is now a movement for legalized polyamory and the abolition of marriage.In Canada,two out of four reports on polygamy commissioned by the Canadian government recommended decriminalization and regulation of the practice. In USA,Polygamy is supported in principle by the American Civil Liberties Union.There are also Mormons living in suburban Utah who are polygamous anyway despite the fact that Polygamy is banned in the Utah Constitution and is a felony offense.While polygamy is technically illegal in Utah,tens of thousands of devout Christians there still practice it (Some husbands have as many as seven wives).The law isn’t enforced much, like laws against other victim less crimes.While Bill Clinton also condemned polygamy and its prior practice by his Mormon church,when campaigning to be president and targeting for women votes , his great-grandfather had five wives and at least one of his great-great grandfathers had 12.
homosexuality and polygamy
It’s also wrong to start comparing polygamy to gay marriage or homosexuality.Gay marriage and polygamy are like apples and oranges. Polygamy would only be a fair comparison if the attempt was to have gays be able to have multiple spouses. There is more of a precedent in human history for polygamous marriage, than for “same sex marriage.Same-sex “marriage” used to be only legal in Massachussetts in 2004.
I believe that supporters of homosexuality normally sneak in this issue because they are confusing “zoning laws” with rules and regulations that are set up for no other reason than to specifically protect and preserve the prevailing moral values of the community. These are the same types of regulations that keep me from dancing nude in my front yard.The government has the right to restrict and regulate those things in public that the majority of society feels is inappropriate, as homosexuality is the case in Africa.The government has a compelling reason to control this behavior for no other reason than it goes against the prevailing moral values of the community.
Polygamy laws have always been difficult to prosecute anywhere it’s in the world because the men generally obtain marriage licenses for only their first wives. Subsequent marriages are performed secretly, and the additional wives often present themselves to society as single women with children.As a result,there are threfore several polygamists in the UK, USA and other developed nations, and there is nothing the governments can do about it.
Women rights
I support women rights and I would love my sisters to get married to single men but I will never stand in their way if they go for a polygamous marriage. Polygamy only violates women rights as long as it is non consensual. I don’t believe in the notion that love divided up means less love per share ,as every woman has got something special about her.Even if we give women a choice now, it could make more sense for them to be the second wife of a rich man than the first wife of a poor one.The anthropologist Laura Betzig is quoted as saying, “Which woman would not rather be John Kennedy’s third wife than Bozo the Clown’s first?”.Some suggest that the end of polygamy will come through the empowerment of women but I think it has instead created a lot of problems in developed nations where women are so much empowered- since few men want to marry them.
So please let us not legislate against polygamy in Uganda but instead put more effort in fighting problems women face such as: female circumcision, domestic violance, girls education, unequal employment oppoertunities, pregnant discrimination at work and the right to inherit their fathers.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UK
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Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
Have we learnt any lessons from East African collapse?
15 Feb 2010 4 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, East Africa, Economics
Dear Ugandans,
There are so many coalitions, organisations and federations that have been formed in a dictatorial environment. Some have worked and others have not but the difference with the East Africa Federation is that some states in East Africa are going through serious economic and political reformation particularly Rwanda and Kenya. Uganda is still politically immature and that can be seen by every citizen of East Africa, but is that enough reason not to promote this federation, I don’t think so. An East African Federation is a good idea and I support it whatever the environment. Some times, a man needs to marry a bright, clean, intelligent and hardworking woman to reform himself. That’s why some people say that there is a woman behind every man’s success and it is indeed true. The ghosts disturbing Uganda may never be removed by Ugandans alone. We need a partner to help us fight these bad ghosts.
Having said that, I’m also supporting a Uganda federation within an East African federation. This will be a bonus if we achieve the Uganda federation first before the East African federation. Buganda and some parts of Uganda are rightly asking for federalism within Uganda and there is nothing wrong with this. Like Dr.Besigye explained one time on Ngoma radio, federalism was demanded by majority of Ugandans and therefore it’s not a Buganda issue alone.
The most important question here is ‘Have we learnt any lessons from East African collapse? Let us look at the economics of the East African Federation. This federation collapsed once mainly because of the economics that were involved. If the current architects can create good economic policies, the East African federation will be a rock for all members involved. Therefore,we need to look at why the East African Common Market or the federation collapsed in the first place and if those factors have been corrected. If not, we are in danger of not learning from history.
First, the common market was founded in 1917 and collapsed in 1977. This idea was started by the British colonial government to serve British business interests and those of the British settlers in Kenya. The aim was to create a free and integrated market, sheltered by selective high tariff walls to simultaneously encourage Kenyan settler- businessmen and the expansion of foreign manufactured exports into East Africa.
This meant that the gains from a Customs Union were either not reaped or the distribution between partner states was not ‘equitable’. When Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika got independence, the distribution issue caused instability and led to the collapse of the common market. Will Kenya not again be the top beneficiary at the expense of other partner states? Are the British still having a hand in this idea or it’s an independent one among member states?
Secondly, the federation is going ahead without assessment in the industrial bases of the partner states, yet this was a major factor in the first collapse. Kenya ,like before,has a higher manufacturing and services sector. This industrial imbalance indicates lack of equity in the distribution of integration benefits. These mistakes were neither corrected by the ‘Raisman Commission’ in 1960 nor by the Kampala/Mbale Agreement in 1964/5. The latter was never implemented because the Kenya parliament refused to ratify it and the proposed committee of industrial experts was never set up.
After the failure of the Kampala Agreement, cooperation became so shaky that the Philip Commission was appointed to save the common market. The commission resulted in the treaty that established an East African Community consisting of a common market and a wide range of common services. Again in this treaty, most activities had their headquarters in Kenya. Have we taken note of this? Is Kenya going to continue playing the role of the ‘boss’ as it was before?
Let me give you an example of the East Africa Development Bank, established with the aim of promoting balanced industrial development. A differential investment formula was proposed and enjoined on the bank so that it should have loaned, guaranteed or invested over the consecutive periods of five years slightly more than 38 percent of its funds to Uganda and Tanzania each and the remaining 22 percent or so to Kenya. This failed for reasons well known to some architects of this federation. Have they corrected them?
However,I’m happy that the architects of the East African Federation are rectifying some of the mistakes that led to the final collapse of the federation on July 1st, 1977. For instance,having a single currency among member states by 2012 is a step in the right direction. It will some how lead to balanced development among member states considering other factors remain constant. If we look at the last monetary policy developed by the 1967 East African Community that involved unified exchange rates, it led to a situation whereby the residents of Uganda and Tanzania preferred to keep their money in Kenya currency where there was greater availability of industrial goods for consumption. This made the Kenya currency to emerge as the stronger currency and the development of a black market situation whereby sh.1U ≥ sh.1 T < sh.1 K. Over time the Kenya currency grew stronger while those of Uganda and Tanzania were becoming weaker and this eventually affected the working of the East African Community Corporations by creating the problem of ‘inter-territorial transfer of funds’. The policy also led to a decline in reserve positions of both Uganda and Tanzania because of currency flights from these two countries, thus exasperating the need for further exchange controls.
Chapter VII, article 24 of the 1967 Treaty for East African Corporation, provided for exchange rate unification between the three partner states. Exchange rate unification means a situation where ‘‘the relative per values of the currencies of the members of the common market remain irrevocably fixed while their absolute par values when changed at all would change in the same proportion’’. The three currencies were to be exchanged without restriction at the IMF parity of shilling 1U = sh.1 k = sh.1 T. The rate of inflation was assumed to be equal since the absence of equal rates of inflation would automatically mean that a unified exchange rate situation no longer stood. The three currencies for purposes of parities vis a vis the outside were tied at different times to foreign currencies (British pound, US dollar) and to the IMF special drawing rights.
Considering that the three East African countries had different economic problems and different strategies for solving those problems, the policy of exchange rate unification which is inconsistent with the pursuance of different monetary policies present real problems in theory as it did in practice with East Africa. For example, On 7 February 1967, Nyerere issued a statement of party principles called the Arusha Declaration in Tanzania that called for nationalisation of Banks and large enterprises in Agriculture, manufacturing, construction and commerce. In May, 1970, Uganda also announced a leftist policy at Nakivubo. These two policies created uncertainty and adversely affected business confidence in these countries in the long run. Both countries imposed exchange control policies with the other partners to prevent capital flight. This situation created differences in the three currencies as viewed by residents and non residents of the common market, seeking to invest in East Africa. Hence the policy of unified exchange rates does not seem to have worked well for East Africa.
Abbey K. Semuwemba,
United Kingdom
Bunyoro’s ‘lost counties’ issue is burying the federo cause
17 Feb 2010 2 Comments
in Bunyoro and lost counties, federalism in Uganda
I agree with people who say that Abakooki including Semei Kakungulu and the Nakasongola people are all Baganda .Period. We should not allow Mr. Henry Miriima,Bunyoro and Company to divide us because they are pursuing something for purposes best known to themselves. I may sound like I’m burying my head in the sand but it is the best way forward. I can’t see Bunyoro getting the ‘lost counties’ as Mr. Serumaga Kalundi once explained. It is also obvious that the so called Sabaluli and Sabanyala joined the Bunyoro Cultural trust as a bargaining chip to break away from Buganda. It is more difficult for them (baluli and banyala) to break away from Buganda than breaking away from Bunyoro at the time of their own choice. But then again, why would they want to break away from Buganda in the first place? We have been part of each other for ages and we have a good understanding of each other’s cultures.
Bunyoro is one of the kingdoms in Uganda that welcomed every tribe in their territory because they believed other kingdoms were once part of bunyoro-kitala. That’s why there are a lot of other tribes in Bunyoro regions. Similarly Banyoro have migrated to other parts of Uganda and integrated very well with other cultures. The Banyoro in Nakasongola, Bugerere and others in the ‘lost counties’ have become more gandalised more than anything else. There is nothing wrong with this arrangement and any body who loves Uganda would not even attempt to rearrange it in any way by digging up maps that are going to confuse our people.
Bunyoro based their first claims to the ‘lost counties’ on the evidence of the genealogy of their ruling dynasty. They emphasised that Bunyoro was the oldest and the largest of the Great Lakes region.
When bunyoro realised that this strategy of concentrating on ancient history was not working properly,as it meant that parts like Rwanda, Toro,Bwera(bamooli)………… which were once part of Bunyoro will never come back, they then came up with a different strategy called imperial ideology. They tactically used this imperial ideology by accusing both the British and baganda of indirect rule, slavery, and colonialism. They used this strategy by employing petitions based on archives or valuable records, lobbying of nationalist politicians, British Queen’s Counsels, and finally low-level terrorism in an increasingly modern and sophisticated campaign. Bunyoro even threatened to sue Buganda, Uganda and Britain for £3b over the issue of lost counties as reported in the Guardian Newspaper here in the UK in 2003. Actually, they have gone ahead and sued the British government as reported in the newspaper this year(2010) because they wanna tap into British money and exposure of this issue.The case is still in court as I write now.
Bunyoro have come up with a third tactic to pursue their ‘lost’ cause: combination of the ruling dynasty’s genealogical claim for regional pre-eminence, imperial ideology and ‘take advantage of the political environment’. This ‘take advantage of the political environment’ is mainly based on the fact that Buganda and president Museveni are not on the same page at the moment and Museveni needs oil from Bunyoro region to serve his own political agendas. So Bunyoro is willing to be used in playing the part of the cancer that can weaken the strength of Buganda. The question we should all ask ourselves is that: will this combination of tactics finally give Bunyoro what it wants.
So far,it looks like Museveni has indirectly or temporarily damped them after realsiing that they are costing him votes in Bukiiga or Bufuluki land(after the president’s sectarian letter in their support last year) and Buganda. Museveni publicly announced ,while on a rally in Kayunga, that Bugerere is part of Buganda after obviously realising that the Banyala are very few in numbers in Kayunga and it will cost him votes.Personally, I feel that we have been successful diverted by both Bunyoro and the central government from the real issue at hand here, which is the quest for federalism in Uganda.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blocking Kabaka from visiting Nakasongola was wrong
17 Feb 2010 2 Comments
in Bunyoro and lost counties, history, kingdoms
Kabaka of Buganda,muwenda Mutebi
Dear Ugandans,
I was so much disturbed when the government refused Kabaka Mutebi to cerebrate Buganda’s independence from Nakasongola till when I read a detailed email from Mr. Henry Ford Mirima, spokes person for Bunyoro kingdom, that I fully understood what this was all about.
What disturbed most people in all this is Bunyoro’s new found friendship with NRMO and president Museveni and that’s why many of us suspected the government’s hand in this blockage of the Kabaka to proceed to Nakasongola as earlier planned. It should be stressed that since the restoration of kingdoms in 1993, Bunyoro has been quite and relatively poor compared to Buganda and Tooro but this situation changed after the discovery of oil in Bunyoro. Now it is not surprising that Bunyoro has found its way into newspapers recently than before. Last time I read about Bunyoro was in 2003 in the UK newspaper called The Guardian when their king was planning to sue the governments of Britain, Uganda and Buganda for £3billion in compensation for alleged war crimes and illegal land transfers committed during Britain’s war of conquest in the 1890s.I thought it was a joke as they remained quite after this story. Then oil was discovered and all their intentions to get on top of their dreams were resurrected.
I somehow agree with some Baganda intellectuals who have described Bunyoro’s fixation with the past particularly the issue of ‘lost counties’ as a symptom of backwardness. Henry Ford Mirima’s emails and articles in the newspapers in Uganda base Bunyoro’s case on a record or account of the ancestry and descent of Bunyoro kings. Miriima also goes ahead to portray Bunyoro as the champions of indirect rule, anti-slavery and self-determination. It is obvious that Bunyoro is presenting its case by lobbying the media, legal counsels,anti-buganda voices from other tribes and politicians and that’s why the Kabaka was eventually blocked on his way to Nakasongola.
It is also obvious that Bunyoro and the supporters of their cause are still getting to the terms of accepting that Buganda has been bigger and wealthier than Bunyoro since the 1890s. The Banyoro put all this blame on the British and they feel that they can still become bigger than Buganda by reducing the size of its territory. They believe that this will give them a better say in National politics than Buganda particularly with oil in their region at the background of their minds.
The Banyoro historians have re-written their history in which there are now claiming that the ruling Babito clan were the blood heirs to the historical Bacwezi, who were the rulers of the Kitala kingdom. We all know that the Kitala kingdom was the biggest in the great lakes region and it goes as far as Tanzania. The reason why Bunyoro is not claiming the return of the whole Kitala kingdom is because their interest lies only in weakening the territorial strength of only Buganda kingdom.
History tells us that the Bacwezi abandoned Bunyoro because of the disobedience of the Banyoro subjects. Since then Bunyoro and Bacwez went separate ways but someone is rewriting history because they want some ‘lost counties’ in Buganda.
Other historians have also questioned the accuracy and reliability of Bunyoro’s stories on dynasty particularly David Henige’s research which showed how the published list of Bunyoro kings rapidly lengthened between 1875 and 1935 from five to twenty-three monarchs. Inconsistencies and contradictions were found as the list grew. It also became clear that Bunyoro historians came up with these lists as a way of competing with their arch-rivals, the Buganda kingdom. Buganda’s king lists had been published first; they were remarkably consistent in the number and order of the rulers, and they were longer than Bunyoro’s. It seemed self-evident that Buganda’s lists were more reliable, and logically therefore that Buganda was an older kingdom than Bunyoro. Therefore, Henige was right to observe that the first European explorers in Bunyoro could only obtain the names of a handful of recent kings.
Bunyoro has always competed with Buganda such that at one time in 1876 kings of both kingdoms claimed themselves to be the only true descendants of the princes of Kitara. They both wanted to be connected to the Bachwezi though it looks like Buganda eventually dropped that line. Actually, Bunyoro’s Omukama Kamurasi told John Speke that he was the ‘king of Kitala’ meaning ‘the father of all kings’.
Buganda cleverly played the British against Bunyoro and that’s how Buganda deservedly came to posses the southern half of Bunyoro in 1894 which includes the counties Mr.Miriima and anti-Buganda voices are fighting for. It is neither Buganda’s fault nor the British. It was a military gift to Buganda which was very usual during those days. There is no need to change it now because most of the Banyori,baluli or banyala and Baganda in those lost counties treat each other as brothers and sisters. This is really silly because are we also going to charge the dead Britain’s commissioner in Buganda, Henry Colvile too, who officially made the transfer.
Buyaga and Bugangaizi were returned to Bunyoro during Obote 1 and Baganda have painfully accepted this since the two counties contained Bunyoro’s royal graves and ritual sites. So why don’t we just move on for peace and development’s sake? Bugerere,Bulemezi and other parts in Bunyoro’s minds are constitionally part of Buganda.Buganda and Bunyoro just need to unite at the moment to fight for federalism and other regional development causes.
Only IPC candidates should ve voted for by opposition supporters
21 Feb 2010 11 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, media in Uganda, Politics
Dear readers,
I’m still so sceptical about Mr.Mao’s presidential candidature because this is not the first time he is talking about a Nile Republic.He at one time wanted the north to secede from the south. He is a secessionist like Buganda’s Nsubuga Nsambu(Deputy Katikiro) and this is not material for a Uganda president. He does not really believe in One Uganda, One people project. Secondly,because Mao has been elected DP president by one faction of DP, he is gonna affect the fortunes of the IPC candidate in the north since some people in the north believe in him. With this, Museveni does not need to win the north to remain the president of Uganda come 2011 since Mao has already done the job for him.If DP-Mao fields candidates in Buganda in 2011, then the Buganda opposition vote will be divided between the IPC candidates.It will the same everyrwhere if Mao goes ahead to think in terms of ‘ONLY DP’. This suspicion can only end if DP(in this case, the Mao Faction), join the IPC. Anyway, with or without DP on board, IPC will elect its candidates from MPs to presidential candidates. They will go ahead and field candidates where non members of IPC have done so. By DP-Mao staying away from IPC, they are looking at themselves as bigger than anybody else and i find this arrogant and sickly. Therefore, any sane Ugandan who is tired of the Museveni regime should shan them completely. Only IPC candidates should be supported in the 2011 elections by opposition supporters.I hope the donors do the same thing.
It’s unfortunate that I missed the program on Ngoma radio due to other demands . I was looking forward to hearing from Mr.Mao who had just been elected a DP president by one of the factions of the party. By the way, the media should make this clear instead of giving him headlines like ‘Mao is the new DP president’. There is another DP president who was elected by NEC after the dismissal of Mr.Ssebana Kizito. The media should have respect for DP NEC members that expelled Sebana and others from the party.
Rushed DP conference
One Ugandan called ,Njoki, wrote on Ugandans at heart forum:’ ….That DP has to holding a delegates conference is not debatable anymore………..”. I’m one of those who believe in the Luganda saying: ‘BUGUBUGU SIMULIRO’. Going by his first paragraph, he seems to indicate that without a DP delegate’s conference this month, DP would have disappeared off the planet earth. Trust me when I say that the just concluded Mao conference has left a permanent damage on that party more than you could think of. Electing Mao as DP president may be good for some people but it may also be bad for others who may decide that they will never serve under him. So if I may ask, what will happen if this group of people also goes ahead and organise another delegate’s conference somewhere in Jinja and probably elect Mr.Sam Lubega as their DP president? Who is going to be occupying the party offices at the headquarters? Who will be considered the legal one? Do you realise that a disunited DP are gonna give the media a field day with more open infighting? This is not over till when the fat lady sings.
Muganda for presidency
Mr.Njoki also said: ‘Time for excuses in DP is therefore over. A delegates conference has to be held an has to be held now.” But can’t he see that Mao is gonna spend the remainder of this year trying to market himself as the true DP president other than the true presidential candidate. He is going to appear in a lot of radio stations selling himself as the new ‘Ssebana’ RATHER THAN anything else. So believe me, when I tell you that the Mbale delegates Conference should never have gone ahead till when all DP factions have come on one table to resolve their differences. Any leader that comes into power under such circumstances ‘TEBAMALAKO’. There is always a way to resolving differences that involve ‘EMPUTU’. Yes, it’s very tempting to have Mao as the new leader of DP because some DP supporters want to portray the party as a party of all tribes but why do people nowadays define ‘national’ when a muganda is not involved? It is still confusing me up to now. I still think this is cheap politics and DP is playing right into it. A muganda of today has got the same rights to stand for president of anything as any other tribe and he should be supported if he is the right person.
Is Mao really a Threat to Museveni?
Mao is not really a threat to president Museveni and I think he will not meet the same hurdles in his way as Dr.Besigye, such as being blocked from speaking at any of the FM radio stations,tear gas,prison on tramped up charges,……………. When he talks in his soft voice (unfortunately it’s similar to mine), the elites in Uganda will clap hands because of his oratory skills but the peasants will always doubt Mao’s ability under the present political climate. Anybody who wants to lead Uganda now MUST have a well built network in: the media, the army, the police, the intelligence organisations, and the peasantry and internationally. Dr.Besigye is a brand for the opposition in Uganda and he has got everything that will take Uganda to the next step. Other reasons as to why i think he is our guy, can be found on the following link:
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/why-fdc-need-to-stick-with-besigye-in-2011/
Namboze Beti
Going by Njoki’s message, it looks like he is in Mao’s camp, and if this is the case, what makes him think that Namboze is willing to serve under Mao. What will happen to the group in DP that has got the same feelings as Mukyala Nambooze, especially if all avenues to have a ‘proper’ delegates conference come to nil? Njobi and i agree that the recently concluded Mbale conference was more of a coronation than anything else. Both the Journalists and the delegates walked into Mbale very well knowing that Mao was gonna be elected the DP president. Actually, i don’t know what Alhajji Ssebagala expected to rip from this conference because he knew in advance that he was not gonna have one leg over Mao. That’s why I’m actually suspicious of the Mao-Ssebagala alliance that later resulted into an Mbale DP delegates Conference. Could it be that they both realised at the last minute that they have got something in common? Just curious!
Thank you
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
DP Lovers should Dump Mao Whatever happens in Mbale
21 Feb 2010 8 Comments
Mao and his wife,Naomi Odongo
I’m an FDC sympathiser but I have always had a soft spot for DP. What has happened to DP is so sad: 3 factions in a space of two years. Personally, I hate people with ‘EMPUTU’ because sincerely why can’t all those who claim to love DP at heart, sit down and resolve their differences. How can Mao call himself a uniting figure when he is willing to side with one faction against the other? He has confirmed my fears I have always had against him -that he may be an opportunist and a self seeker. All those who love DP should damp him whatever happens after Mbale. If Mao loves DP, he should not go ahead and stand for anything in Mbale. The state seems to be in favour of the Mao-Ssebagala-Mbidde group and they will probably get better headlines than their rivals, but this is very wrong. Ssebagala and Mbidde have got long question marks on them and these are the people Mao is allying with. The last time Mbidde was asked about his wealth, he said that he was a consultant for embassies, whatever this job description means.
What happens after Mbale is going to tear DP apart. I can see people fighting for party offices and other administrative structures. Obviously, voters have already been put off by DP internal wrangles which MAY benefit other parties such as NRM and FDC. May be this is the time for FDC’s National Mobiliser, Muntu, to move in on Mrs.Namboze Bety. This lady needs a steady political home and I think FDC can offer that. Who needs a Beti Kamya when you have got a Nambooze? I bet the next parliament will be more exciting with Beti Nambooze in it. She reminds us of Mrs.Winnie Byanyima Besigye when she was a legislator for Mbarara. Obviously, NRM is also gonna nick some DP members during this ‘EMPUTU’ period. So I guess FDC needs to move in very fast before NRM comes in with their big envelopes.They are all watching the situation with big eyes to see how things unfolds.Nambooze is a big cake and everyone wants to have a slice of it. Hope NRM dont move in with promises of:’your case courts will be damped if you join the yellow bus’.
DP is more like Portsmouth football club in the premier league right now-lots of problems. Donors are gonna close the taps on their money. DP rich men like Sebana Kizito will not be in a splashing mood after Mbale. Sebana just wants to end his nightmare and probably that is why he has sided with the Mao-Ssebagala group. He just wants somebody to take over from him. He is tired.I don’t think that he is even bothered with NEC’s decision to expell him. He is an old man who has lived his life and now he is just winding up things.
All in all,Mao should be rejected by DP lovers whatever happens in Mbale. DP needs somebody who will unite the party in the long term and I don’t see Mao doing that.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey
Bidandi’s Letter in the Monitor newspaper was a gift to Museveni
21 Feb 2010 4 Comments
Bidandi Visiting his son in hospital
Friends
Mr.Bidandi’s letter to president Museveni in the Monitor newpaper on 19th/01/2010 is good and full of obvious things to any reader or rather somebody with common sense. There is no doubt in my mind that president Museveni will open CBS at some point this year but the more he keeps it closed the more damage he does to himself politically. Please don’t be deceived by the doctored photos in the Newvision and Bukedde that show him with huge crowds during his Buganda tour. I spoke to several pals in Kampala and the issue of closure of CBS is hurting a lot of people in Uganda, not only Buganda. It was well known as a BIRANGO radio. People are not happy, we are not happy, and the president cannot run away from this. He should open Buganda radio as soon as possible, but then again, who is me to tell him!
I was however surprised when Mr.Bidandi sneaked into this letter the issue of Museveni visiting his son in the hospital. The leader of a supposedly a national party (PPP) writing to the president of a nation about national issues and then concludes the message with a personal note….. I thought this was either an intended political miscalculation from Mr.Bidandi or he was just overwhelmed with parental emotions when writing this letter. In all fairness, President Museveni visited Bebe Cool to tap votes of the musician’s supporters, and as if that’s not enough, the dad slides in with a message of thanks to the president . Mr.Bidandi should have called Mr.Museveni as a parent to thank him instead of mixing this with national issues.
Museveni visiting Bebe cool in hospital
By the way, I would like to know what really keeps men like Bidaandi SSali looking young for a longer time. I last met Bidandi physically in 1998 when we went to his house with my grandfather, but the man still looks the same. What is the secret, guys? Why is the current generation gorwing older very fast to compared to the Bidandi’s? Men like Muyingo(headmaster Namugongo Martys), Alhajji Kawase( former headmaster Kibuli S.S),………. don’t change that much. I know for sure that they never go to the gym. So what do they do to stay fit and young? Is it in the food they eat or environment?
Also watch and listen:
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Get rid of corruption by sorting out the poor politics first
25 Feb 2010 2 Comments
in Politics, Presidency
Ugandans themselves have got a job to get rid of these thieves and they can only do that by voting the current government out mainly on a corruption platform. This will prevent the coming government from adopting the habits of their predecessors as it happened in Kibaki’s Kenya. The institutions handling corruption in Uganda are selective on whom to target and this has affected their effectiveness. As for the World Bank and the international community, there are aware who the thieves are and if we pressurise them in time, they will help us recover our money back. The World Bank knows that 40 % of Africa’s private wealth is held in private bank accounts abroad. They know where the money is and who it belongs to. A report prepared for the African Union in 2002 estimated that corruption cost Africa $148 billion annually- more than 1/4 of the continent’s entire GDP.
The opposition in Uganda should create their own anticorruption offices to work along side the government’s IGG office. It is unfortunate that the FDC has been left to talk about corruption only during weekly or monthly press conferences. The opposition leader in parliament should pressurise the government to let them access the information obtained by the IGG’s office and they should have a say on the course of action to take against the suspects. The opposition should form some kind of working partnership with the organisations dealing with corruption internationally especially the UN. Talking about things in Press conferences is not enough.
Nze bwendaba banange.
Abbey.K.S
GOD BLESS
“Nkrumah’s conference kicked off a revolution in Africa
25 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
Nkrumah’s main ambition after the Ghana’s independence was to turn Accra into a centre of Africa liberation, to provide a base from which nationalists leaders from colonial Africa could draw support and encouragement. As such, in 1958 he brought together Africa’s political parties, trade unions and student groups from across the continent with the aim of coordinating revolutions in Africa. About 300 African representatives attended the All-African People’s Conference. These included among the many the likes of: Julius Nyerere; Joshue Nkomo from Zimbabwe; Kenneth Kaunda from Northern Rhodesia(Zambia);Hastings Banda from Malawi; Lumumba from Zaire; Cabral from Guniea; Roberto from Angola,e.t.c.Tom Mboya from Kenya was the chairmain of this conference. The conference lasted 1 week and these guys all resolved to fight for Africa independence in their respective countries.
It is my belief that nobody should underestimate the power of words. The noises we are making here or in conferences always change something in people’s attitude towards issues. All Ugandans who want to organise conferences or meetings can use this forum as a mouth piece. I think Nkrumah and Obote had good intentions for Africa. It is just the implementation process that failed them. Most African countries were able to achieve independence because of what Nkrumah had started in Ghana. The likes of Ben Bella of Algeria, Nasser of Egypt, Nyerere of TZ, and others were influenced in their causes by the Nkrumah Revolution in Ghana. These men played their part for Africa and we should salute them. The only mistake they made was not becoming future models of true democracy in Africa. The democracy they left us is almost the same democracy we have now every where in Africa, which is a shame.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Why Ugandans should not vote for Mao in 2011
26 Feb 2010 44 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Bahima and Banyarwanda, federalism in Uganda, kingdoms, Obote and UPC, Politics
Dear friends,
I was watching a film titled ‘Schindlers’s List’ with my wife last week and she ended up crying at the end of it. The movie is about the horrors of living in a Nazi or Hitler dictatorship and the way the Jews were humiliated and killed. It portrays a kindness of the human condition that many people, today, are not that happy with. It is indeed a depressing film though I would recommend it to anyone. After watching this film, my mind just switched straight to the president of one of the DP factions, Norbert Mao, and what the people of northern Uganda have endured for the last 20 years since Museveni took over in 1986. Mao is quoted to have said in the Sunday Monitor newspaper on 21st February this year:’……… We are either full citizens, equal to all others, or non-citizens. The idea of the Nile State is actually a challenge to the Uganda government that we did not choose to be Ugandans ……….’, in response to a question he was asked regarding his known agenda about secession of northern Uganda from Uganda.
Yes, the people of northern Uganda have gone through an ordeal and the rest of the country feels for them but at the same time, we want them to remain Ugandans. The Jews suffered under Hitler more than any race I have known in history after the abolition of slave trade, and probably they had a reason to ask for a ‘special home’ of their own after world war 11, but the people in the north already have a home in Uganda.
If Mao’S DP faction win Election 2011, the Uganda, which our forefathers fought to make one, is in very serious trouble. Mao is in the danger of favouring his region against others as we have come to witness in president Museveni’s regime recently. Mao’s secession propaganda has been known for a while and therefore it would be very wrong to make such a person a president of the whole country at a time when we are already more divided than before. We should support presidential candidates that support federalism in Uganda and not those who support both federalism and secession.
Comparing Mao to Obama?
It is also very wrong for some Ugandans to keep comparing Mao to president Obama since the later has never been a secessionist. Probably, it would be fair if Mao is compared to the current Republican favourite, Sarah Pallin. They are both young and supporters of secession projects. Sarah Pallin used to be a member of the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP), a fringe political party that advocates the secession of Alaska from the USA. Just months before Palin was announced as McCain’s vice-presidential nominee, she delivered a videotaped address to the AIP’s annual convention.
DP needs to be careful with Mao’s agenda because their party might have been penetrated by Mao’s secessionist groups. Rumour has it that Sarah Pallin may have been planted in the Republican Party by the AIP despite the initial denials by the McCain’s camp when she was introduced to the national stage in 2008. There was a national convention in 2007 of secessionist groups where Vice president of AIP said that his party would seek to “infiltrate” the Democratic and Republican parties with candidates sympathetic to its secessionist agenda. Similarly, any sane Ugandan needs to question the motives of Mao in DP because he may be using the party to push his own personal agendas.
Do we ever learn from history?
I’m still surprised that leaders never learn anything from history. When Obote came back from his exile in Tanzania in the 1980s, he asked the opposition where their Generals were. He also promised to apply the ‘law of Moses’ to the Baganda and Banyarwanda whom he hated so much. The northerners were dominant in Obote’s army(Obote 1) and UNLA(Obote 2). Then Museveni convinced the Baganda that we need to get rid of Obote to sort out what went wrong in both Obote 1 and Obote 2. However, I’m surprised today to see that the same mistakes Obote made are the same ones president Museveni is committing . He has geared his politics towards weakening the kingdom of Buganda. He has encouraged the formation of various chiefdoms in a country that had not more than four recognised kingdoms at independence in 1962.We are basically more divided as Ugandans than before such that we don’t need another president who will make this situation worse.
I’m also surprised that Israel is subjecting almost the same ‘slave’ treatment to Palestines which is almost similar to what they went through under the Nazi dictatorship. Isreal has been supporting secessionist movements in Sudan, Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon and any secessionist movements in the Arab world which Israel considers an enemy.
Is Mao a threat to Museveni?
I think the opposition in Uganda are more confused than I thought. I can assure you right now that so many people in the rural areas don’t even know Mao. At least, I know for sure that my grandfather and grandmother don’t know this guy. With Mao at the helm of Opposition in 2011, we may as well switch our attention to 2016 because Museveni will win that one hands down, without any necessary rigging.
The opposition already have a brand in Dr.Besigye and they are wasting it just because they have seen a new kid on the block. This is not the time for novices (to borrow from Gordon Brown’s description of David Cameroon last year). Mao cannot give M7 any sleepless nights. To be honest, if I was NRM, I would do anything to get either Mao or Mugisha Muntu as M7′s opponent in 2011 because they cannot keep the ‘big man’ on his toes.
Because Mao has been elected DP president by one faction of DP, he is gonna affect the fortunes of the IPC candidate in the north since some people in the north believe in him. With this, Museveni does not need to win the north to remain the president of Uganda come 2011 since Mao has already done the job for him.If DP-Mao fields candidates in Buganda in 2011, then the Buganda opposition vote will be divided between the IPC candidates. It will the same everywhere if Mao goes ahead to think in terms of ‘ONLY DP’.
However, If Mao is elected the IPC candidate I will go easy on him but I won’t have any hope in the 2011 elections either. I don’t know whether it’s just excitement or what but Uganda politics right now cannot be sorted out by the likes of Mao.
We should all strive to keep the’ one country, one people project’ in Uganda despite the challenges in the country at the moment. Buganda and north have made it clear that they want federalism and I see no reason why some politicians want to twist people’s minds toward secession. It would serve Mao best if he comes out now and denies secession claims before 2011 as Sarah Pallin did when she shot to the national stage in 2008.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UNITED KINGDOM
Mao,Mengo and Muhoozi’s promotion in the army
28 Feb 2010 20 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, Politics, Presidency
President Museveni with his son and wife
People,
I have been watching the carling cup final today and now that our rivals have already banged one cup in their cabinet, let me console myself by saying that individual opinions on Mao and DP should not be taken as FDC’s official position . FDC has got their official spokesperson in Mr.Wafula Oggutu and he will tell us the party position soon. Actually, he has already given us a hint that FDC will support any candidate that is fronted by the IPC. Since Mao’s DP is not yet a member of IPC, then he should be outside the area of the IPC support. If Mao-DP faction joins the IPC, then I’m sure FDC will not have any problem of cooperating with them, and FDC hopefully will accept whoever is presented as the joint presidential candidate of the IPC.
Nevertheless, we expect Mao-DP supporters to exercise caution when campaigning for their candidate because decampaigning Dr.Besigye will only divide the opposition more, and probably make a lot of people more confused. At the end of the day,there is no any other man benefits from this apart from president Museveni who is hell bent on retaining power whatever is thrown at him in the next few months.
Mugisha Muntu on Museveni’s son
The appointment of Museveni’s son as his Top security man should not be underestimated. The president is making a big statement here despite the denials of the UPDF spokesperson, Mr. Kulayigye, when addressing the press yesterday. I’m very sure that the top organs in UPDF already know what the intentions of the president are. There is no doubt in my mind that Major General Muhoozi is being groomed to take over Uganda at some point after his father. Anyone who does not know this is just hiding their heads in the sand.
I think General Mugisha Muntu is among the culprits hiding their heads in the sand because I remember him saying ; ‘He may have it in his mind to do that but he will fail. I am sure of that as I am sure that day follows night,’ in response to one of the questions he was asked in the Monitor Newspapers last year. I remember the Monitor newspaper went with the headline:‘ Museveni has to make a choice on how he wants to end- Muntu‘‘. Muntu also stressed this point in that interview by saying:’ Whatever his intentions are, they will fail; to think that he will step aside and may be escalate anybody else. Let me tell you, forget about it being a family issue”. So what is Muntu and others in his category gonna do about it because it seems there is only a few inches away separating Major General Muhoozi and the presidency.
Do we need a Mao in this situation?
As for Mao and DP, my feelings are already clear about this in the article on the link below: http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/why-ugandans-should-not-vote-for-mao-in-2011/. If i may add, i have got nothing personal against Chairman Mao and i think he has got leadership qualities but i don’t think he is capable of saving Uganda from this situation. His chance will come in future inishallah ,afterall, he is only 46 years old. The men in FDC particularly Besigye, Ruzindana and Muntu have worked with Museveni before and we gonna need them to get rid of him, whether we like it or not. Besigye has suffered in the process of doing so and he needs to lead us to the Promised Land.
Mengo and Mao
I think Mr.Charles Peter Mayiga should make it clear if his statement run in the press yesterday was his personal opinion not that of the Buganda government. Otherwise, he risks being misquoted by some people in the media. But for the sake of debate, i think Mr.Mayiga should also tell the media that Besigye should not be blamed for Museveni’s mistakes just because he was once part of the regime.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Ofwono’s case should be reopened to ignite the debate on gun control
28 Feb 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, security
People should remember, shooting a thief in your own home while he is in the act of committing a theft or robbery is considered “self defense” and is a justifiable homocide in so many states in USA..Unfortunately, in countries like UK where I live, this is not the case, you shoot a thief as Mr.Ofwono Opondo allegedly did in a school compound, you face the music of the law. Thieves have got a right to life in this country and nobody can just kill them and get away with it. For instance,on August 22, 1999, Tony Martin of Emneth, Norfolk, England, killed one burglar and wounded a second. In April, 2000, he was convicted to serve a life term. I think he is now out though im not so sure but I remember watching a documentary on TV when he was giving his side of the story to the journalists.
Tony Martin was convicted because he shot a man in cold blood. He was convicted by a jury of his peers, local people who detest burglars as much as he did, but recognised that that does not give them the right to take the law into their own hands. They convicted a man who had professed the desire to round up gypsies in a field and murder them all. Yes, I love the UK legal system but in this case, they somehow let me down too. Why convict a man defending himself and his family!
The most important thing is to take guns off the streets of Kampala because guns are everywhere in Uganda at moment and most people are misusing them. I have had several cases of Ugandans abroad who visit home and end up being killed anyhow. Personally, I would welcome possession of the gun when im in Uganda because I believe I can’t let it fall into wrong hands.I need to feel that i can protect myself if the police cannot protect me and my family when im back home. Right people should be allowed to possess guns for self defence but the problem is how to determine the ‘right person’.
There is NO rational way that taking guns from law-abiding people will in any way reduce crime, and ALL evidense PROVES that by disarming law abiding people you actually INCREASE violent crime, and yet the first choice of the subjugated British government here is to react to their fears, no matter how irrational they are, by taking away freedom from those who could NOT possibly cause the problem they are afraid of. Guns have been banned from Britain before even my mother was born. They just dont want anybody to possess guns on the streets, not even the police.
On the other hand, guns in Uganda are possessed by both the ‘right’ and ‘bad’ people. So sometimes, the bad people use guns to terrorize the masses. There is less gun control. The right people in this case are mostly the tycoons, celebrities, ISO, police, army,……… but some of these also misuses them to torture and kill people.
So, im not gonna be quick to judge Mr.Ofwono Opondo because I dont know much the circumstances around the murder he allegedely committed. If it was really self defence then I say ‘ bingo’. But then again, Ofwono should have let the courts determine this and not the police departement who are supposed just to invesitigate. So let the case be reopened again,if its possible, and we all get a chance to reexamine it.
Nze Bwendaba
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Correcting some of the UPC lies on elections and 1980 murders
01 Mar 2010 2 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, 2010-2011 elections, Lule and Uganda politics, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC
Dear readers,
I would wish to push forward the spirit of reconciliation with the past and I guess I have already told Ugandans this at some point. My problem is when some UPC supporters come in a public forum and start calling Obote and UPC ‘Jesus’ when we all know what happened in the past.
1. Yes, it is true that UPC and NRM came to power differently but they have now got a lot in common. When one analyses Museveni’s 3rd term (6th term), it is operating on the same UPC principles of isolating enemies, weakening the baganda and Buganda kingdom, building an ethnic based army and call it a ‘national army’, e.t.c. UPC came into existence a result of Obote divorcing Iganatius Musazi’s UNC over the composition of leadership which was full of baganda. Obote then united with UPU which was also anti-baganda to form what is called UPC. So, as far as I know there was no vote in the formation of UPC apart from the usual ‘wakayima tondeka nyuma’ skills by Obote. UPC has never got the people’s mandate to govern Uganda because their leader has always been afraid of elections. When did Ugandans ever elect Obote to be their president?
2. The internal problems UNLF got were all pre-planned by the elements within UPC who were both members of the UNLF and the military commission. These people were all there to drive UPC interests and not a united government interests. They got rid of yusuf Lule and later on also got rid of Binayisa after realising that he was not gonna push UPC interests despite him being a member of UPC or oboteist earlier on. Obote himself acknowledged in the letter he wrote to Paulo muwanga on 6th January 1980 that: ‘……..the UNLF was founded as an anti-upc organisation……as my friends have told me, Lukongwa is most likely to go. Iam sure apart from our members, the rest of the members of the NCC would not want to consider the candidature of a leading UPC member such as yourself.’
3. Museveni’s FRONASA were by then part of the UNLA with their leader deputising Paul Muwanga in the military commission. Most of the murders that took place in Kampala happened after the rigging of the 1980 elections. Oh my God, so many people were killed like jiggers by none other than Obote’s UNLA since the Musevenis had gone to the bush after the rigged elections. There are specific well documented incidents that incriminate Obote’s forces in the crimes committed against Ugandans after imposing himself on them in the 1980s.
4. Ugandans did not ask Obote to come from Tanzania to come and lead them. UPC comrades did and he was expecting it because he had set the ground for it. Dr. Obote never wanted the 1980 elections to take place because he knew his party were gonna lose badly and this is evidenced in the secret document he wrote on 12/08/1980: ‘ our party is opposed to elections and will only accept the prospect of holding elections at the greatest of pains. I don’t need to remind you how much the Baganda hate me personally. Nor do you need to be reminded the demonstrations that followed Lule’s fall…….we must do everything possible to see that elections are not held on the 30th of September as proposed’. He also said in the same document that: ‘if it appears just before, during or immediately after the elections that things are not working out as expected there should immediately be a mutiny by the Army. For this purpose the chief of staff has already ensured that all commanders of the Brigades are loyal to us.’ Obote has never wanted to be an ordinary Uganda just like president Museveni as never wanted to be an ordinary Uganda. Both these guys are so superficial in their characters.
I’m not going to talk about the killing spree by the movement ,as some UPC members call it, before they came to power. In any case, they aren’t different from UPC now. I will leave that to NRM Supporters to serve you the ‘usual’ on their menus. All I know is that the situation in Uganda
deteriorated so much in the 1980s to the extent that there was no any other way of kicking out UPC dictatorship other than fighting it militarily. So I still maintain that the war in the Luwero triangle was justified. What has happened after this war makes you think twice about wars but what can we do with these men who don’t wanna listen. You tell me.
Abbey
GOD BLESS
‘killing a muganda or a munyankole is as easy as riding a bicycle’,said an Acholi soldier
01 Mar 2010 16 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, 2010-2011 elections, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC, Tribalism
Dear readers,
Uganda is a long way to uniting as one country which is sad. Late Obote divided the country so much and the current politicians are also still taking advantage of these divisions. Obote practically divided the north and south of Uganda from the 1960s. Museveni rightly used this division to get rid of Obote dictatorship and getting himself into power.
Obote used to call the freedom fighters in Luwero Triangle ‘bandits’ after he illegally imposed himself on Ugandans on the evening of Saturday,11 December 1980 ,and unsurprisingly some UPC supporters are also using the same words(bandits) of their mentor in some of their messages. It’s no secret that Obote hated Baganda and the vice versa was true. For instance, In a speech broadcast on radio Uganda , obote told a rally held in soroti in 1981 that if the baganda did not behave themselves, they (the Acholi-Langi alliance) would do to them what they did to the west Nilers in 1980.
Phares Mutibwa in his book ‘Uganda since independence’ also wrote that at Kololo(outskirts of Kampala city) , one Acholi soldier wrote on the wall:’killing a muganda or a munyankole is as easy as riding a bicycle’.
So basically, whoever was to fight a guerrilla war against Obote’s despotic regime had to exploit this divisionism which had been started by Obote from the 1960s when he made sure that the army was dominated by northerners. It is the very reason why museveni chose Luwero triangle as his spot to fight Obote because he knew that Baganda and southerners in general would support the rebels in everything. It was also claimed in a public lecture at Makerere University in 1988 by A.G.G Gingyera-Pinycwa, professor of political science, that the NRM/NRA went to the bush to remove the northerners from power, and I don’t think that he was far from the truth.
The questions we should also ask ourselves are:
- Who started this process of dividing Uganda into the north and south?
- What can be done by the present and future generation of Uganda to make sure that it does not happen again?
- Do northerners need some form of a sensitisation program to realise that anybody can become a president whether he or she is shorter than you? What matters is what that person has got to offer.
- Can the current tribal divisions in UPDF also cause us future problems if they are left unchecked for a long time?
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
God bless you!
Age should not be a factor in debates and knowledge sharing
06 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, international, Politics
Dear readers,
I still believe that discussions should not be personalised because that’s the only way we can benefit from them. I know why some people thinks it’s time to attack me as a person by calling me a kid. I don’t know whether they use that term kid because of my young age but it is wrong to try to intimidate me in that way.
.I’m one of the few guys who are willing to challenge anybody only on the contents of what they writes rather than trying diversionary or intimidation tactics. For instance, one UPC supporter called Mr.Mulindwa Edward, wrote in the monitor Newspaper challenging any one to bring any evidence that the 1980 elections were rigged, and I and other UAH members did exactly that. Being informed about issues in this modern world knows no boundaries, no religion and no age. Already we have seen president-elect Obama who beat an old man in the race for presidency for white house yet he is a young man. There is also a guy called Huey Long from Louisiana who was a talented demagogue boy who regularly appealed to the basest instincts of voters. The Kingfish, as he was known in Louisiana, managed to be elected in 1918 to Louisiana’s powerful Railroad Commission at the mere age of 25. By 1928 he was governor, and in 1932 he was elected to the United States Senate. During this time he built a formidable political machine in Louisiana. Like Obama, he publically condemned Marxism while effectively applying Marxist principles.
In the White House alone, there are at least 150 lawyers, all under the age of 35, with little or no legal experience, let alone government experience, who have done a good job throughout the Bush presidency. Some of these guys used to be Obama OBs at Harvard University. Here in the UK, we have a live example in Tony Blair and chameleon who became leaders of their party while just young men. They have both done a good job and old people appreciate them instead of intimidating them.
I actually wrote an article in the monitor recently where I appealed to old politicians to leave the young ones to start driving the wheels of politics in the country and I do hope that guys like Kirunda Kivejinja,Museveni, Bidandi,Miria Kalule, Sebana Kizito listen to us and start grooming the young people in their parties. DP has got a demagogue in Mao though i dont trust him yet. FDC has got demagogue in Dr.Besigye. UPC has got a lot of demagogues but they are in a wrong party. You never know, may be of us may also become some of the demagogues in the country for the future if some people don’t use their grey hair to slander our character and ambitions.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Why DP should never trust UPC and Museveni again
06 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, Buganda, Obote and UPC, Politics, UPC current politics
If I were DP, I would not go into any alliance with UPC alone without any other political party because they are the biggest political capital for museveni. So the idea of an Inter Party Cooperation(IPC) is good for DP as long as FDC,JEEMA and CP are there.
Everyone has played around with DP for a long time to make their ends meet but being used by UPC again will be unthinkable. When DP was formed, the Kabaka institution and others looked at it as a threat to their existence and that is how Kabaka went into an alliance with a ‘snake’ to fight DP. King Freddie himself explains this properly in his book: the Kabaka of Buganda, The Desecration of My Kingdom (London:Constable, 1967. He pointed out that the chief aim of the KY was to destroy the DP.
When the ‘snake’ finished biting the Kabaka, they went for DP and this reached a climax with the crossing of the floor by a number of DP members, led by Basil Bataringaya. Obote’s power was unquestionably established after this.
It should be noted that Museveni also managed to weaken DP by retaining a lot of their supporters in NRM after the marriage collapsed in 1996. People like Maria Mutagamba, Specioza Kazibwe,……….. never went back to DP after Semogerere fell out with Museveni in1996
Abbey
Why Besigye is right not to smile while talking to Uganda masses
06 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, Obote and UPC, Politics
Dear readers,
Becoming a president of Uganda or anywhere in Africa is not a beauty contest and I think Dr.Kizza Besigye addressed the issue of not ’smiling’ in the media last year. He also explained why he talks very tough with a lot of hunger when discussing Uganda issues. UK prime minister,Gordon Brown, was asked a similar question by the media as to why he is serious all the time or why he rarely smiles, and Gordon Brown said that it is in his nature and that there is nothing going on in the world at the moment to smile about. Besigye has got the right to be angry with what is going on in Uganda at the moment. Who wouldn’t be? I was in Uganda recently but I rarely smiled because some of the things which were going on there were very depressing:
* Corruption is everywhere and it looks like the society has embraced it as part of them. Every one eats ‘ENGUZI’(corruption) in Uganda from the cleaners in public buildings to the judges and religious leaders.
* There are fires in schools every now and then which means that the market for those owning boarding schools in Uganda is going down. There have been fires in market centres like Owino and nobody seems to know who is doing it. The Kasubi Buganda tombs were also torched on 16th March 2010 but nobody seems to know who is really behind these fires.
* Every now and then you hear a parent who has molested his own kid or a parent who has killed himself with the rest of his family, a speciality for newspapers like Bukedde.
* The CHOGM roads are in a bad shape already with pot holes everywhere. Even the traffic lights towards Entebbe Airport which were fixed before CHOGM are no longer working. There is now a joke in Kampala doing rounds that DP’s Al-Hajji Sebagala sold them after CHOGM because he did not want his ’seyas’ to do a number on them before him.
* There is a lot of poverty in Busoga but I’m still surprised as to why the Basoga are still voting for NRMO and Museveni. Most of them have abandoned growing anything on their land apart from sugarcane because they need the money. On the other hand, Madvani and his Group of companies are just paying them pea nuts for their efforts. I understand Salim Saleh and his friends are trying to stop this monopoly in Busoga by Madvani by introducing another sugar company but things aren’t good there at all.
* Karamoja is another area which is so poor compared to any part of Uganda. One just needs to go there to understand what I’m talking about.I’m yet to find out whether the first lady has done anything to change this region ever since she was made a minister for Karamoja.
* Land evictions are also the order of the day in Buganda and other parts of the country. People are not afraid of double selling their plots of land to different people. Even RCs are part of this scheme and nobody is embarrassed by their actions any more.
* Witchcraft has also become another menace to the society in Uganda. Everyone is doing ‘EDOGO’(witchcraft) and it is dividing a lot of families. Children are being kidnapped on streets regularly. There was also a case I heard on a radio of a woman who was kidnapped on her way to her house at night but I think she managed to escape from his captors.
* Besigye has been subjected to a lot of inhuman treatment by the state from trumped-up charges to anything you can think of. Watch videos as reported by UK’s channel 4 news about Besigye: 1) Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye released on bail on 02/01/2006: http://www.channel4.com/player/playerwindow.html?id=1761&vert=news and 2) the Day besigye was arrested: http://edge.channel4.com/news/2005/11/week_3/15_uganda.wmv
It is amazing that some opposition parties particulalry DP are fighting to become the official opposition of Uganda instead of getting into the state house Nakasero. That’s why some DP are asking their leader,Norbern Mao, not to join the Inter Party Cooperation because of the fear that it may get dominated by FDC.
Cartoon by John Nsubuga (member of UAH forum)
Fake political parties prior to elections
The Nelson Ocheger’s party were one of those parties created to distract the ‘real’ parties in the 2001 presidential elections. In Venezuela, Likewise, Chavez melded together an amorphous array of parties to support him during the presidential elections. Chavez unlike Museveni, he never banned political parties in the 1st place.When elections are held with a multitude of ‘fake’ political parties, you end up with an ‘elected’ dictatorship , much like 2001 and 2006 Uganda elections, where elections kept on sending Museveni Yoweri into office, because the elections are rigged using different means including forming ‘fake’ political parties.
Nevertheless, the opposition (IPC) just need to organise themselves and sell their policies to the Uganda electorate after all they have got some form of legislations protecting them at the moment. The opposition should try to make a formidable challenge to the government despite the challenges like unfair ELECTORAL COMISSION. For instance, Boris Yeltsin abolished freedom of the press, crushed an elected parliament with armed force, outlawed opposition parties, suspended the constitutional court, and ruled by decree but where is his legacy in Russia. Another one is Hitler of Germany. Hitler and his party members set about grabbing as much dictatorial power for himself as possible. The final act was the passage of a “law” making him dictator just after the death of Hindenburg. He outlawed opposition parties, intimidated dissent with the “wild concentration camps,” and assumed control of almost everything but ultimately Hitler had to go. Nevertheless, the fact is that most Germans did not support democracy, and Hitler managed to use emergency powers in a manner not intended by the constitution in order to eliminate the major opposition parties. The point is that everything has got an end. Museveni and NRMO will have an end. Two years or even a week is a long time in politics. Somebody important may get arrested or assassinated before the elections as it happened in Musharaf’s Pakistan(when Bhuto was assassinated) and then things may change for the Uganda opposition with a sympathy vote.
At the moment, the opposition is on what Baganda say when they are sad:‘GEBAKABA GEBAKOMBA’(Crying and licking tears at the same time).DP is more divided than before and FDC is lacking money to fulfil their programs.There are also strong rumours that Mao is a mole planted in the opposition to divide votes come 2011.Therefore, with all these problems, the looks of a presidential candidate should be the last thing on people’s minds. In any case, some women admire Besigye’s eyes and that’s they branded him:’Maso Mbira’.
Abbey. K.S
MUSEVENI HAS ALMOST USED ALL PARTIES IN UGANDA
06 Mar 2010 4 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Obote and UPC, Politics, Presidency, UPC current politics
Dear readers,
1. I agree that Andrew Mwenda is a ‘premier league’ journalist in Uganda and all Ugandans are lucky to have him. It saddens me to see that brother Ahmed Katerega (Newvision)has decided to keep himself in the ‘Championship’ of journalism, and went for state-supportive journalism where a journalist is always reporting in favour of those in the corridors of power. Ahmed’s path may not be bad if the state is already stable politically and economically but Uganda has still got bigger problems that need the attention of journalists to expose them. In other words, Ahmed may die without playing the ‘champions League’ or winning any serious trophy as a journalist. However, if both Mwenda and Ahmed are to stand for a political office somewhere and I’m one of the voters, I may find myself voting for the latter (Ahmed) because I feel a bit closer to him. Brother Ahmed has been a rock for Ugandans at home and abroad by putting in his time to update and discuss with us on the important issues affecting our country. Some of the debates he is involved in have got nothing to do with NRMO or Museveni and we do appreciate it.
2. When I wrote one time that ‘Something has gone terribly wrong with the whole opposition and media processes, I meant the whole opposition including your UPC. Museveni duped a lot of people in 1980s in the name of fighting Obote though he had his own personal political and financial ambitions. This does not mean that I didn’t support his fights against Obote dictatorship. The truth is that the 1980 Museveni-Obote situation is like a poor neighbour who rescues you from an assassin in your compound when his (neighbour) inner intention is to create calmness in your house, get closer to your wife and kids and then repossess your house and everything in it. So Buganda had to be rescued from an assassin called Obote and UPC and therefore supported their neighbour, Museveni. So it is unjustifiable to blame those who supported Museveni in 1980s for his mistakes now.
3. If one is analytical enough, one would have realised by now that Museveni has almost used or duped everybody to stay in power this long:
A) NRM historicals: how many of them can even make it to the cabinet positions or influential NRMO organs. In the current cabinet, I think they may be about 5 or 6 ‘historicals’ remaining there.
B) DP: It was the first to form a coalition government with Museveni in 1986 with semo as internal affairs minister. Most of them started falling out with Museveni during CA when they realised what game the man was up to. So he kept the DP members who had embraced the movement 100% and got rid of those ones whose two legs were still in DP.
C) UPC: UPC would be history by now if Cecilia Ogwal had accepted to be Museveni’s VP as reported by the independent newspaper on 13/03/2009. In summary, Obote and UPC accepted to ally with Museveni against the rebellious Buganda during the CA because of Buganda’s continuous demand for federalism. Everything was sorted and the deal was just waiting implementation when Ogwal told Museveni that she was not willing to take on the VP job. This year, Museveni has come back for UPC again because this is the only place left for any political party to tap some desperate personnel. There are now about 6 UPC members in the current Museveni cabinet. Hope he doesn’t go for our Ochieno Joseph before 2011. Otherwise, I will not be surprised to start reading Ochieno’s messages with NRM in the introduction, body & conclusions. The article related to this is available on the internet: http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/column/insight/67-insight/659-upc-old-guards-taking-over-from-nrm-historicals
D) FDC and Buganda: Both have been used very well and now know Museveni better anybody else. So he is more afraid of them than any of the above parties.The founders of FDC were mainly former members of NRM. Secondly, wothout Buganda support, Museveni would probably not be the president of this country now.
Abbey
THE OPPOSITION NEEDS MONEY AND STRONG ALLIANCE
06 Mar 2010 5 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, IPC, Politics
Ugandans,
The American 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) was introduced to stop candidates from raising more than what is needed(soft money) and to also restrict the advertising activities of partisan groups in the run-up to elections. The “hard money” (direct campaign contributions) limits for individuals were also raised. The reforms were primarily sponsored by Republican Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain and Democrat Senator Russell Feingold.These reforms had a major impact on the 2004 US elections though they failed to achieve their main objectives. The BCRA built upon the foundations of the 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). This consolidated earlier reforms and mandated public disclosure of campaign finances. The FECA was amended in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal; limits to contributions were introduced and the Federal Election Commission was established.
It is at the back of the above,that there were major changes in the 2008 race in USA though im not yet sure whether the person with less cash won the elections. The BCRA failed to work in 2004 .
During the democratic primaries,Clinton raised more than $115 millon while Obama had $102 million. On the Republican side, Romney mitt has raised a total of nearly $ 89 miliion, Mccain 41 million and Huckbee $8 millon. Mind you, we are still in the primaries before the real one. In 2007 presidential candidates for 2008 have raised $582.5 million and spent $481.2 million. That exceeds the total fundraising and spending in each election from 1976 through 2000—the last time both parties had competitive fields. When MCcain made it through for the republicans, the money automatically came for him in the real presidential race.
All in all, the reason why I’m researching all this is to show you that:
- The opposition in Uganda will need a lot of money if they are to stand a chance in 2011 and they will need your help.Money is such a very big factor in all elections. That is why I asked FDC’s wafula Ogutu or the potential spokes person for the opposition alliance to spread the word around about their Account details as soon as possible. They should not wait till 2011 to start fundraising for presidential elections.
- It’s good that an alliance(IPC) was formed among the opposition parties but it needs to be protected by all means. This alliance can rotate around FDC and Dr. Besigye because they are still more popular than any other opposition party. I also suggest that Dr. Besigye should be chosen as a presidential candidate for this alliance since he is already the recognised international brand for the opposition in Uganda.
- FDC needs to target Ugandans abroad mainly as a source of funds. Other groups to target include business men in Uganda,lawyers,doctors and other professionals. In USA unlike Uganda, lawyers are millionaires and they are one of the biggest contributors to the presidential fundraising. Looking at the industries financing 2008 US election, lawyers and law firms contributed more than any other industry, totaling at least $46.6 million to the candidates in 2007. Democrats received 77 percent of lawyers’ donations, and Hillary Clinton was the top recipient.
Uganda just like USA elections, the guy with the biggest dosh usually wins the elections. Without money behind the opposition political parties, they are going to be limited to issuing weekly press conferences instead of being on the ground doing KAKUYEGE. Those weekly press conferences are good particularly for the media who want to sell their news papers but the impact they have got on the real voters is very small. I can only compare them to the Friday press conferences on Sky sports channel by all premiership managers before the games on Saturday or Sunday. Newspapers especially the Sun in the UK sell like hot cake in the because of these press conferences.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
LESS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN USA AND UGANDA ELECTIONS
06 Mar 2010 10 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, international, IPC, Politics
Friends,
It is sometimes frustrating when some people start negatively comparing the US elections to African elections. There isn’t a very big difference between these two countries. It is just that the Americans do things in a more sophisticated way that cannot be seen by a lay man.
Voters in both countries are not motivated to vote. In Uganda out of a population of 30 millions, not more than 9 million people voted in the 2006 presidential elections. Most of those who voted for Museveni were already placed in terms of structures operated under the NRM system. There are less people in both countries indentifying themselves with political parties and politicians. A half of the United States does not feel motivated to vote. Before the animosity of the 2004 election prompted more Americans back to vote, there had been a steady trend of declining voter participation. The 2000 election highlighted a pervasive and widespread apathy and antipathy towards politics. Voter turnout in presidential elections sank to around 50% during the 1990s, and was even lower during mid-term elections.
Registration is not a big thing in both countries. In Uganda it is the government which does not encourage people to register their votes while in the USA, it is the people who aren’t bothered despite government exposure. At the moment, the Kiggundu Electoral Commision is not putting a lot of energy in voter registration as reported by the Sunday monitor on 7th/03/2010. Similalry,Americans are highly mobile people, who move states frequently, requiring them to re-register as voters. The unprecedented closeness of the 2000 presidential election between Bush and Gore proved that every vote counts and encouraged the higher participation in 2004. However, the problem runs far deeper than this and will not be easily resolved.
In Uganda and USA, government failures and scandals won’t undermine faith in politicians as is the case in USA. Americans still voted for Bill Clinton despite the raise of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. On the other hand, Museveni has been involved in a lot of scandals of that magnitude and Ugandans would know them but it did not stop them giving him their votes. Museveni tried to trump up charges gainst Besigye before the 2006 elections but it instead made the colonel more popular among the voters.I sometimes wonder how a man who legitimately married an ex-girlfriend of President Museveni would be treated as a villain for this particular action by both the government and some opposition supporters.
USA just like Uganda has got people whose intentions are to undermine democracy and create confusion where it is unnecessary. In Uganda we have got people who intentionally use state money when campaigning especially the incumbent. Up to now, NRMO has not declared to the Electoral Commission its source of funds. There are also groups such Kalangala Action Plan whose goals and objectives undermine democracy in the country. On the other hand, there are associations in the USA which are also there to frustrate things. For example, the National Rifle Association has successfully prevented any reform of the gun control laws, despite the fact that the majority of the population wants them to be more stringent. The issue of campaign and lobbying rumbles on. The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) aimed to curb “soft money”, but candidates soon found loopholes and ways to circumvent the controls. More stringent lobbying reforms were passed by Congress in August 2007 and have tightened up this area of campaign finance significantly.
USA just like Uganda, the guy with a lot of money tends to win the elections. The 2004 election between Bush and Kerry did nothing to dispel the appearance that only individuals and groups able to raise huge sums of money stand a chance of victory. Reforms to campaign finance were nimbly side-stepped by the Democrats and Republicans alike. According to Global Insight, after accepting their parties’ nominations, Bush and Kerry were restricted to US$74.6 million each in government funding, but during the preceding primaries there were no such limits. Both decided to opt out of the programme that would see federal funds match those raised privately, which would have imposed a total cap on spending. In the end it is estimated that Bush managed to raise some US$367 million in total, ahead of John Kerry’s US$326 million (according to www.opensecrets.org). The total for all candidates was a staggering US$881 million, well ahead of the US$529 million raise in 2000 and the US$425.7 million in 1996.That’s why the opposition in Uganda need to match Museveni’s state funding by starting to look for funds in advance before 2011.Politicians who are middle class with no big network behind them are not ideal presidential candidates in the present Uganda. Politicians whose faces have not been exposed to the voters in advance will increase the advertising costs yet the opposition has got no money.
The only big difference I see between Uganda and US elections is mainly the respect and value of manifestos. In Uganda politicians are voted for anything less than their policies. Besigye had a better manifesto in 2001 and actually the government had to implement some of its ingredients after the election, like abolishing graduated tax. However, Ugandans in the rural areas went for a guy who was threatening them with a gun if they don’t vote for him. In the USA, parties who have got better approaches of tackling the country’s most important problems—the budget deficit, income inequality, racial tension, crime and the health and welfare systems, tend to be voted by majority. The USA has also got a better electoral commission and judicial system which can deliver what is expected in case of any disagreement between the opposition and the government.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Why is Mao getting more media coverage than even the Kabaka of Buganda
07 Mar 2010 18 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, IPC, media in Uganda
Dear readers,
I’ve become more and more upset and discouraged by the blatant, biased journalism surrounding pre 2011 elections. Some parts of the media in Uganda seems hell bent in helping president Museveni win the elections by covering him about anything and also promoting some divisive candidates among the opposition. The media has been promoting Mao ever since he was elected as DP president by one of the DP factions in Mbale. We are now left wondering whether Mao’s popularity started with this election or before, because a good candidate should have been hitting the front pages for a long time even before they are elected party president due their established popularity on the ground. This biased reporting is a fine example of how the media carefully gets it wrong. The press has indirectly decided to declare president Museveni the winner of the 2011 race before the first vote is cast by creating the opposition candidate of their own and this is very unfair to Ugandans.
President Museveni can fool others with this Mao excitement from Mbale but not some of us. I have even got a feeling that the order to promote Mao in the media came from the above, because what he is getting in the media, is just too much out of nothing. How can the media start giving coverage to a person whose election as the president of a party is still in dispute? Note even the second biggest opponent to Museveni right now, which is Buganda and its Kabaka, can be accorded this kind of media coverage. Let us remember that some resolutions were passed last year by the Broad casting bosses in regards to the coverage of the Kabaka and Buganda affairs. Some journalists sympathetic to the Buganda causes lost their jobs and they aren’t working up to now.
The major debate going on in the media, in political parties and with their friends and allies is necessary. But it is also necessary to move beyond debate and create the clarity, that is, the basis for eliminating some candidates that look too divisive to the opposition. Something does not smell right with the Mao situation but hopefully everything will come out in the open in due course. You can’t hide a bad smell forever in the closet. It always comes out at some stage. Mao may be personally innocent in this but president Museveni knows that by promoting him(Mao), he will confuse the voters in the opposition in terms of choice. They will not be sure whether to elect Mao or Besigye or anybody else, and the strategy seems to be working against the opposition at the moment. How they deal with it will define the 2011 electoral process.
Nevertheless, alliance or no alliance, we all know who NRM is most afraid of in the opposition, and that is Dr.Besigye. NRM and Museveni will do anything to make sure that he is not on the ballot paper in 2011, like they miserably tried and failed in 2006.They have still got the treason charges standing against him and I’m sure this will be raised at some point before the General elections, particularly if the Mao project does not work out for them. Besigye has been blocked from addressing people on various FM stations in the country, but Mao has not encountered the same experience so far, which raises more questions than answers.
I think broadcasters should devote reasonable time to fairly presenting all sides of any controversial issue discussed on the air. Uganda should emulate the Americans in this sense. For instance, between 1928 and 1929, when the republicans were in power, one radio station in NewYork owned by the socialist party was warned to show ‘due regard’ for others opinions and all stations were told to serve the ‘general public’ not themselves. Some Americans are also campaigning for the reinstatement of the ‘fairness Doctrine’ to prevent their nation from being swamped by exactly one point of view, that of corporations and the filthy rich, like it has been for the last 20 years, with everybody else rudely elbowed aside.
I also think it’s time that it’s high time the NRM starts minding its own business and leave the opposition alone. It’s time NRM starts looking after its own saucepan (KASEPEKI) and leave the opposition to organise themselves, as Bebe cool says in his latest song(KASEPEKI) on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KwfrDSeSW8 . We have had enough of politics of Sponsoring fake political parties and presidential candidates. Let the ground be levelled.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Black Mambas started with Obote before Museveni copied
10 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, FDC, history, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC
As far as I know, Black mambas were in existence during Obote 2 and Museveni’s government and not in FDC. Whatever Obote did during his reign, Museveni can do better. When president Museveni sent the ‘black mambas’ in the case of Dr.Kiiza Besigye and other PRA suspects Vs the state of Uganda , and black mambas surrounded the court, he was just polishing what he had been taught by his political master, Milton Obote.
When Obote stole the 1980 elections just like most political thieves, he started manipulating the judiciary as a way of keeping himself in power. Lawyers who tried to represent people in courts were intimidated, detained or killed. For example, Cprian Kawoya was abducted from the high court while the court was in session and later murdered by Obote’s ‘black mambas’. Other lawyers killed or tortured under similar circumstances include: Hon. George Bamuturaki, Gideon Mutanga, Sewava Sempala,e.t.c.
Another incident is when Barak Kirya was acquitted of treason charges in Dec 1984, he was rearrested in the same way Besigye was rearrested and taken back to Luzira Prison. Kirya just like Besigye was co-accused with others on treason charges( who included captain Mark Kodili, major Hussain Ada, Captain Sajjad Soori, Frank Kivumbi and James Balamu), who were also acquitted by the judge but the Obote’s ‘black mambas’ surrounded the court and these guys could not leave the court room. They were eventually forced out and taken back to Luzira. So Ugandans, the black mambas you saw in 2006 who surrounded the high court did not start with president Museveni. He is doing exactly what Obote used to. We shall see all these things as we continue throughout this year and see how UPC and NRM are now similar in the way they approach national issues. The man (Matsiko) who wrote an article in the monitor this week about the similarities between NRMO AND UPC did not just dream. We have got UPC 111 now in Uganda.
Abbey
Buganda is already a quasi state within a state
10 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, culture, federalism in Uganda, kingdoms
friends,
I would like to tell you and all other peace loving Ugandans that Buganda is already a state on its own. All it lacks is an army and direct political power. Buganda kingdom has developed institutions, financing mechanisms and policy tools since its restoration in 1993. What we don’t know is how the Buganda kingdom is going to transform this momentum into something the young generation like me can cling on to. When Obote abolished the Kingdom in 1967, Buganda’s 52 clans were the only thing that survived Obote’s anger and moment of madness.
However, when Mutebi was made king, he restored the 3 branches of administration with him: executive, legislature and other administrative structures. He appointed a parliament (lukiiko), cabinet, district representatives, clan elders, and other Buganda representatives in various parts of the kingdom. He also appointed a prime minister (katikilo) as head of the wider cabinet. The notable positions in his cabinet were the positions of attorney general and 14 ministers of state. Yes, most Mengo ministers are volunteers and use their money to carry out their duties but it goes on to show how much people are willing to keep Buganda breathing for a long time. A man like Semogerere, for instance, was the MD of Sembule Investment Bank and chairman of the Nile hotel but he sacrificed that to become a katikilo of Buganda kingdom with no political powers yet.
Buganda has also got physical structures in Bulange and other buildings. Buganda kingdom has also expanded beyond Kampala by the appointment of 18 local administrative units (abamasaza), sub county chiefs (abamagombolola) and parish chiefs (abemiluka). In doing this, the king of Buganda has got a structure in place that almost overlaps even Museveni’s LC system although the kingdom’s positions remain largely honorary and devoid of substantial institutional powers. He was clever though to pick people of influence in all these positions and it is working out for him. For example, Fredrick Mulindwa, the saza chief of Buddu County is a lawyer by profession and sits on the Masaka District Land Board.
Buganda has also expanded beyond Uganda and this was evidenced in May 1997 when the king appointed ‘ambasadors’ to UK, Sweden and Kenya. I guess the number of ambassadors has now increased since then. Both the Kabaka and Katikilo are treated and behave as the way the president of Uganda and ministers do when abroad though they live within a limited budget compared to the government ministers. The baganda in diaspora are even thinking of building a ‘Buganda house’ in the UK to rival the Uganda House at Trafalgar square in London. They have also been organising federal conferences and ‘Tabimuluka’ almost every year.
Buganda has also got anthems, pledges of allegiance, inaugurations, coronations, parades and any thing that makes a kingdom look like a state. The 1993 coronation was an impressive theatrical display of recovered statehood. The 1999 royal wedding with its abundant pageantry further contributed to the idea of the kingdom that is united and strong. A man just needs to buy a copy of the kabaka’s wedding and preparations to know what this thing means to Baganda and non-baganda. All categories of people contributed to this wedding including non-baganda. Actually, the kingdom can make a lot of money by selling the tapes and DVDs of this wedding on open market.
Kasubi royal tombs represent the national monument of the kingdom and there were renovated with a grant of £100000 from UNESCO. Buganda has got national holidays like the anniversary of the storming of Mengo by Obote’s troops. Finally, the kingdom has an ideology.
The main challenge for Buganda is to influence the young generation like us who still look at opportunities in the central government as something better on a plate than what is Mengo offering. The old baganda will die soon but how do they keep this momentum going in absence of a royal and committed young generation. How I wish brother, Ahmed Katerega and sister Aisha Kabanda can live as examples to the young ones in future.
Nze simanyi binadilila banange but the Buganda kingdom is already a state without super political power.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Sedition charges started with Obote and Museveni just polished it
10 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, kingdoms, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC, UPC current politics
Sedition charges did not start with president museveni as he learnt that from one of his predecessors, Dr. Milton Obote. Journalists and the media were some of the biggest casualties of the government’s sensitivity to criticism during Obote and now Museveni. Pro-baganda newspapers like the economy had a breather after the fall of Amin but things started getting tougher afterwards. Obote also got tougher on foreign journalists who had had freedom under Lule and Binaisa. Many newspapers like the weekly topic were closed down by government officials under obote 2. Anthony Sekweyama, the editor of the main Luganda newspaper, Mumansi, and two other employees of the paper were arrested in March and held for three weeks on sedition charges. They were released in mid-April, but the paper — which was the voice of the opposition, Democratic Party — did not reappear until the middle of May. Even the Chief Editor of the new Sunday edition of the government Uganda Times was detained after only editing two issues. The Obote government was apparently annoyed by an article criticising the US boycott of Libyan oil. Obote had turned his previous socialist policies on their head and had been hard at work courting Western investors. No doubt he did not wish them annoyed by a government paper. Surprisingly, Museveni’s paper: Resistance News of the NRM was left on the streets for a while-a point which strengthenes the argument of those who say that Obote always did undermine the strengths of Museveni from day one.
Museveni’s idea of the media centre headed by Robert Kabushenga did not come from the moon. Obote was the man who first introduced Newspaper and Publications Act to lay down conditions for the starting of a newspaper or magazine in Uganda. Museveni’s media centre is an equivalent of Obote’s Press Accreditation Committee (PAC) which had representatives from the Ministries of Information, Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs. Ugandan journalists wishing to send material to foreign sources had to be approved by the same body.
In addition,The throwing away of foreign journalists from Uganda did not start with Museveni as some people think. Four Western journalists who included: Christabel King, Nick Worrall, June Dechter and Bob Dietz, had their accreditation withdrawn before the December 1980 elections which brought Obote to power, mainly because they were considered unsympathetic to Obote. Then four other journalists resident in Kampala also had their press credentials withdrawn and these were: Cameron Morton (September 1981), Mark Lee (December 1981), Tom Lansner (November 1981) and Trent O’Keefe (January 1982). Visiting correspondents, including representatives of the Daily Telegraph and British Independent Television News, were also thrown out of Uganda. The Minister of Information at that time, Dr David Anyoti, said that only qualified and bona fide journalists were permitted to work in the country. He condemned freelance journalists as bent on ‘sensational and subjective journalism’ and condemned the foreign news media for using ‘second-rate yellow journalists’. Cameron Morton, for example, was put under house arrest and expelled immediately after reporting army massacres in the West Nile and Trent O’Keefe had his accreditation withdrawn a few days after a BBC report of the murder of five churchgoers by Ugandan troops during a Sunday service in Katiti village in Luwero district. Actually, any body telling you that the killing of Ugandans like bees in Luwero started with NRM is just kicking himself in the teeth.
What has gone wrong at Makerere University
10 Mar 2010 3 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Education in Uganda
Friends,
Makerere was once one of the most powerful universities in Africa but it has recently become a laughing stock in the last ten years or so. I don’t know whether this has got partly to do with ill planning from the regime in power or its the administrators, but what I know is that Makerere University is still burying itself in its original history as an attraction of the new students instead of adopting regular strategic planning. Higher education or university education is now part of the global world and it has taken Makerere ages to realise that. For instance, Makerere have just started online admissions just after moreover several years of operation. In this day and age, the most successful institutions will be those that can do strategic marketing planning, carve out niches, and develop new programs that will drive students to the institution. Part of this planning will include investment in advertising and marketing initiatives aimed at developing institutional brand names and student prospect leads.
Why would faculty Deans have such big offices at Makerere in this day and time where saving office space is very important in the developed world. For instance, most of the lecturers in universities in the UK here can share an office as many as 3 people. The only thing that separates them is their computers and desks. If Makerere and Uganda universities need to come out of this ‘big office’ culture, they need to start looking at their institutions as businesses which makes some profits rather than purely educational institutions. Many academic traditionalists get very upset when you start referring to students as customers and education as a business but this is a short-sighted view if often what causes the death of many small private colleges in and around the world. Because of this traditional mentality, it is alleged that the new vice chancellor of Makerere was welcomed with huge debts accrued from administrators who don’t want to run the institution as more of a business.
It’s a pity that the deans of faculty at Makerere put their efforts in ‘okulembeka’ or negotiating foreign money for themselves instead of focussing on developing scholarship and grant opportunities for their students. Makerere needs to adopt Porter’s Five Forces to keep it going. Competition in any industry, including academia, does not arise from differences between competitors in that single industry. It also is dependent on the underlying economics of the industry. Porter’s Five Forces provides a practical model that also addresses economic principles. Porter maintains that strategy is not found on a direct line from point A to point B, that it is not the pursuit of a single ideal position.
This takes me straight to the point of entrepreneurship that some Ugandans have pointed out. In this 21st century, universities should act and think as entrepreneurs and produce more entrepreneurs by over investment of entrepreneur courses. Possessing an entrepreneurial frame of mind gives the institution an advantage over its competitors. Whether it is higher education or business, the strategic framework should be underpinned by the same characteristics: reflective, innovative, brand supportive dominant logic, and exceptional capabilities. However, I must also stress that to become a successful entrepreneur does not necessarily need someone to become a graduate though it helps. That’s why the government needs to help the entrepreneurs at Katwe and other places.
The government should also transform most of the higher rated colleges in different parts of the country into universities to reduce on overcrowding of Makerere University. For instance, polytechnics in the UK were transformed into universities. Most of the universities in the UK with the word ‘Metropolitan’ were once polytechnics including the one I studied in. It’s not that the government of UK totally abandoned the technical skills these polytechnics were offering. What they did was to build vocational colleges in their places. So you going to find that in almost all cities in the UK there are colleges with names such as: College of music, College of building, College of Technology, School of catering, …….. and this is done to expand on technical skills in the country. The UK nationals don’t pay any fees while studying in these small colleges. Therefore, having a large pool of technical colleges in Uganda will also widen on the technical skills among the ever increasing population of the country.
Finally, risk taking is more of a personal initiative which has got nothing to do with the level of education. So whether educated or not, you can become financially successful through personal initiatives. This probably explains why majority of the richest in the world are of modest education. Let the administrators of Makerere take risks and try new things every now and then to bring back the magnetism Makerere once had. They should not be stuck in the past.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
How the 1980 elections were rigged
10 Mar 2010 27 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Moshi conference 1979, Obote and UPC
Like I promised Ugandans, we are going to get a detailed evidence of how the 1980 elections were rigged by UPC .I found this topic very interesting because whatever means UPC used to steal the 1980 elections are the same means NRMO are now using to steal the presidential elections in Uganda. It shows that Ugandan leaders never learn anything from history and that makes us doomed. So how did Obote’s UPC steal the 1980 elections?
Obote while in exile in Tanzania wrote to Paul Muwanga ,who was then a cabinet minister under Binayisa’s government, to do everything possible to get UPC back to power even if it meant staging a coup. The letter is a public document which can be seen by anybody in various textbooks and is dated 06/02/1980. Muwanga ,Rwakasisi and group implemented this plan in July 1980 by getting rid of president Binaisa through a ‘coup d’état’. Before the 1980 elections were held, Muwanga wrote to the UPC tabliqs to start laying grounds for the rigging of the 1980 general elections and they awarded him handsomely. Muwanga’s letter is also public property to those who want it.
Another document written by Obote on 12/08/1980 reveals how Obote personally laid out the master plan as to how UPC would stop the election, or, if it was held, rig it, or seize power by military force if his party lost. This document is also public property if any one fancies it.
The appointment of the Electoral Commission was also strongly part of the process of rigging the 1980 elections. First, the military commission was full of UPC people and there were the ones that appointed the Electoral Commission (EC)- just like the current EC is full of people loyal to NRMO and Museveni. The few voices in the military commission who were anti-Obote like Yoweri Museveni could not change anything. Secondly, the chairman of the electoral Commission appointed by Muwanga and group was a strong UPC cadre called Kosea S.M. Kikira. Furthermore, the EC was both partisan and incompetent. Most of the people appointed did not have any experience in election monitoring apart from the chairman himself.
The military commission (MC) was the one that kept announcing the election programs instead of the EC as required by the constitution. The MC reached to the extent of dismissing the 14 DCs who had been appointed as Registration Returning officers by the EC, because they had refused to be comprised by UPC and Muwanga. Muwanga replaced them with 15 UPC members to pave a way for the rigging within the EC.
In addition, the MC interfered with the voter registration exercise such that a certain man who was acting as the UPM publicity secretary called George Grace Bakulu Mpagi, decided to challenge the irregularities in the courts of law. However, the judge came out with almost a similar ruling as the judges in the Besigye Vs Museveni cases of 2001 and 2006, when he said that everything was unlawful but his hands were tied.
The nomination exercise was also flawed and almost every electoral law was broken by the Muwanga and group for the sake of winning the 1980 elections. For example, polling stations in the 4 Kampala constituencies did not open until mid-day which broke the EC laws but was done with the intention of showing common wealth observers that the situation was the same all over the country where there were few observers.
As if that was not enough, UPC made violence and intimidation part of the rigging process just like we have got the Kakoza Mutale of NRMO. For instance, a rally organised by DP candidate,Mr.Anthony Ocaya was disrupted by the UPC gangs while he was campaigning in Gulu. Muwanga also wrote to the Kayihura of that time-directing him that potential DP candidates particularly: Martin Aliker , Hajji Akbar Nekyon, Yoweri Kyesimira and James Kaigiriza, be banned from speaking at public meetings and rallies.
UPC did a lot of things to rig the 1980 elections but the most embarrassing one was when Paul Muwanga stopped the returning officers from announcing the election results and he directed he alone was to announce the results and declare the elected candidates. He took over full control of the EC when he realised that UPC was losing to DP. Obote refutes this in his memoirs published in the monitor newspaper before his death but that was expected from a fulltime politician like him. Muwanga then released the doctored results after 18 hours to the EC whom he asked to announce them on the radio Uganda.
The question that bothers me from all this is that:’ why would Museveni employ the same tactics used by Obote to rig elections in 2001 and 2006 yet he was part of the MC and witnessed how the country went into decline after the rigging of the 1980 elections?’ Does this make Museveni a better politician than Obote or they are birds of the same feather.
Tulabye nyo banange.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UK
Kasubi frames was a cruel act towards Buganda and Uganda but let’s not speculate
18 Mar 2010 18 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, culture, media in Uganda, Obote and UPC, UPC current politics
Museveni angry at those speculating
People,
What happened at Kasubi was a cruel act towards Buganda and Uganda.Let’s hope that the investigators will find the arsonists this time to put a cap on the speculation going on.Obviously, anybody can understand people’s anger towards the government and Museveni because of what has been happening between Buganda and NRM recently, but we should not speculate on this one please. Anybody could have done this!
The TV people were unfair to show Mwami Ssebunya(presidential advisor on Buganda) taking cover after a few shots were fired yet they didn’t do the same when president Museveni arrived at the scene. How come the media never produced a video when the PGB were firing shots at people that resulted into 3 deaths.Some of us wanted to see the president’s body language when faced with this kind of animosity from the people he leads.They also didnt show Besigye on the scene which automatically portrays the current imbalance in the media reporting in Uganda. Leaders nolonger feel secure around their people and this is interesting considering the fact that we gonna have an election next year. Overall, what happened at Kasubi was very bad and it should be investigated. Please watch the following videos to make your own analysis of events:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRakxvxp0QQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e2nUGKn438&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrUvJR4ZFGc&feature=channel
I would also like to thank UPC for not voting for Mr.Akena James as their president because i didn’t know where to place him after watching the following video on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXoHbA5v214&NR=1. Akena was almost trying to tell us that NRM is the same as the old UPC, an assessment we appreciate, but he also justified his father’s actions during 1966 crisis. I wonder what Mr.Olara Otunnu has got to say about this considering that he is keeping Mr.Akena as his Vice Chairman. Yes,Dr.Otunnu wants to reconcile the party and that’s why he is keeping Miria Obote’s old team but he should try to get rid of the bad apples when the right time comes. Mr. James Akena and Mr. Joseph Ochieno will predictably give him a hard time if he is not very careful. So i suggest he drops them in future after bonding most of the party members or executive. If UPC needs rebranding, it needs to get rid of some of these characters with time. Dr.Otunnu needs to take UPC to another level and he should try to make peace with Buganda by openly listing the mistakes UPC made while in power, including that of 1966.If he does that, I’m sure such scenes as blocking him from entering the Kasubi tombs, may not happen again.Baganda will slowly give him a chance.
I’m again saying this as a concerned Ugandan citizen.
Byebyo ebyange
–
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
What exactly happened to Kiggundu’s Greenland Bank
19 Mar 2010 1 Comment
in Economics
Dear people,
Dr. Kiggundu is gone for good but there is still hope for the revival of the Greenland bank one day if what we read in the newspapers was true. I’m among the few Ugandans and muslims who are still confused as to why Greenland was closed abruptly like that. My understanding is that General Saleh secretly purchased UCB through Greenland bank. General Saleh himself announced that he took over the bid from the Malaysian investors to keep the bank under local hands and this was in December 1998.Immediately after General Saleh’s announcement, Greeenland bank was placed under state management. Greenland bank had subsidiaries in Tanzania and Kenya (commercial Bank and foreign exchange in Kenya respectively) which were also later closed. Nobody in the government has come up to give us a detailed explanation of why the Greenland Empire was closed and whether this was necessary at the time. It is the kind of pain we have been carrying for ages and it became so much when the death of Dr.Kiggundu struck us.
Secondly, Greenland was closed when the country’s savings were improving. Before the emergency of Greenland, the savings stood at 3% of the GDP compared to 6% of GDP in 1998. At that time, Kenya had a savings rate of 22% compared to the now ill-managed Zimbabwe which had a savings rate of 32% by then. When the savings rate is higher it means there are more funds that can be borrowed for development. Ugandans can borrow money in great number to their things. All this went into decline after the closure of Greenland Bank because so many people were relying on that bank. Was the closure of Greenland an act of a president who loves rapid development in the country?
The only major management error I blame Dr. Kiggundu is the principle of disclosure in the banking sector and he was jailed for 6 months because of some of these errors. Disclosure is about providing information to the outsiders about the organization. This includes corporate social disclosure. This is where the society wants to know what it gets from the business for supporting it. It is when the society and other third parties see such benefits that they see the organization as legitimate. Whereas developed countries have disclosure measures, the developing countries like Uganda don’t have the culture of disclosure. No ends of year accounts are shown! Even banks that should display their financial statements don’t do so! That is why in 1998, Greenland Bank Ltd, and Cooperative Bank Ltd were closed by Bank of Uganda, without any sign of financial weakness being known by the customers. So this was wrong on the side of Dr. Kiggundu but still the state should not have closed the bank. The Gordon Brown government used all the means at its disposal to save the Northern Rock Bank despite the problems they were having because Gordon loves his country and he loves the common man on the ground in the UK.
Other reasons which were given by the economists in the country for the closure are all considered just schools of thought including: failure to meet the minimum capital requirements, insider lending, corruption and mismanagement as the causes. This is all nothing when you are a politician who loves your people.The root cause of commercial banks’ problems lies in their desire to increase profits by rapidly expanding their asset portfolio (by extending loans) for which there are no adequate provisions in the form of a capital buffer. Greenland bank did this by investing in a variety of businesses and lending to people without security, and it would have worked if they had been given a chance with time to rectify their mistakes. Remember, these were long term investments NOT short term investments. Yes, Dr.Kiggundu was running the risk of the inadequacy of minimum capital standards in accounting for the risk in banks’ asset portfolio but so many international banks run this risk. In the UK here, people access credit without any security and there was nothing weid that Greenland was doing in the banking sector. I also heard that a Saudi investor offered to fix the capital problems Greenland was experiencing at the time but still the government declined the offer. All they wanted was to close the damn Greenland Bank.
Lastly, Bank of Uganda (BoU) introduced new banking rules after the closure of Greenland to justify their act but why didn’t they give Greenland more time to operate under the new rules. According to the BoU new policy, all banks will be required to maintain sufficient capital, while those under-capitalised will not be bailed out. Under the revised minimum deposit requirements, all commercial banks – both local and foreign-owned – are required to maintain at least a minimum balance of USh1bn (US$750m). All banks are required to comply with all the provisions of the Financial Institutions Statute (FIS) of 1993. According to the BoU, they will only intervene in banks that either fail to meet the capital requirements or comply with the laws and regulations as stipulated in the FIS Act. ´Where a bank is intervened and closed, the BoU´s commitment to the depositors will be limited to USh3m per depositor, covered under the Deposit Insurance Scheme´, the bank stated. My question is how is a Ugandan in USA going to recover her money now if she wakes up one morning when one of the banks in Uganda is closed particularly if her savings exceed USh3m? Can anybody also convince voters in Uganda that Kiggundu’s Greenland had failed to raise the capital of USh1bn to keep itself in business? Can you also tell voters in Uganda of what the judicial inquiry commission found and recommended after the closure of different banks in Uganda that year? This was a commission set up by Finance Minister Gerald Sendaula. Why isn’t all this information made public up to now?
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
ICC is a real ‘international’ treaty despite its weaknesses
19 Mar 2010 14 Comments
in Africa, international, Legal issues, Museveni and NRM
Dear friends,
The ICC treaty is international by all the definitions of an international treaty. Because some ‘big boys’ are not part of the treay, it does not make it less international though it would have been stronger if they were part of it. USA and China do not solely define internationalism in a written document. The ICC became international and ratified when the UN got 60 ratifications necessary to bring the ICC into being. By 2005, 99 states had ratified the treaty.
There is something else I want Ugandans to note here. Belgium was one of those countries who started a law in 1993 within their borders similar in work to the ICC Treaty. The law permitted human rights prosecutions where by non-Belgians could be tried for violations against other non-Belgians in a Belgian court. I don’t know whether this law is still operational with the existence of the ICC now. If this law is still operational, then those who don’t trust the ICC can file their charges against president Museveni from there.
ICC headquarters
Germany is another country that has a similar law to Belgium. German law provides “universal jurisdiction” allowing for the prosecution of war crimes and related offenses that take place anywhere in the world. In 2006, former prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay filled criminal charges in Germany against Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and other officials. So if it is also operational, Ugandans who want to bring cases against certain individuals in the government can go for it.
My only problem with the ICC is in the Articles: 15, 42, 53, 54, 86 and 87 of the treaty which grant the ICC prosecutor global authority to bring charges anywhere, against anyone. The prosecutor can collect secret evidence that’s never revealed to the defendant — only to the jurists hearing his or her case. I don’t know the intention of this but I think it is unfair for the defendant not to know the evidence against him or her in advance. These are the things our legal representatives to the ICC need to iron out in their next global conference.
Yes, I do think that all Israel prime ministers should be punished for the crimes committed against the Palestines and Lebanese. What has been happening in Gaza is against the international law but I think Israel has not yet ratified the ICC treaty and, therefore, it is difficult for anybody to drag them to ICC. Israel and Russia are already regretting putting their signatures on the ICC treaty because the treaty is always in their faces whenever they commit crimes.
Having said this, there are some people who have tried and still trying to bring some Israel prime ministers to face justice for the crimes committed against humanity. For instance, a special war crime court was set up in the 1990s to charge Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for authorizing the massacre of hundreds of Palestinian men, women, and children in the Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla in 1982. The Israelis themselves set up a commission called the Kahan Commission which found Sharon “indirectly” responsible for the slaughter and fingered Hobeika as the chief instigator. At the time of the massacres, Hobeika was intelligence chief of Lebanese Christian forces in Lebanon who were battling Palestinians and other Muslim groups in a bloody civil war. He was also the chief liaison to Israeli Defence Force (IDF) personnel in Lebanon.
I would also like Ugandans to know that Israel cannot be charged in any international court without exposing the evil side of the American administration. So the USA does everything in its powers to make sure that Israel never faces the law. An example is when Hobeika called a press conference in July 2001 and announced that he was prepared to testify against Sharon in Belgium and revealed that he had evidence of what actually occurred in Sabra and Shatilla. 7 months later, Hobeika’s car was blown up by a remote controlled bomb placed in a parked Mercedes along a street in the Hazmieh section of Beirut. It is alleged that this assassination was done by both the USA and Israel agents.
This action alone shows that the Israelis and USA are afraid of international law and if there was no international law, probably Israel would have used a weapon to wipe out the Palestine population by now. USA and Israel do everything they could to destroy evidence because they know that justice never decays. So the ICC or the international laws act as a deterrent to those planning to commit certain crimes. This is enough reason for us to support the activities of the baby ICC till when it will develop into something that can catch even the ‘big boys’ like Israel, China and USA. At the moment, let the ‘small boys’ like Bashir feel the heat that will shape the way they do things.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Luwero war was justified despite what Museveni has become today
19 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, international, Legal issues, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC
Dear people,
I still believe the Luwero Triangle war was justified and I support the initiative taken by Museveni and others to fight Obote’s government. To broaden this discussion a bit, I’m gonna mention the main principles of the justice of war which are: having just cause, being declared by a proper authority, possessing right intention, having a reasonable chance of success, and the end being proportional to the means used. Museveni and Group had a just cause: getting rid of a dictatorial government which had stolen the 1980 elections. The authority that declared war was a mixture of UPM and other registered parties in Uganda (forming something called NRM/NRA) and their intentions were good at the time and most Ugandans supported them particularly the Baganda. NRA/NRM fought a guerrilla war for only 5 years and that justifies the envisaged success. They knew that the population was behind them and that’s why they chose the Baganda spot who openly hated Obote and his regime.
What exactly happened during the course of fighting in Luwero like killing innocent civilians; using child soldiers; and so on, cannot make a war unjustifiable and we have got international bodies that deal with people who break rules of war fare. For instance international agreements such as the Geneva and Hague conventions are historical rules aimed at limiting certain kinds of warfare. The real Luwero war was justified and there is no question about this. If any morals were not considered by the Museveni soldiers while in Luwero, then some body should investigate this and hand it to over to the international bodies.
Mr.Otunnu, the UPC president is already asking for investigations in the Luwero war and it was very wrong for General Tinyenfunza to threaten him in response. I first heard the statement:’we will crash you’ when Besigye decided to start the Reform Agenda prior to 2001 elections. A certain ‘gentleman’ called General Salim Saleh allegedly aired the same words. By the way, these guys dont make threats as Mr.Otunnu may think. They mean real business. Besigye has since been subjected to anything you can think of , to the extent that he had to shift the remainder of his close family abroad. He has to make tours to USA every now and then to see his wife and son.Ambassador Otuunu should be ready for the fire in the kitchen because it’s gonna be very hot. He should seek comfort in Dr.Kiiza Besigye who has seen it all before- the threats, the prison, the charges, the courts, the handicuffs, exile, loss of relatives,……………..Those who are just joining the field should pay a visit to the good doctor.
However, I must warn Ugandans that there are legal arguments in this area of what is considered moral and immoral when fighting a war. It is not an easy case of pointing fingers as some people are doing now. For example, to defeat Germany in World War II, it was deemed necessary to bomb civilian centres, or in the US Civil War, for General Sherman to burn Atlanta. Secondly, how do you morally justify the discovery and use of nuclear weapons in a war and end up killing more people than those that were killed in Luwero Triangle and bushes? The Soviets acquired nuclear and thermonuclear weapons in 1948 and 1953 respectively but an attack in 1948 was not seriously considered. An attack on the Soviet Union was quickly rejected by Eisenhower in 1953—although the main obstacle seems to have been the feasibility of removing permanently the threat in one attack. Similarly, would you consider the Israeli destruction in 1981 by F-15′s and F-16′s of a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor in Iraq a just war or not—although the U.S. and U.N. at the time formally condemned the attack and the Israeli policy? There are several examples including the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
Well the point am trying to make here is that wars are justifiable depending on what I have mentioned above. However, what happens during the war does not make a war unjustifiable. Therefore, Museveni’s war against Obote’s forces was justifiable and if he had not done it, probably some body else would have done it.
Byebyo Ebyange.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Semei Kakungulu was a nationalist
19 Mar 2010 9 Comments
in Buganda, Bunyoro and lost counties, Semei Kakungulu
Dear people,
Increasingly, I have heard of people calling Semei Kakungulu a traitor, hero or a nationalist but I want to take my discussion to mostly the ‘nationalist’ part, whatever that might be. At the same time, I see confusion in people who have thought of themselves being allied with one political or ideological outlook or another to base on this to call some one a nationalist or not.
Assuming we all agree with the definition of a nationalist as one who places the nation above the individual, can we call Bunyoro’s Kabalega a nationalist and leave Kakungulu out? I don’t think so. Kabalega was defending the existence of Bunyoro Kingdom and Kakungulu was participating in the creation of a nation called Uganda by fighting with the British and Baganda. So which one of the two is a nationalist by that definition? I think Kakungulu qualifies to be used as a as fodder for national purposes compared to Kabalega.
What about the nationalists or internationalists in the present day situation in Uganda. How would you categorise the following groups of people:
- Those presidents of Uganda or leaders who give more leverage to foreign investors compared to local investors. They treat foreign investors like ‘brides’ compared to local ones.
- Those who think that a government should be selected by its own citizens in fair and free elections but they turn around and rig the elections. When you think of rigging elections in Uganda, the following years come into our minds: 1980, 2001, 2006 and 2008 ‘Kyadondo’ elections.
- Those who think that a government should be granted unlimited powers by its own citizens. For instance, I have heard some people on radios in Uganda questioning the powers of judges who did not fight in Luwero bushes.
- Those who don’t believe that rights are inherent to being alive and not privileges to be dispensed by government.
- Those who think that it is right for one country to overthrow the lawfully-elected governments of other countries and replace them with dictatorships or Generals from their own army.
- Those who believe that it is okay for Uganda to break apart into separate countries, each with its own ethnic background, as did the former Soviet Union.
Kabalega and America’s George Washington may both be called nationalists because they both risked certain execution as traitors against Britain. But then again, they both just didn’t like British tyranny. Many people both in USA and Uganda didn’t like it, that didn’t mean they were nationalists. Indeed many of them would have fought against the “nation” having the amount of power over the individual states or regions or kingdoms that it now has.
The Serbian called Nikola Kavaja, who hijacked a U.S. passenger jet in 1979 with the intention of crashing it into Yugoslav Communist Party headquarters, was called a nationalist by some sections of people in Serbia. Many nationalist Serbs considered Kavaja a hero and a patriot, while others thought of him as a ruthless terrorist. Can we also say that people call Kakungulu or Kabalega a nationalist or traitor or hero depending on what they belief in.
In 1905, President Grover Cleveland pardoned Gavrilo Princip, the Polish nationalist who assassinated Austrian Empress Maria-Theresa in Stockholm in 1889, which set off World War I. Gavrilo Princip is considered a nationalist in Poland yet his actions led to the start of World War 1. What justifications do we have as Ugandans to start calling Kakungulu bad names or tittles when his actions just led to the creation of the nation called Uganda?
Therefore, the definition of “nationalism” in a political context is much more complex. But I guess anything beyond “We good, Them bad” is a little too deep for anyone to categorically state that Kakungulu or Kabalega was a nationalist. Can we really call Obote or Museveni nationalists if we are to put the whole definition of nationalism in context? My answer is a big ‘No’.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Oryema Johnson is wrong on Buganda
19 Mar 2010 2 Comments
Dr.Oryema Johnson wrote on the UAH forum : ‘After 40 years of baby sitting Buganda politically, the time of reckoning has arrived to confront Buganda directly, and have them explain straight up what it will take for Buganda to understand that , one particular part of a country cannot be allowed to pull everyone down for life.’’
Ugandans
The statement above is really so upsetting. I would like to know, hands on heart, what Oryema meant by baby sitting Buganda. Who has been or is baby-sitting Buganda politically? Yes, Baganda are very welcoming people and they have welcomed everybody starting with every name in the alphabets from A- Z. Oryema reportedly owns land in Luwero or Bulemezi and nobody has ever made any attempt to chase him away because Baganda are very welcoming people. Now that he has become too comfortable as a ‘settler’ or ‘omusenze’, he wants to pull down the original ‘abataka’ down with him. Does that make him a good ‘settler’ in Buganda or a ‘snake’ in Buganda waiting to bite any time he gets a chance? Now, I have got news for Oryema: most Baganda and Ugandans are now aware of all these snakes loitering around in the bushes and are ready for a political fight.
Politically, Obote was the first person to bear the same sentiments as about Buganda and he tried to pull it down but he somehow lost the game. However much I admire the political acumen of Dr.Milton Obote, he made the gravest mistake of attempting to destroy Buganda by attacking the Lubili in Mengo. It later came back to haunt him and his party, and like I said some time back on the UAH forum, it will take a bull’s eye for UPC to ever lead Uganda again. Personally, I admire the political skills of Dr. Obote and he was probably most intelligent president Uganda has ever had but he kicked himself in the teeth by attacking the ‘sabataka’ yet he was ‘omusenze’.
I’m not gonna go into Amin’s regime because I try my best to forget about that period in Uganda. We did not deserve a president like him. His only contribution to Buganda was the return of ‘enjole ya sekabaka Mutesa’. The rest is history as we all know.
Nevertheless, President Museveni is not baby-sitting Buganda as some people would like to make us believe so. He is doing exactly what Obote was trying to do in the 1960s though in a different but clever way. His only obstacle is that Baganda have wizened up and are ready to deal with people like him. By restoring the traditional leaders in the constitution, Museveni thought that he was going to keep them at that level for a long time but wapi. They started by demanding for ‘ebyaffe’ and now they are demanding for political power in terms of federal governance. They want to be able to control their land and that’s why they fought the 2007 Land bill Act till when he ‘forcefully’ paassed it using his rubber stump parliament. Even if Museveni succeeded and passed the land bill, another future politician who wants to ‘babysit’ baganda as some people call it will come and retract this thing. This is what we call ‘eating some body else’s vomits’. Museveni can only sustain the present trend if he is succeeded by somebody who wants to strengthen what he has already achieved in regard to weakening Buganda and not the other way round.
His attempts to introduce the regional tier did not go through as he wanted though I’m pretty sure that he is going to use long routes to achieve exactly that. The bill for the central government to take over Kampala is among the long routes taken to weaken both the opposition and Buganda indirectly because in the same bill the Mengo municipality will be created as a way of creating the new frontiers for the Buganda kingdom. The introduction of ‘sabaluli’ on the scene is another way to isolate and weaken the Kabaka and his kingdom. Presidential statements fuelling divisions between Banyoro and baganda is another stunt being pulled by the president. Actually, his ‘divide and rule’ policy will be extended to other parts of the country once he is finished with Buganda.
Buganda is not pulling any body down for life as some people put it. If I was a psychologist, I would say that such statements portray a mixture of envy, jealous and hatred for ‘buganda’. This is really a bad disease and if such people love this country, they should treat it immediately. It is statements like these that produce a lot of ‘ Buganda conservatives and sessecionist’ because they are made to believe that every body hates Buganda and that’s it- which I can summarise in the following words: ‘they will never like you even if you make them your friends’. They are so many moderate Baganda who want to keep Buganda as part of Uganda and such statements keep letting us down. Buganda is the heart of Uganda and we should keep this heart healthy for this relationship to work. Don’t attempt to pull the heart down.
Byebyo Ebyange.
Abbey.K.S
‘OKULOGA’ or witchcraft in Uganda
19 Mar 2010 2 Comments
in culture, Witchcraft
Dear readers,
I’m happy that Ugandans like Henry Ford Mirima(bunyoro Spokes person) are searching for answers that may help us get rid of this problem that is as much destroying our society as our dictators. When AIDS/HIV surfaced in Uganda, people used to think it was witchcraft- which led to the death of several of our people. People used to attribute AIDS like they are still doing by attributing several diseases to ancestral influence, witchcraft, evil spirits and/or bad luck. Bunyoro and Tooro were the biggest culprits during the AIDS times. In the Tooro areas of Kyarusozi and Kijura, AIDS was treated as an epidemic of witches and cannibals eating up bodies of people. If Museveni as our leader comes out and spreads the anti-witchcraft evangelism like he did with AIDS, this may also help reduce stuff like child sacrifice in the country. Why he and other public leaders are sitting back about this, I don’t know. However, it’s important that the ‘emiti emito’ or young kids are told through the school curriculum from day one that Satanism and witchcraft are ideals which only create enemity between relatives , friends and the general society. That’s why religious studies like Islam and CRE need to be strengthened in schools as much as possible.
Witchcraft did not start in Africa or Uganda. What we must know is that witchcraft was and still is part of the western community but because of the enlightenment and economic development of the population, it is not a strong influence as it is in developing regions like Uganda. Otherwise crimes such as using evil spirits in order to find the whereabouts of hidden treasure were fairly common in England. Haven’t you heard of Edmund Hunt case in 1590 who was prosecuted for witchcraft? There was also a lot of witchcraft among the Welsh communities. In other words, to reduce on the influence of witchcraft, you need to have a better economy and good educational background as it is in Europe. If Ugandans are still poor, then this problem will keep hanging over our heads. People will go into L.Victoria to look for money. I don’t think designing witchcraft laws can help a lot if Uganda is still in this state.
Witchcraft as words or slander cases is difficult to prosecute in courts of law and that’s I proposed that we don’t need any laws for them, while witchcraft as premeditated harming like child sacrifice can easily be prosecuted. In other words, punishment and execution for charges associated with witchcraft as words is not an as easy as we think. The ‘devil’ reference is difficult to contextualize, other than as a standard early modern legal phrase; there are no proper witness statements attached ;statement from the person accused are not taken seriously by the court and this puts the accused at the mercy of the court. Just look at Kajubi case right now and the way the public court has already influence the real court before he was formerly charged with anything.
Yes, it is true that some evangelical religious leaders have turned to witchcraft to make themselves popular among their subordinates and it is the responsibility of every x-tian and Muslim to criticise these fake bawalimu, fake sheiks, fake pastors,….. who claim to have the powers individually to get rid of evils. The truth is that most witches use the media and witchcraft itself is managed by the institution of the market in a similar way to New Age religions. Here in the UK, some institutions not primarily driven by the profit motive are important to contemporary Witchcraft, such as the Pagan Federation in the UK and the web site witchvox.com in the US. However, in comparison to other new religious movements, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses or Scientology, the contemporary Witchcraft movement has relatively little organised control over the content and dissemination of information about the movement. With this in mind, a good foundation for the spread or promotion of evangelical religions can play a very big part in reducing Satanism and witchcraft in the society.
Abbey
Semei Kakungulu was not a traitor
20 Mar 2010 1 Comment
in Buganda, Bunyoro and lost counties, Semei Kakungulu
Dear people,
Traitor or heroes are like identical twin brothers or sisters. However,’ Traitor’ is not a word to be bandied about lightly. Traitor is an ugly word and should be used sparingly. If we describe someone as a traitor, we should first be confident that he or she has violated specific laws dealing with treason. How would we have defined treason during the Semei Kakungulu times when there was no country called Uganda? Someone who sells classified information about the country’s weapons development program to a foreign nation may well be convicted of treason and appropriately described as a traitor. But we cannot and should not use the same word to describe a person used by the British to lead a successful Baganda army against the neighbouring kingdom of Bunyoro in 1894-5. Kakungulu was a military man used to extend both Buganda and British interests outside Buganda kingdom in the north and northeast. This suited both the British and Buganda very well at the time. There was no country called Uganda at the time. So what does one base on to call Kakungulu a traitor?
Semei Kakungulu
Up to now, I’m finding it difficult to identify a Uganda hero apart from the Ignatius Musazi and group. Yes,Kakungulu killed a lot of people while pursuing his ambitions or kingdom or British objectives, but does this make him a traitor by any standards? It is remarkable that one who obviously considers himself to be an offended patriot can call Obote a hero when he killed several Ugandans he was supposed to protect but when we cannot accord the same hero status to Kakungulu who was making use of his common sense. If all leaders who kill are bad to some people, then we should just put them in the same category. Bush is considered by one section of Americans to be a traitor and a terrorist war criminal because of the lives lost around the world under his watch. What about murderous Mugabe in Zimbabwe who has killed his own people within his territory instead of protecting them? Is he worse or better than Kakungulu? Another example is when a nationwide cross section of adults in USA was asked to name people they thought of as heroes, without reviewing a list or having any names suggested to them, the person mentioned most often was Jesus Christ. He’s followed by Martin Luther King, Colin Powell, John F. Kennedy and Mother Teresa in that order. If we are to do this in Uganda today, which names can we come up with? What do we really base on to determine African or Ugandan heroes?
So let us agree that traitors or heroes come from all walks of life and therefore Kakungulu was just a Kakungulu. Traitors can also be heroes depending on the circumstances. People who are so partisan and against good military deals or wars cannot even recognize a true hero in our midst. The Baganda and Kakungulu realised that there’s no point of fighting Mike Tyson in a ring when one was weighing just 50 kg. So they opted to work with Mike Tyson(British) to destroy their enemies at the time. This is the diplomacy Mr.Muwanga was talking about in his message.
Now that Uganda is trying to build a national and semi-professional army, we don’t need patriots in it. The military doesn’t need a Kakungulu or undiplomatic Kabalega. There isn’t a shortage of guys who want to be just professional soldiers.
As for Bunyoro brothers and sisters, they need to put their differences with Buganda aside and work together if they are to survive in the next 30 years.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UPC murders in 1980s should not just be forgotten
20 Mar 2010 1 Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, Buganda, history, kingdoms, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC
People,
We all feel bad about the people that died during and after the Luwero Triangle war. This war happened in Buganda and that means so many baganda died more than any other tribe. It is this very tribe that supported Museveni and hated Obote and UPC. This very tribe still hates Obote and UPC and it is starting to hate Museveni.The baganda killed in Luwero were not only UPC members. Both the guerrillas and the UNLA killed a lot of people in the Luwero triangle and outside this triangle. However, there are several Ugandans that lost their lives from the time UPC rigged the 1980 elections. Among them include the following:
- Joseph Nsubuga from Rubaga: was killed along with his father and brother in law and their house was destroyed by a dynamite
- Mr.Kinaalwa: He was chaorman East Mengo growers Coop union. He was killed with 14 others following a visit by paul muwanga and Hajji musa Sebirumbi.
- Alhajji Jabiiri: he was an elder from west nile.When he returned to Uganda, he was arrested by police and later killed
- Nelson Kirya Kalikwani: he was a veteran from Busoga who was picked up by security forces and taken to Luzira where he later died from.
- Hajji SSali from Kabalagala: One of the founders of UFM. His house was bombed and all his family wiped out on the planet earth.
- Katongole ne mukyala we: both shot dead by UNLA soldiers at road block at Kabalagala
- Anna Nantongo: she was a housewife but he was raped and strangled by UNLA soldiers
- Lt.J.J Odong : Killed on orders from the army branch in Mbarara
- Joseph Kyobe: he was an ex-magistrate of Lungujja.Both his sons were shot dead.Later the government apologised for this death with reasons of mistaken identity
- Capt Darlington Ssengendo from Lubaga: he was shot dead at Bakuli by UNLA soldiers
- Lt. Byarugaba: he was picked from officers mess in Moroto barracks and disapperared
- Lt.Georhe Kalenzi: he was killed by RSM Okello of Makindye barracks
- Lt.Kutawanyika Mugisha: UNLA bastards killed him near Kampala on a road block
- Captain Levi Mugarura: he was arrested at Nsambya Housing estate by Oyite-Ojok’s bodyguard and later killed in the nile mansions
- Prof Joseph Ruremenkuba Muhangi: he was gunned down by soldiers at a road block near kampala.Some body tramped up charges on him that he was gonna poison UPC’s paul Muwanga
- Cypriano Kalule Kawoya: This one was a lawyer. He was taken out of court in Kamapal by soldiers and his body was later found on the outskirts of the city.
- Moses Suubi Mugomba. He was based at soroti flying school and was killed by soldiers in Jinja
- Mrs Juliet Sebina: she was shot dead on her way to see the husband in prison soon after Vice president,Muwanga Paul, took over their petrol station on Entebbe road, near the clock tower
- Stephen Mulira: he was the managing director of Lint MARKETING Board .He was arrested at road block and taken to the nile mansions by the then army chief of staff, David Oyite Ojok.
- Sam Karuhanga Rutehenda: he and his brother were killed because they were suspected of helping out on Museveni’s guerrillas.
- This list is so long including my father and other relatives who were killed at that time. If any body wishes, they can add on it, because one day, some one has got to answer for these murders.
I ask Ugandans to start compiling the list of any body politically killed from 1986 up to now. We need to know the dead because they should not be forgotten just like that.One day all the information considered as classified under Museveni will become public. If I had time I would have put out the whole list of ‘UPC murders’ .
Nevertheless, I agree with the assertion that some people were illegally punished in Buganda after the fall of Obote 1. The cases I know- involved their houses being destroyed and that was it, but not murders. One of the victims was Mr. Busulwa in Nakatundu, Kangulumira(BUGERERE), whose house was put on fire but nobody was killed. Mr.Muwonge in kyabazala was also a victim. My grandfather was also a victim of these crimes and I’m still confused as to why he used to support Obote, but then again he is a Ugandan and he has got a right to associate with any party. One thing he has always told me though- is that Obote was the most intelligent president Uganda has ever had but he misused his intelligence and that’s why he landed in trouble, and I believe him. Why did he have to antagonise the baganda by attacking the Kabaka’s Lubili in Mengo? It was a very stupid decision and I pray that Museveni is not advised by anybody to do the same.Why couldn’t he control his hatred for Baganda?
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey
Is the UPDF really a professional army after what happened at Kasubi?
20 Mar 2010 5 Comments
Ugandans,
I was baffled by the comments written by Mr. Ruzindana Augustine in one of his articles in the Monitor Newspaper, where he agreed with General Aronda that the UPDF will remain neutral and support any winning candidate other than the incumbent in 2011 presidential elections. I have heard people say that President Museveni resigned from the UPDF but up to now, I don’t understand what duties he resigned from. He seems to be still the top man in the decision making department when it comes to UPDF. 
What happened at Kasubi on 17th March this year when three people lost their lives just because some youths (whom the media reported as Baganda youths), had tried to clock the presidential envoy from reaching the burned site, displayed the unprofessionalism in our armed forces. It just reinforced my fears that anybody can easily lose life while in Uganda. It seems Ugandans in the armed forces have stopped valuing human life at all as if there is a shop where you can go and buy it.
I was also very disappointed when I later heard that Mr. Felix Kulayigye, the army spokesperson, had come out and indirectly supported the negative actions of the man that committed murder at Kasubi tombs. These officers shot live bullets at a group of people that were not armed with anything life threatening, and this is pure murder by my book, which deserves punishment.
According to the current constitution, the president is the chief Executive officer and also the commander of the armed offices. He determines the operational use of the armed forces; appoints members and promotes officers to any office within the UPDF. Whoever is recruited in the army is supposed to be commissioned by him.
The Defence Council is the supreme governing body of the armed forces. It is still chaired by the president and it is the one that appoints the Chief of Defence staff, Army chief of staff and Chief of Air Staff. All these people must be approved by the chairman of the Defence Council who is the president of the country and as such continue to look at the president as their top boss. The president can sack them or influence their sacking any time he wishes.
The Defence Council also establishes the ‘Volunteer Force’ and ‘Voluntary Reserve’ in the army. All these ex-service men and women in the UPDF continue to look at the president as their boss and they are right.
The Defence Council consists of the president, minister of Defence, three senior Chiefs of Staff, army and Air force and any other person appointed by the president. When one looks at all the other people that form the Defence Council minus the president, they are all appointed by the president. The president can sack them or influence their sacking any time.
The Defence Council which the president chairs is also empowered to make regulations as may be necessary for securing the displine in the army. So in effect, the president’s hands are likely to be found in the General Court Martial or any other army displinary procedures in place.
The president also appoints one of the people that sit on the Chief of Staff Committee. This Committee deals with professional advice on strategy and military operations and on military defence police generally. 
Apart from the army, the police have also some times got a problem following the constitution. The Police force is not established to increase the powers of the Executive or the Chief Executive or to be used as a weapon to enforce the Executive’s arbitrary control over the population. It is so absurd that the police can hold suspects for longer than they are supposed to be held as was the case with the Mengo ministers, journalist Sserumaga Kalundi and Beti Namboze, and then the president comes out publicly to support them on that. Actually, the president was quoted by the media saying that he was not happy with the judge who ordered for the unconditional release of the Mengo ministers and Namboze.
So may be we need some one from the UPDF to come out and explain to us in details how president Museveni retired from the army and how far UPDF has been professionalised. We also need the UPDF to come out and clearly explain the army police on shooting non-armed civilians because this situation seems to be getting out of control since September 11th 2009 during the Buganda riots when about 40 people were killed like bats.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
The UK economy is scaring me right now
20 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
people,
I’m gonna be honest with you on this one. What is happening on the UK economy has really scared me a lot. The British economy is running down very fast. Yes, what is happening in the world economy right now has happened before but I don’t think I was even born by then. That is why I have to take the forecasting done today very seriously. I had some money saved and I was hoping to use it for something in Uganda in future but with the fall of the pound, I think I need to send it and save it from Uganda before the pound crashes to very low levels.
1. a).I would like to partly agree that spending is the answer to Britain’s current financial problems because there is no any other alternative for any politician at the moment. Gordon Brown explains this on his website or blog when it comes to people that criticise more spending by comparing it to ‘’a doctor not wanting to use the defibrillators on a patient whose heart has stopped for fear of future electricity bills’’. But I’m one of those who never trust politicians and whatever comes out of their mouths. I however trust Uganda’s Dr.Besigye a little bit because of what he has gone through but the role of a modern politician is to persuade people that everything will just go on getting better, without disruption to their lives and with no effort on their part. As a general rule politicians do not lie. They just say what the majority of the population want to hear. Iddil Amin(1979) and Saddam’s former information minister(2003) were prime examples of people who told people what they wanted to hear when it was clear that their governments had reached the expiry date during the wars.
PM,Gordon Brown
b) Do you honestly believe that the State should spend more than it taxes in order to stimulate investment and consumption because that is what is happening in Britain and USA at the moment to beat this recession? By spending more money, we are increasing the money supply and maintaining inflation. By maintaining inflation, Britain and USA will keep printing more money. USA already used this method (printing more money) in 2001 to stop recession when the dotcom bubble collapsed in 2000 and wiped off over $5 trillion from the value of technology companies. Printing more money and borrowing will keep diminishing the wealth of the UK economy and that is a real worry for us the ‘Nkuba Kyeyo’ or ‘ambassadors of Uganda’ residing in the UK who need to send money back home. Nevertheless, more spending or borrowing can be good for Gordon, politically, in the short run, because this means that Gordon Brown can transfer the current problems to whoever will take over after him. The problems aren’t gonna go away at all. The way that things are progressing at the moment the British Government will soon manage over 50% of the UK economy particularly as it now controls the banking sector.I guess USA will do the same and I somehow feel sorry for politicians because that is what they are supposed to do.
c) I have also heard on news that the UK government plans to lower the interest rates to encourage banks to lend money but this is all a gamble. Obviously they are doing this with the hope that the growth will miraculously restart. Even if this was to work then all that it would do is to keep an unsustainable situation running for a little longer.
Therefore, I don’t think spending or more borrowing is the ‘actual’ answer here in the long term. If UK is to survive this economic problems, it needs to cut down massively on state expenditure, as a percentage of GDP . All budgets in areas of the Health Service, the Civil Service, Social Services, education, the military and all branches of government would have to be cut back drastically. However, I don’t think any politician would be bold enough to do this because whoever does it will cost them politically. I don’t think Gordon or even Cameron when he comes to power will have the courage to do it.
2.a) I think Obama has inherited more trouble than most people know and he is likely to go down because of the dirt George Bush left behind. I will go into this another time because it is a big topic on its own but I wanna talk about the inflation and employment .
b) The inflation that Britain and other countries are experiencing was partly exported to us Americans. They printed more dollars and then sent it to different countries in form of aid and other means as a way of sucking it out of your system. When every one saw US printing off more money, they did the same. If I were President Museveni, I would start refusing the USA aid right now because this is all inflation being exported to us from their countries. This sort of inflation leads to the rise in the cost of things people want to buy. Actually, every country should strive to stand on its own economic legs without borrowing or Aid. Then there is monetary inflation (by Gordon Brown) that is a voluntary act on the part of government to allow the existing amount of money in circulation to increase. The British Government is borrowing so much money now that it has no option but to inflate at an enormous rate. So inflation is already a problem.
3. a)All politicians consider full employment to be vital in a modern economy. That is why they keep giving us false figures of unemployment whenever they are asked. They move those that have been unemployed for more than a few months out of the unemployment figures. They are still unemployed and consuming resources but they are dropped out of the important unemployment statistics. For instance, the total number of unemployed people in the UK now exceeds 6 million, instead of the official figure of 2 million according to independent sources. Like I said above, never trust the official figures of the politicians anywhere in the world. I’m now just waiting for the day the Uganda government will send us the real composition of the UPDF army since they wrote that it represents all kind of tribes and it is not dominated by Ugandan westerners.
b) UK and USA have more inflation than they did before as a result of the Government trying to achieve full employment because they have been spending more than they tax. We have also got a problem of higher wages in this country. High wages cause stagnation accompanied by unemployment and inflation. High wages mean that workers price themselves out of a job. With higher wages it means some jobs cannot be done effectively. When labour realised this problem, they opted to allow a lot of foreigners like us to come and work or study from the UK to do jobs that could be filled by British people who are paid by the State not to work.
Therefore, any one who tells you that inflation will only become a problem in 2-3 years, there are playing politics and not telling the truth. It is already a problem and this is evidenced by a lot of things happening in the country right now. For example, the less skilled workers are often better rewarded than the skilled workers. There is a stream of people to undertake useless jobs as they are not particularly demanding. Many of the jobs created by the British Government in the last few years would fall into this category.The polish and Bulgarians are doing anything they put their hands very cheaply. Unions do not help matters as they suppress competition between one worker and another by equalising wages. They prevent better workers from working better than others and restrain the amount of work done. They often frighten off more vigorous workers. They also prevent the introduction of new more efficient working practices. In the long term they cause stagnation and finally unemployment. The decline and the collapse of the traditional motor industry in the UK was a classic example of trade unions destroying an industry. The collapse of the docks and the coal mines are two more good examples. Even during this recession the unions are, and will, make restructuring businesses more difficult than it needs to be.
Sorry I have written so much.
Abbey
Luwero war was justified despite whatever Museveni has become today
20 Mar 2010 15 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, 2010-2011 elections, FDC, history, Legal issues, luwero war after 1980 'theft'
Dear people,
Whatever has become of president Museveni today, I still believe the Luwero Triangle war was justified and I support the initiative taken by Museveni and others to fight the Obote’s government. To broaden this discussion a bit, I’m gonna mention the main principles of the justice of war which are: having just cause, being declared by a proper authority, possessing right intention, having a reasonable chance of success, and the end being proportional to the means used. Museveni and Group had a just cause: getting rid of a dictatorial government which had stolen the 1980 elections. The authority that declared war was a mixture of UPM and other registered parties in Uganda (forming something called NRM/NRA) and their intentions were good at the time and most Ugandans supported them particularly the Baganda. NRA/NRM fought a guerrilla war for only 5 years and that justifies the envisaged success. They knew that the population was behind them and that’s why they chose the Buganda spot where Obote was openly hated.
Child soldier
What exactly happened during the course of fighting in Luwero like killing innocent civilians; using child soldiers; and so on, cannot make a war unjustifiable and we have got international bodies that deal with people who break rules of war fare. For instance international agreements such as the Geneva and Hague conventions are historical rules aimed at limiting certain kinds of warfare. The real Luwero war was justified and there is no question about this. If any crimes were commited by the Museveni soldiers while in Luwero, then some body should investigate this and hand it to over to the international bodies but it does not make a war unjustifiable.
Mr.Otunnu, the UPC president is already asking for investigations in the Luwero war and it was very wrong for General Tinyenfunza to threaten him in response. By the way, these NRM guys don’t make threats as Mr.Otunnu may think. Let him ask Besigye who has since been subjected to anything you can think of, to the extent that he had to shift the remainder of his close family abroad. He has to make tours to USA every now and then to see his wife and son. Ambassador Otuunu should be ready for the fire in the kitchen because it’s gonna be very hot.
However, I must warn Ugandans that there are legal arguments in this area of what is considered moral and immoral when fighting a war. It is not an easy case of pointing fingers as some people are doing now. For example, to defeat Germany in World War II, it was deemed necessary to bomb civilian centres, or in the US Civil War, for General Sherman to burn Atlanta. Secondly, how do you morally justify the discovery and use of nuclear weapons in a war and end up killing more people than those that were killed in Luwero Triangle and bushes? The Soviets acquired nuclear and thermonuclear weapons in 1948 and 1953 respectively but an attack in 1948 was not seriously considered. An attack on the Soviet Union was quickly rejected by Eisenhower in 1953—although the main obstacle seems to have been the feasibility of removingpermanently the threat in one attack. Similarly, would you consider the Israeli destruction in 1981 by F-15’s and F-16’s of a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor in Iraq a just war or not—although the U.S. and U.N. at the time formally condemned the attack and the Israeli policy? There are several examples including the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
The problem with some UPC supporters is that they just take things at face value without critically analyzing issues. Now let us analyse the internal dynamics of the war before they start comparing the Joseph Kony war and the NRA war (1980-86) .First of all, there is a difference between the conventional war and an irregular war (guerrilla war). Conventional wars have clear front lines in which attacks take place mostly from barricades and stable positions. Violence against civilians and combatants takes place in clearly distinguished spaces. Civilians are generally isolated from the battlefield: while some may live close to the frontlines, or even go there to visit combatants, their life is somewhat independent from the events taking place in it. The American Civil war (1861-1865) was a typical example of a conventional civil war. We have not had that kind of war in Uganda history since independence.
In Guerrilla wars (like Luwero Triangle), such a clear spatial distinction between battlefield and non-battlefield areas is lacking, as the war takes place unevenly all over the territory. In consequence, there is a greater mingling of civilians and combatants. So despite the fact that it is called the Luwero Triangle war, civilians were killed in other parts of the country as well. The battle lines were not limited in Luwero.
Civilians are killed in a guerrilla war when, for example, civilians hide potential victims, they help them to flee to other places; they give false indications to the groups, remain silent, or even engage in violent confrontation with the group. Going by this explanation, it’s so likely that the Obote men or UNLA would be the one to exert violence on the civilian population during the Luwero Triangle war. Several people were killed between 1980 and 1985 because they were thought to be ‘Bayekela’ (rebels) or helping the ‘bayekela’. Obote had no support from Buganda where most of the killing took place. He had ‘lost’ an election in 1980 but he decided to impose himself on the people of Uganda. So the aggrieved party here was the people of Uganda.
In Kony’s case, civilians in the north were most likely killed by the rebels because of non-cooperation with an enemy or occupier (NRMO government), civilian disobedience, and ideological opposition- “civilian defence”. Actually, the war in northern Uganda was one of the trickiest civil wars in the world because It’s very difficult to know who was doing the more killing between LRA and UPDF.
The difference between the Joseph Kony war or LRA war and Luwero Triangle war was that Joseph Kony failed to mobilize majority of the population in the north to support his cause unlike museveni who convinced majority of the population in the south of Uganda to support his cause to get rid of Obote dictatorship. Where there is a high level of mobilization of the population, armed groups are prone to target civilians in order to sweep the rears of potentially challenging enemies.
Well the point am trying to make here is that wars are justifiable depending on what I have mentioned above. However, what happens during the war does not make a war unjustifiable. Therefore, Museveni’s war against Obote’s forces was justifiable and if he had not done it, probably some body else would have done it.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Some of the Names of the people killed in Uganda between 1980 and 1984
22 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC
Documents at the Moshi Conference before Amin’s downfall
22 Mar 2010 2 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, history, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Moshi conference 1979, Obote and UPC
2.
Lance Corporal (Rtd) Patrick Otto
UAH forumist
EC Chairman 1980, MSM Kikira Was UPC, as Badru Kiggundu(2002-2010) is NRM
22 Mar 2010 1 Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, 2010-2011 elections, history, IPC, Lule and Uganda politics, Moshi conference 1979, Obote and UPC
Documents Submitted by Lance Corporal (Rtd) Patrick Otto(UAH forumist)
The Current chairman of Uganda’s Electoral Commission,Dr.Badru Kiggundu is also a NRM card holder as reported by the Independent newspaper.He has been the Chairman of the Electoral Commission since November 18, 2002. He is in charge of the Northern Region districts. According to Conservative Party (CP) leader and former Rubaga South MP John Ken Lukyamuzi, Kiggundu contested for Member of Parliament for Rubaga South in 1996 on an NRM ticket and lost. According to other reports, Kiggundu was also an LC official while he was Dean Faculty of Technology at Makerere University.
http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/cover-story/cover-story/82-cover-story/2579-are-electoral-commissioners-cadres-of-the-nrm-party
So where does that leave the 2011 elections under the current Electoral Commission? Do we ever learn from history?
Abbey.K.S
Majority of Ugandans generally hated UPC’s Obote
25 Mar 2010 81 Comments
in 1980 Uganda elections, 2010-2011 elections, Bahima and Banyarwanda, Buganda, kingdoms, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC, Politics, Tribalism
Obote and Sir Edward Mutesa before kingdoms were abolished
Dear friends,
I have always found articles in the media written by Mengo officials, such as Buganda’s Attorney General, Appolo Makubuya, about the relationship between Obote and Mutesa11, very interesting. And i think It is very wrong for some people to argue that Baganda generally hate Acholis or northerners in general. Baganda are very welcoming people and they have welcomed everybody starting with every name in the alphabets from A- Z including the Acholis. The person to blame for attempting to create divisions between the Baganda and the northerners was late Obote, but good enough he is dead and ,therefore, we can afford to move on or repair the damage he left behind if Museveni also goes sooner.
The truth is that Obote seemed to have had some banter to settle with Baganda. For instance, In a speech broadcast on radio Uganda, obote told a rally held in soroti in 1981 that if the baganda did not behave themselves, they (the Acholi-Langi alliance) would do to them what they did to the west Nilers in 1980. Secondly,Phares Mutibwa in his book ‘Uganda since independence’ also wrote that at Kololo(outskirts of Kampala city) , one Acholi soldier wrote on the wall:’killing a muganda or a munyankole is as easy as riding a bicycle’.
Nevertheless, the Acholis have never forgiven Obote for dividing the Acholi district into Simba and Moto Moto factions because he wanted to prolong his stay in power. Obote wanted to keep them fighting each other since a unified Acholi would worry his leadership and he was right when one looks at what happened at the later stages of his leadership. Obote depended on rival factions within the party to lead UPC for a long time. In Toro, he clandestinely supported a rival UPC group called ‘KAGOROGORO’ under Rwambarali against another one under Samson Rusoke. That is how he run his shows in UPC for a long time till the day called ”Mulindwa” happened in 1985.So why should Baganda continue to hate the Acholis who also later realised that they were just being used by Obote?
It is very unfair on the rest of Ugandans who hate Obote and UPC when someone just picks only on Baganda. Obote’s injustices did not limit themselves to Buganda borders alone such that when Dr.Otuunu or any other UPC leader is apologising, s/he may find himself doing it to the whole country apart from Lango. Obote was not only hated in Buganda but the rest of Uganda and the following may explain why:
Sedition charges started with Obote and Museveni just polished it. Sedition charges did not start with president museveni as he learnt that from one of his predecessors, Dr. Milton Obote. Journalists and the media were some of the biggest casualties of the government’s sensitivity to criticism during Obote and now Museveni.
Black Mambas started with Obote not Museveni. When president Museveni sent the ‘black mambas’ in the case of Dr.Kiiza Besigye and other PRA suspects Vs the state of Uganda, and black mambas surrounded the court, he was just polishing what he had been taught by his political master, Milton Obote. When Obote stole the 1980 elections just like most political thieves, he started manipulating the judiciary as a way of keeping himself in power. Lawyers who tried to represent people in courts were intimidated, detained or killed. For example, Cprian Kawoya was abducted from the high court while the court was in session and later murdered by Obote’s ‘black mambas’. Other lawyers killed or tortured under similar circumstances include: Hon. George Bamuturaki, Gideon Mutanga, Sewava Sempala,e.t.c.
UPC was the first party to ban political parties in Uganda under Obote 1 in 1968 under the famous Lugogo ceremony.So, when Museveni came into power in 1986, he did the same thing till 2004 when multi partysm got a breather after donor pressure and court cases fronted by DP and UPC.
Makerere students generally hated Obote because he used the campus to spy on students, intimidate and kill students. The Obote army intimidated and killed a lot of students at Makerere university in the 1980s purely because they wanted to devise ways of either UPC dominating the Guild or closing it altogether if UPC couldn’t have it. At one time, one George Bwanika was shot and damped in Namanve forests. UPC used the offices of the then Dean of students, George Kihuguru and the Deputy Vice chancellor, Gingera-Pinycwa, to plung the whole university into chaos with the help of obviously the army.
However much I admire the political acumen of Dr.Milton Obote, he made the gravest mistake of attempting to weaken Buganda by attacking the Lubili in Mengo in 1966.Obote himself is on record saying that was his lowest point in leadership.
A lot of Ugandans were killed under his watch between 1980 and 1984. For example, Hajji Abbasi Kibazo: Chairman Uganda Taxi OPERATORS Cooperative Union. He was arrested from his office in Kampala and taken to Makindye Barracks where they did what Kampalans call ‘OKUMUMIZA OMUSSU’ (murdered). Actually, he failed to protect the Ugandan population in Luwero when he was ‘legally’ made a president by a UPC chaired Electoral Commission after the 1980 elections. So many Ugandans lost their lives in Luwero and elsewhere because of the NRA rebels that cropped up after these elections
Obote was the man who started coups in Uganda by illegally ousting President Sir Edward Mutesa in 1966. This same year he illegally abolished kingdoms and is partly responsible for the death of Ugandans in the Lubili attack of 1966.
He is responsible for militarisation of politics in Uganda and this is exemplified by so many examples in his government (Obote 1 and 2). He also started the tribalisation of the army in Uganda when he recruited a lot of his tribes mate in the Uganda Army after taking over from DP’s Ben Kiwanuka.
He is responsible for producing a 1967 constitution that makes the offices of the Vice president and prime minister not independent of the presidency. The president can fire the VP and prime minister any time and this was started by the changes brought about in the 1967 constitution. The 1962 consitiution had separated the powers of the president, vice president and Prime minister but Obote changed that, and no president has rectified this up today.
It is also believed that president Obote did not want the Islamic University in Mbale to be built while he was in power. These allegations were made by president Museveni at one of the Mbale University’s graduation ceremony. Museveni also reportedly said that Obote did not want Uganda to be a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). Obote’s reason, according to Museveni, being that the two were linked to Idi Amin.
Obote was the politician who started the ‘TEMANGALO’(Corruption) environment in Uganda though it is arguably believed that NRM has been worse in this department. For instance, the GOLD ALLEGATION scandal of 1960s was the start of pure state corruption in Uganda and if it had been punished properly, probably it would have set a good precedent in Uganda politics. Another example is when Prime Minister Kintu Musoke attacked Obote for having bought a government house on Prince Charles Drive in Kololo at a giveaway price. The prime minister wanted to prove that Obote was the first politician to purchase a government house and to convince the public that it was therefore in order for President Museveni or his brother Maj. Gen. Salim Saleh to purchase the same house. Let us also remember that Uganda House was built using tax payers money though this could not be proved properly in the courts of law.
Apollo Milton Obote is the only party leader the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) had before he died. Remember UPC was established before even Uganda got independence. But you going to find a lot of UPC supporters asking a man who has been a leader of FDC party since 2005 to step aside because he has served one term.
Obote used men like Rwakasisi to terrorise Banyarwanda in the 1980S. Actually, some registration schemes were started in towns like Masaka headed by some guy I have forgotten. Surprisingly, Rwakasisis is now ‘reformed’ and a state buddy of president Museveni. He is one of the presidential advisors on security.
It’s an open secret that UPC under Obote rigged the 1980 elections and that marked the beginning of rigging in Uganda politics. It had never happened before. That’s why we are not surprised that even when Dr.Otuunu won the UPC presidency and beat his opponents fairly, some UPC still stuck with the 1980 mindset are telling people that he rigged.
As for why most Ugandans hate UPC more than the British, it is because these were colonialists who came in Uganda, did whatever they had to do and later packed their bags at the end of colonialism. They left a very good development program in 1960s (that included among many things the building of hospitals, for Obote 1 which he partly implemented. Uganda is now an independent country though we have failed to be economically independent. Donors are still pulling the strings as we have all seen with threats of cutting aid if Africa does not embrace homosexuality. Africa has got a lot of natural resources and it should be in a good shape now economically but our post independence leaders let us down.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
A clear transcript of the letter with AM Obote’s proposals for rigging the 1980 elections
29 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Obote and UPC, Tribalism
Submitted by Lance Corporal (Rtd) Patrick Otto(UAH forumist)
Submitted by Lance Corporal (Rtd) Patrick Otto (UAH forumist)
Museveni is a Student of Obote
01 Apr 2010 47 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, history, Obote and UPC, Politics
Dear people,
While i appreciate Andrew Mwenda’s observations about Buganda, Obote and president Museveni in one of his articles in the independent newspaper, i would like to inform Ugandans that Museveni is a proper student of Obote. It’s just that the student has proved to be a wiser and formidable opponent to Buganda/Uganda than Obote such that it will take a proper political tactical genious for Buganda to win this battle. If Buganda was a football club, i would recommend the current Intermilan Coach, Jose Mourinho, to take over as the Katikiiro, because he is a tactical genius.
ARMY,BUGANDA AND POLITICS
The tactics both the Museveni and late Obote sometimes used differ but the end product is always the same.It’s more like selling toothpaste by calling different names when the ingredients are similar. At the moment, Museveni has kept good tabs on the army but nobody should deceive you that the army and other security agents are not directly involved in politics, as was the case during Obote. Actually, Honourable Erias Lukwago constitutional proposal this year to get rid of army MPs was intended to pull a plug on this before it was deafeated in parliament.
Similarly, when eventually the Kabaka’s Palace, the Lubiri, was attacked at 5.30 am on 24 May 1966, the Obote army had established itself in an indispensable position in the politics of Obote’s UPC government in Uganda. Many university students and their families suffered, if not loss of life, certainly extreme humiliation by having their faces trodden on and their wallets stolen by the often-times drunken soldiery. From May 1966 until the end of Obote’s Presidential rule on 25 January 1971, Buganda was judged to be in ‘a state of emergency’ and was held so by none other than the Ugandan army and the police.
MEDIA FREEDOM
Sedition charges did not start with president museveni as he learnt that from one of his predecessors, Dr. Milton Obote. Pro-baganda newspapers like the Economy had a breather after the fall of Amin but things started getting tougher afterwards. Obote 2 also got tougher on foreign journalists who had had freedom under Lule and Binaisa. Many newspapers like the weekly topic were closed down by government officials under obote 2. Anthony Sekweyama, the editor of the main Luganda newspaper then, Munansi, and two other employees of the paper were arrested in March 1980s and held for three weeks on sedition charges. I think the new internet Los Angels radio ,Radio Munansi, has picked this name in rememberance of Sekweyam’s Munansi.
Under Museveni, journalists such as Andrew Mwenda ,Kalundi Serumaga and currently Timothy Kalyegira and others have got sedition charges still hanging over their heads. We don’t know how far the government is willing to extend their arm on sedition since they have even started picking on internet guys.
Museveni’s idea of the media centre headed by Robert Kabushenga did not come from the moon. Obote was the man who first introduced Newspaper and Publications Act to lay down conditions for the starting of a newspaper or magazine in Uganda. Museveni’s media centre is an equivalent of Obote’s Press Accreditation Committee (PAC) which had representatives from the Ministries of Information, Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs. Ugandan journalists wishing to send material to foreign sources had to be approved by the same body. Under Museveni, there is already a bill that has been tabled and has raised a lot of eyebrows internationally and nationally because it intends to take away media freedom from Uganda completely. The Swedish were the first to openly oppose it though we don’t expect the Americans to oppose it now that Carson has rubberstamped Museveni’s leadership. But Let’s hope that others will follow.
BLACK MAMBAS AND THE JUDICIARY
‘Black mambas’ were in existence during Obote 2 and now under Museveni’s government. Whatever Obote did during his reign, Museveni can do better. An example is when Barak Kirya was acquitted of treason charges in Dec 1984; he was rearrested in the same way FDC’s Besigye was rearrested under Museveni and taken back to Luzira Prison. Kirya just like Besigye was co-accused with others on treason charges( who included captain Mark Kodili, major Hussain Ada, Captain Sajjad Soori, Frank Kivumbi and James Balamu), who were also acquitted by the judge but the Obote’s ‘black mambas’ surrounded the court but the Kiryas could not leave the court room. They were eventually forced out and taken back to Luzira using the same tactics, and same force, but with different actors involved, more like watching the same movie with different actors.
RIGGING ELECTIONS
UPC is a party that started rigging elections in Uganda. They rigged the 1980 elections because they wanted Obote to become the president of Uganda by all means. For instance, Museveni who was in Uganda People’s Movement (UPM) in 1980, is quoted to have said that “Kategaya was a very bad UPC. He even stole our votes. He stole eight. He told us. He voted eight times”. Probably Museveni learned all the tactics of rigging elections while still a member of UPC because he has also been taken to court for the same problems after the 2001 and 2006 elections. Like they say: ‘an apple does not fall far from the tree”.
Let’s also remember that there was a chance to hold General elections in 1967 before Obote introduced mafia legislations that pushed the whole idea of elections aside because he knew he could lose.
RDCs UNDER MUSEVENI
After 1967, Obote increased his power tremendously. The 1967 Constitution was designed to get rid of feudal rule at the sub-national levels of government by increasing the powers of the District Commissioner, who now became the effective instrument of the central government policies in the district, and the removal of outmoded offices at the local level. Chiefs and ministerial figureheads at the district headquarters were removed. Obote also increased his powers so much as a president under the 1967 consitution.
Under Museveni, we have got people like RDCs who yield more power than even the elected officials at the districts. They always interfere with the worlk of district officials in the name of protecting presidential interests. For instance, a RDC can stop a radio station from hosting a president of the national party like FDC or UPC just to please the president. A RDC can fire a LCV chairman as was temporarily the case in Kayunga with Mr. Besweli Mulondo. The powers of the Buganda sub chiefs are almost nill.
ARMY APPOINTMENTS,SECTARIANISM AND TRIBALISM
In his book African Upheavals since Independence (Westview, 1980), Grace Ibingira, ex-Minister of Justice, recalls a conversation he had with Obote at the Governor General’s Garden Party on the 12th of October: ‘as I accompanied Obote through state guests’, he writes, ‘he pointed out Karugaba to me at a distance and inquired whether I knew him. I replied I did not. He then confided that the senior British Officers were recommending him to command the Army and to retire Opolot and Amin, who had reached the highest ranks they could reasonably attain. Obote then told me Karugaba was a Roman Catholic and as such could not be trusted and he would not accept him to head the Army’ (p. 92).
Ibingira goes on to claim that the chief reason for Obote’s dismissal of Major Karugaba,which he proceeded to have carried out, was not primarily one of religion but of ethnicity, since he was a southerner and stood in the way of Amin whom Obote had chosen in his mind to be his hatchet man. This was in the face of strong advice to the contrary from the Governor General, Sir Walter Coutts, and the British Officers, Colonels Cheyne and Tillett, following charges brought against Amin of using great brutality against the Turkana tribe in the Kenya border area late in 1961.
At Independence the Uganda Rifles consisted of one battalion and though it was very largely composed of northerners from the Acholi, Iteso, Lugbara, Kakwa tribes and other West Nile groups, it did not have within it many men from Lango in the north, Obote’s home area.However, Obote portrayed tribalism of the highest degree with the introduction of the para-military wing of the General Service Unit, almost wholly recruited from Lango.
Similalry, Under Museveni, a man can shoot you in broad day light just because you have refused to give way for the president who wants to pay his respects at Kasubi tombs. Under Museveni, you demonstrate or stage a riot at your own peril because a soldier can easily shoot you between the eyes and go away with it, as was the case with the Buganda riots last year. Under Museveni, majority of the Generals come from western Ugandan, the president place of birth, as pointed out by the Observer’s Ibrahimu Ssemujju Nganda( now the IPC spokesperson).
BANNING PARTIES
UPC was the first party to ban political parties in Uganda under Obote 1 in 1968 under the famous Lugogo ceremony. Similary when YKM came to power in 1986, he did the same thing as a way of weakening the notorious UPC.
INTERFERING IN MUK POLITICS
Makerere students and most Ugandans generally hated Obote because he used the campus to spy on students, intimidate and kill students . The Obote army intimidated and killed a lot of students at Makerere university in the 1980s purely because they wanted to devise ways of either UPC dominating the Guild or closing it altogether if UPC couldn’t have it. At one time, one George Bwanika was shot and damped in Namanve forests. UPC used the offices of the then Dean of students, George Kihuguru and the Deputy Vice chancellor,Gingera-Pinycwa, to plung the whole university into chaos with the help of obviously the army.
Trust me when I say that NRM is also investing a lot of time in MUK politics. They want their own people to run things there other than anybody else.
There are several aspects where these two guys are similar but I just thought I could point out a few of them. Nevertheless, the Luwero war was justified without any doubt in my mind. If all the above is just ‘anterograde amnesia’ to some people then I have got nothing else to say. Obote needed to go by all means. If Museveni had not spearheaded the Luwero Bush war, somebody else would have done so.I have no doubt about that.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey.K.S
WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE MENGO ADMINISTRATION?
05 Apr 2010 18 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, Economics, federalism in Uganda, kingdoms
Oh Ugandans,
It’s a pity that Buganda’s ‘EDDOBOOZI‘ newspaper is only written in Luganda because the paper writes extremely good stuff which deserves the attention of all Ugandans, not only Baganda. The story about MTN and Kabaka exposes the fear in the central government that an economically viable Buganda kingdom is not an option for those in the state house. Can you imagine how far Mengo would be now if it had been allowed to have shares in such a big company like the MTN, hadn’t been the interference of some people in the central government!
There was also a similar story in the Observer on 24th February this year that the ‘Museveni, Kabaka fell out over NSSF’ .Both deals expose one thing- that the central government does not want Mengo to be financially independent. It wants Mengo to look like a useless administration that cannot add any value to the pockets of an ordinary Buganda because of the limited material benefits it provides to them. The observer explicitly reported:‘President Museveni’s fear of a financially powerful Buganda monarch was responsible for the failed bid by a company in which Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II has interest to build 1,000 housing units near Kampala”.
This leads me to a debate I had with some Ugandans yesterday over a birthday party of one of our friend’s kid. Some Ugandans (Baganda) were saying that Mengo has become useless since it cannot even turn the Lubiri into something worth to look at. They were arguing that ever since the kingdom was restored, the Mengo administration has been farming Matooke in the Lubiri instead of calling on investors to develop it. As a response, I argued that that Mengo has got those plans on a paper as already published widely in the newspapers a couple of years ago but the problem is that the central government always want to have control of what is going on at Mengo. They will never allow a big investor to put money in Lubiri or Bulange unless they have got some sort of control over that investor. And i think i have been exonerated by the two stories in the Eddoboozi and Observer newspapers.
Another gentleman at the birthday party, who happened to come from the same place in Kampala as myself, also mentioned something interesting regarding the Kasubi tombs. He said that Mengo was to blame partly for what happened at Kasubi because some people at Mengo have failed to reason like modernists. He said that when he was still working as a doctor in Uganda, he asked for permission to build rental apartments around the Kasubi tombs which would have helped to build a high security fence around the tombs. The administration was to share the profit margins with him but some guys at Mengo made the whole thing impossible and he had to give up.
I did not respond to this because I did not know what to say, which brings me to another point I want to make. If Mengo has failed to secure international investors (partly due to interference from the central government), to develop some of the land owned by the kingdom, they should not fear the local investors. Some of these people have got Buganda at heart and it pains them to see that their kingdom is mainly surviving on donations and certificates.
It should also be mentioned that the torching of Kasubi tombs has produced a lot of positive things which have left anybody who hates Buganda amazed. It has brought more Baganda together than before when one analyses the masses that flocked Kasubi for prayers last month. It has given religious leaders stamina to interfere in the tension between the central government and Buganda government because they have reaslied that this is nolonger an issue for the two alone. It has energised the opposition in Uganda such that if there was a free and fair election today in Uganda, President Museveni would be history. Most importantly, it has removed the fear among the Baganda Rich businessmen who had earlier on feared being seen publicly donating large amounts of money to the Buganda kingdom. This fear started with the closure of Greenland Bank, whose main shareholder used to be both a personal friend of the Kabaka and one of the biggest contributors to Mengo. The fear was reinforced with the closure of CBS last year such that we all thought that it will take a bull’s eye to see anybody associating themselves with mengo again in public.
Buganda royalists are well aware that a state does not exist which cannot provide for itself by extracting income from the territory and populations it wishes to control. The 1995 constitution prohibits traditional chiefs from taxing or otherwise forcing contributions from their subjects. That is why Mengo has asked for rental arrears from the central government instead of donations to the reconstruction of the Kasubi tombs. Mengo realises that they need to come up with some other viable alternatives to beat the central government in this game.
The closure of CBS fm has put the kingdom two steps back due to the shortage of funds to do anything. The central government knew that Mengo will feel the radio closure and I’m sure they are still surprised that Mengo has not gone down on its knees to apologise- to allow the radio to be reopened. They have tested them by sending guys like Tamare Mirundi to demand for an unconditional apology before the CBS is opened but the response remains the same.
Therefore,If I was president of Uganda, which I’m not, then I should be worried, because it means Mengo have got something up their sleeves which the president does not know about, such that they have come to accept CBS as yesterday’s business and ready to move on. The problem is that nobody in the central government knows how Mengo plans to move on. Mengo has decided to keep the government guessing and that is very dangerous.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United kingdom
Will Bukenya’s political career end with PAC or not?
11 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, Corruption, parliament
Dear readers,
Dr.Bukenya or Mahogany as he is normally called by some people is a political strategist like Museveni. He knows when to knock an egg shell to prepare himself an omelette. He has survived several political traps and he is likely to survive this one of PAC too.
Bukenya’s allies in NRM
By going to PAC and say that he will tell them that it was the president himself who authorised the doggy cars, he was basically trying to shake up the strongest ally(President Museveni) of his political opponent,Mbabazi. He was also basically telling Ugandans that no doggy deals go through in the cabinet without prior knowledge of the president. The president can therefore choose to use his faithful contacts within NRM such that PAC backs off from him or he does some political damage to the president.
In response, President Museveni sent his errand boy,Tamare Mirundi, to serve Dr.Bukenya some dishes of chilli and ”kantunkuma” at the same time. That was the time Mr.Tamare used to give press conferences that were meant to belittle Dr.Bukenya in public without anything of a substance. I think this war between them is still going on as we recently saw Tamare’s press conference where he said that something like -some cabinet members donate money to Mengo to make themselves look good instead of standing collectively with the cabinet position on CBSfm closure and Mengo. Obviously, he was referring to Bukenya’s shs.20 m donation to Mengo as his personal contribution to the restoration of the Kasubi tombs. What Mirundi did not know at the time was that even Professor Nsimbambi(PM) was also planning to donate some money(shs.10m) to Mengo after Dr.Bukenya.
Antorney General and Bukenya
Asking the AG’s opinion on the issue was meant to show Mbabazi that he is not the only one with allies within the government and NRM. It is now very clear that Attorney General (AG) and the speaker of parliament are some of the allies Dr.Bukenya has got in the government. The question is: are both worth as allies compared to Mbabazi’s ally- who is the president of Uganda and Chairman of NRM.
Playing a waiting game with PAC and telling them to contact his office was meant to show them that he is the vice president of Uganda and therefore he has got some powers. It was more of a show off than anything else and he later realised that it was a mistake. He later realised that parliament is the strongest legislator in the country and can therefore be used by his enemies to impeach or defame him. That’s why he has sought audience with PAC again to put the record straight on things.
Bukenya and Mengo
Bukenya’s tactical game is not yet finished. He has realised that he was sincerely used to attack Mengo after the closure of CBSfm in the name of the so called cabinet position, because he(Bukenya) lost some popularity in Buganda after that. He should never have opened up his mouth against CBSfm whether they was an agreed cabinet position or not. I think he opened his mouth out of panic or something. Now, he is trying to regain his lost political ground in Buganda and among the catholics by making some amends with Buganda in time of need. For instance, like ive already mentioned above,he has donated shs.20m towards the reconstruction of Kasubi tombs. He also gave a different cautious message during his Easter speech after Bishop Lwanga asked the government to give Buganda federo. His position was also not as rhetoric as that of Museveni . Museveni has already reiterated his earlier position that Buganda should accept regional tier, not anything else.
I don’t think that Bukenya can win his battles against president Museveni but he is capable of leaving a permanent damage on NRM if he is not handled carefully because he has clearly got supporters within NRM that believe in him , including our own Ahmed Katerega Mussazi. So i predict that he will become the NRM’s next secretary General if his enemies don’t succeed in defaming or weakening him politically using PAC or something else before these elections. Mbabazi has clearly lost popularity in NRM and he looks to have a lot of enemies within.He will be gone by now hadnt been the fact that president Museveni wants him to stay.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey.K.S
Leaders are capable of confusing people.Ask Mr.James Akena and Group
13 Apr 2010 19 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, IPC, Obote and UPC, Politics
James Akena is the son of former uganda president,Milton Obote.
Dear readers,
Leaders are capable of confusing people if, like it is believed, most people don’t have independent minds. When a group of Honourable Akena James’s supporters go to Lango and tell people that the current UPC president,Dr.Olara Otuunu, is so bad to the extent that he participated in the 1985 coup that took the Langis out of power, it is a big statement that gets registered on people’s minds forever. Obote may be dead but his name is still abig influence in the Lango region because this is where he started his politics before he eventually became the president of Uganda.So any word uttered by his son is taken at heart by the Langi.
Some people have said that the Langis have been confused since the death of Obote but i dont think this is true. The Langi are not confused but It’s the leaders they believe in now that have confused them so much. Mr.Akena and some anti-Otunnu MPs were in the area prior to the UPC delagates conference telling people all sorts of lies against Otunu. Now that Otunu is the UPC president, the population in the north does not know whether to accept him or not. This makes Lango and almost the entire northern Uganda very vulnerable in the upcoming 2011 elections. Anybody can take it at this moment in time.So i call upon Otunu,Besigye, and Mao to pay these guys a visit or send some opposition cadres in the region to undo the damage that was done by supporters of Obote’s son.If they dont go there soon and wait till next year, it may be too late.
Akena while launching his UPC presidential bid in Lira
President Museveni has also recently been in the area and received a lukewarm reception from the wananchi but he did some damage too. The speech by Honourable Akena while the president was in Lira is also not good news for Otunnu and the rest of the opposition. Akena’s speech was not different from a beggar stationed at the entrance of the new taxi park in Kampala city -asking for shs.1000. He asked for the benefits given to the families of former presidents and his body language was like that of a man ready to be welcomed to serve in the Museveni government any time. Otunnu should watch Obote’s son like a hawk because he(Akena) is ready to bring him down using all tricks in the book. Mr.Joseph Ochieno has been quite since the end of the delegates conference by watching things from the sidelines but he is a well known supporter of James Akena . Dr.Otunnu needs to keep an eye on both Akena and Joseph Ochieno because i don’t think they are ready to accept him as their boss. Ochieno was also against UPC joining the Inter Party Cooperation(IPC) way before he stood for UPC presidential candidacy.
If Honourable Akena wants to distance himself from the people linking Dr.Otunnu to the 1985 coup allegations, we request him to publicy come out and tell Ugandans that:
- he does not believe that Otunnu was part of the engineers of the 1985 coup that led to the final straw of his father’s leadership;
- he wishes Otunnu success despite turning down a position to serve under him, and that he will help UPC progress behind the backdoors;
- He will never serve as ‘anything’ in any government led by president Museveni unless if there is a coalition government agreed after a disputed election.
If Mr.Akena can do this for Ugandans then we shall leave him in peace. Short of that, he will be held responsible for what is happening in Lango and other parts of the northern Uganda where the opposition is losing the ground. He will be held responsible for any gains NRM may make in the north in 2011 elections.
Ugandans should know that leaders are also capable of creating a system that is intended to confuse people before and during the elections. They can, for instance, create ballot boxes or a voting system that is not familiar to a man in Lango or Kangulumira, and later play it to the their advantage of winning an election. For example, this happened in the 2000 USA elections, where some people argued that the format of the ballot in Palm Beach County led to confusion and caused people who intended to vote for Al Gore to mistakenly cast votes for Pat Buchanan or punch two holes resulting in a voided ballot. Similarly, we are remaining with a few months to enter into the 2011 campaigns but why do you think that the Electoral Commission(EC) has not done enough to make sure that the 2011 are free and fair? Who do you think will benefit from this confusion created by the leaders in power?
Let me leave you with a quote from Hermann Goering, Nazi leader, at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II: “Why of course the people don’t want war … But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship….. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.”
So, now you understand why it is easy to get a following to fight any war in Uganda or the rest of the world. If any leader (even the most stupid or unpopular) tells people today that he is recruiting to fight the Museveni government, he will get a following. Trust me on this, because it is in human nature not to ask a lot of questions when faced with a brave person. If any leader stand up today after being chairman of a certain opposition district, stands up today and tell people that he wants to stand against Museveni, he will get a following, despite the obvious hurdles in front of him.
It is easy for people to believe in the lies and distortions their leaders tell them. With a straight face, political figures tell the people that black is white, war is peace, lies are truths, joblessness is economic recovery, ignorance is intelligence, FDC is the same as NRM and they get a following. Haven’t you seen how some people continue to say that FDC is the same as NRM and get a following? Even when they are faced with the truth, they will continue spreading the same message because they know that they can always tap the gullible ones. Haven’t you heard president Museveni promising certain things to Ugandans from 1986 and he never implements them but still some people vote for him after 23 years in power? The fact is that Leaders are capable of twisting words and confusing anyone, and therefore i ask all Ugandans to watch out .
Thank you
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Why Can’t MPs Impeach President Museveni?
16 Apr 2010 9 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, international, Legal issues, parliament, Politics, Presidency
Dear people,
The expulsion of two MPs from FDC was overdue and it may be interpreted differently by some people but I think it was the beginning of something new in Uganda politics: nobody is above the law in the country, and that is why today I would like to move this debate from those two MPs to the impeachment of the president of Uganda himself.
Apart from when in April 2009, Ken Lukyamuzi and CP suggested that the president get impeached following the re-appointment of Justice Faith Mwondha as the Inspector General of Government without the approval of Parliament, we have never seen parliament attempting to threaten president Museveni yet he has several times used his office wrongly. His removal through impeachment will be imperative to the survival of the nation.
We agree that under clause 4 of article 98 of our constitution that the President cannot be prosecuted for a criminal offence or sued in a civil action in any court. The sole exception being only the case of the Presidential Election Petition but an aggrieved party in any other civil or criminal matter will have to wait until the end of his term of office. The same constitution says the president, vice-president and all civil officers are subject to impeachment though there is significant disagreement on this issue.
Bribery and treason are among the least ambiguous reasons meriting impeachment, but the ocean of wrongdoing encompassed by the Constitution’s stipulation of “high crimes and misdemeanours” is vast. Abuse of power and serious misconduct in office fit this category, but one act that is definitely not grounds for impeachment is partisan discord. Several impeachment cases can confuse political animosity with genuine crimes.
Nevertheless, I happen to think that any president who commits a felony should be fired, ie, impeached. Seeking to impeach a politician is perfectly legal. It is a statement that the President has done wrong. That is why Impeachment is written into the Constitution .Impeachment itself is not a criminal procedure as in most cases the president is acquitted but being found not guilty doesn’t mean that you are innocent. He is just considered innocent in the eyes of the law. Not that this doctrine has any bearing on impeachment which is a political process.
Ugandans need to be educated that they can remove a president from office by using their parliament instead of thinking of fighting wars in bushes. Impeachment requires a majority vote of the House .This is one of the reasons why the opposition need to put a lot of effort in winning all grass root elections instead of just concentrating on the issue of the joint presidential candidate. If either Mao,Otunnu or Besigye fails to become the joint presidential candidate under the IPC, he should go and stand for parliament somewhere else to help boost the number of opposition MPs in the next parliament.
A vote by the parliament is a form of censure which should be encouraged every now and then to punish the offender, and give relief to the citizens of Uganda. A President should be impeached for high crimes or misdemeanours, regardless of his popularity. If having been elected qualified as a defence against impeachment, almost no president would ever be impeached.
Impeachment is about removing from office an Executive who has abused his executive power, who has used his place, position and authority to subvert the functioning, practice and excise of constitutionally guaranteed rights. For instance, the constitution does not give the president the right to give a directive that the police should investigate a certain politician as we have recently witnessed with Besigye. This is the work of the IGG not the president. For God’s sake, under what Law did the president use to ask a radio station to apologise for hosting Dr.Otunnu.
In USA, the first official impeached was Senator William Blount of Tennessee for a plot to help the British seize Louisiana and Florida from Spain in 1797. Judge John Pickering of New Hampshire was the first impeached official actually convicted. He was found guilty of drunkenness and unlawful rulings, on March 12, 1804, and was believed to have been insane. Three presidents were seriously threatened with impeachment. The first, Andrew Johnson, escaped conviction in the Senate, and hence removal from office, by a single vote. The second, Richard Nixon, aborted the process by resigning. Nevertheless, that resignation was forced by the looming spectre of impeachment. The third one was William J. Clinton, the forty Second who was impeached but also survived the senate vote.
NRM MPs don’t need to save the president in parliament if they feel that he has done wrong. For instance, Clinton was impeached on two counts, grand jury perjury and obstruction of justice, with the votes split along party lines. The perjury charge failed by a vote of 55–45, with 10 Republicans voting against impeachment along with all 45 Democrats. The obstruction of justice vote was 50–50, with 5 Republicans breaking ranks to vote against impeachment.Similalry,NRM MPs just need to do the right thing here evenif president Museveni is the party chairman.
Therefore, the expulsion of Beti Kamya and Onzima from FDC displayed the first kind of ‘impeachment’ process among party politics which should be extended to the national level if we are to strengthen discipline in all organs of the government.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Its difficult to get concrete evidence that pins or strongly links Museveni and his family to the bribes and ownership of certain properties in Uganda
17 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in Corruption
Ugandans,
I think that it will be very difficult for anybody to come up with concrete evidence that pins or strongly links Museveni and his family to the bribes and ownership of certain properties in Uganda, and i think so far i have been proved right. These guys are very educated and they always calculate every step they take politically and financially. They know what they are doing though they can be very insensitive sometimes because they seem to be owning a lot of things in a poor country.
I have read Timothy Kalyegira’s article in the UGANDA RECORD with the tittle:
2009 in review: The Museveni family ownership of Uganda and I realised that he was also struggling to come up with conscrete details about this issue. Andrew Mwenda tried to tell us how far Uganda is being run as a family and I think we should credit his investigative journalism skills, because to be honest, I also didn’t know that we are being taken for mugs by the current regime.
Mr.Kalyegira has tried to employ the same investigative skills in regards to how the Museveni family owns UMEME, Roofings Ltd and Garden City but he has failed to tell us how Museveni and his family own other big business enterprises listed in the article, most especially Entebbe Airport. There was a story in the monitor that linked Sam Kutesa to the ownership of EBB airport but Mr. Kutesa later wrote an article denying that he owned the airport. Since then the media seem to have lost interest in the whole thing.There was a guy who recorded a message on youtube and he sounded like he was crying about the sale of EBB airport. For the media, It’s only the UGANDA RECORD that keeps popping up with the issue every now and then. It looks like the government brushed Mr. Timothy Kalyegira’s hair the wrong way.Whenever he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, he comes up with something that gets tongues wagging.
I’m also not sure whether Mr.Kalyegira was right about the ownership of WBS. Wavamuno seems to be the owner of this TV which has a good relationship with the Buganda kingdom. WBS tend to be linient with Mengo by giving them good coverage of their programs till recently after the September 11th riots. I think WBS never even bothered to cover the 2009 Buganda conference despite the audience it would have generated for them.
Overall, I still think that it would be very difficult for anybody to come up with good evidence that exposes how much the Museveni family owns. Nevertherless, if any journalist can do it, it will be Andrew Mwenda, if he is not already digging it. Kalyegira has tried but something is still missing in his article.We need more evidence please.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Women should dress decently wherever they live
17 Apr 2010 2 Comments
Dear readers,
Decent and proper dressing are two different aspects. Decent means that you are dressed according to the function, culture or beliefs (decent clothing means non revealing stuff). Proper does not necessary need to be decent but in tune to what the surroundings are. Many hold the view that ‘kade ya baganda’ or Uganda’s national dress is a decent dress. Of course, it is, but only when one wears it properly! Any dress, for that matter, can be worn both decently and indecently. The mode of dress has nothing to do with decency, but the mode of wearing it has something to do with it!
I’ve always wondered, while many men have confessed that seeing sexy women is eye candy and exhibitive enjoyment to their sight and imagination, at the same time, many also prefer not to have to see girls in outfits less than robes and cloaks. One psychology professor once told me that most men naturally like seeing naked women and I’m wondering up to now if it is true or not since I cannot do primary research just on myself alone. But then again, Hawaiian women in their traditional dance attire, you’ve gotta admit, are sexy, but that’s their culture. Musician Madona on a stage singing used to get a lot of male customers because of her indecency dressing and sexual acts.
A lady with bums out in the name of fashion
However, a catalogue of social vices is plaguing the contemporary Uganda society. Among these, indecent dressing by the womenfolk stands out very vivid as one of those most problematic anomalies that have destructively engulfed the Uganda social system. In fact I will go so far as to say that Indecent Dressing is one of Uganda’s biggest problems though not bigger than lack of toilets but It is bigger than corruption, AIDS, and even domestic violence.
The way women dress in urban centres like Kampala and Jinja has turned out to be a breeding ground for many other societal malaises like sexual promiscuity, rape, prostitution, and spread of sexually transmitted diseases. The society has been penetrated with a lot of fashions from the western nations and most youths tend to take this as ‘modern’.
Though a girl is at perfect liberty to choose her own mode of dress, the fact remains that indecently revealing dresses instigate the opposite sex and adds fuel to the (already) burning fire. Though there is definitely some logic in the question, “Then, why should men eve-tease and molest even the decently-dressed girls?” a sane girl would ponder the consequences of inviting avoidable trouble on herself by wearing such dresses that border on obscenity by posing herself the counter-question, “When most men cannot behave decently even with decently dressed women, what a more dangerous situation an indecently dressed girl would be inviting upon herself?”
Even God knows that looking at a woman’s flesh is a torture for most men and that ‘s why Islam tells us not look more than twice at some body you are capable of marrying. As for the bible, you only have to look at Mark 9:47:’and if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell’.
Please don’t leave your values at home. Whatever you do professionally, don’t leave your values at home when you go to work just because you wanna impress other people. Many people think that dressing weird or having your body pierced is a statement of individuality, strength and rebellion against the dominant culture. Not true. The ultimate counterculture and strength in Uganda today is to take religions seriously. If you want to be an individual and to be strong, affirm a higher value system that enables you to say no to the prevailing culture that your subconciuos mind considers wrong.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
MUSEVENI IS WRONG ON TRADITION SYSTEMS
17 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in Buganda, Bunyoro and lost counties, culture, kingdoms
obote and Sir Edward mutesa 11
I beg to disagree with president Museveni when he said that traditional leaders have no place in modern politics today. What is happening in Uganda is no different from what is happening in other parts of Africa as some recent years have seen the restoration of different traditional institutions across the continent. Uganda just like Ghana constitutionally restored traditional leaders in the 1990s.In South Africa of today; about 40% of the population are now ruled in part by 800 traditional chiefs. Traditional chiefs have also been integrated in the political systems in both Mozambique and Benin. Our neighbours in Tanzania have also seen traditional sungusungu grass-roots associations taking over police and justice roles. In Rwanda, a Rwandan `army of the King’ used guerrilla actions to support the return of exiled King Kigeli V, while in Cameroon’s Northern Province; the Sultan of Rey Bouba manages militias and prisons. Our neighbours in the west, the Congolese, have also seen ‘Bami’ chiefs set up a political organisation in the South Kivu region of Congo. In Somalia, clans have replaced the state as instruments of collective action. In Nigeria, ethnic organisations have been restored in the wake of structural adjustment and just like Buganda, chiefs are now demanding for constitutionally sanctioned powers instead of ‘ebyoya byansa’. In Botswana, democracy is steeped in tradition as local chiefs listen to residents’ complaints, then clerks take notes and action follows. Most villages and towns are still ruled by chiefs, incorporated into the country’s administration. Though unelected, they can lose their position if their subjects are unhappy with them and their decisions can be appealed in court. The experiment in Botswana has made them one of the success stories in Africa and it has also been applied in other countries like Lesotho and Swaziland.
The president’s opposition to demands made by Buganda kingdom is for selfish reasons of losing direct control of regions more than for a better Uganda. He also afraid that his decentralisation system will be weakened with the revival of ‘mixed politics’ or ‘dual political authority’ in Uganda. What he forgets is that this kind of political set up may be what Africa and Uganda needs to stabilise at a time of global changes and institutional weakness. Other people have argued that the incorporation of traditional structures in contemporary systems could improve the governance of African states by building upon the legitimacy of pre-colonial institutions. This arrangement may also be ideal for the decentralisation system as power and authority is delegated to the traditional leaders.
In general, the political case for the integration of traditional structures into contemporary ones has highlighted the democratic nature of recognising institutions with which many Africans still overwhelmingly identify, even though these institutions may not themselves be formally democratic. Economists too have welcomed this new trend. In view of theories that transaction costs can be reduced as a function of the perceived legitimacy of institutions, and that collective action is fostered by the homogeneity of group members. some authors have suggested that African customary institutions may reduce opportunistic behaviour and display a greater potential for developmental mobilisation than the post-colonial state.
So probably this is our chance to reconcile the traditional system with the modern system brought about by the colonisation of Africans. Giving Buganda kingdom some political powers in form of federalism may be a good start for the structural arrangement of the country before 2011 elections or the East African federation. The democracy we have called democracy which is based on elections has not done us that good since independence. There is more corruption in public institutions more than before. Probably formal incorporation of the traditional systems into the modern ones is what Uganda has been waiting for since 1986.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
FDC under Besigye have tried their best ever since they were formed
17 Apr 2010 2 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, parliament, Politics
David Cameron and Dr.Besigye
Dear Ugandans,
I wish to say that the responsibility for promoting and defending the democratic rights of the Ugandans rests more heavily on the political parties than any other sector of the society. However, before the emergency of Dr.Besigye and Reform Agenda which later allied with other pressure groups to form FDC, Uganda has been a country without serious opposition politics since 1986. FDC have worked very hard and under very difficult conditions to form some form an opposition to Museveni’s rule, and the election of Besigye again as their presidential candidate after a transparent process, elevates them to a new level of internal democracy. Whether this FDC internal democracy later transpires into wining the hearts and minds of Ugandans, we shall wait and see though it has happened before in other places of the world. For instance, the mobilizing power of the pro-democracy opposition was important for shaping democratization in Hong Kong from 1984 to 2000. This power, tempered by the level of internal unity and the ability to capitalize on external political opportunities, was important in garnering public support.
The role played by the political opposition is vital to the health of any democratic political system and particularly within local government. Minority groups not only have the task of challenging, criticising and holding the administration to account, but also articulating and pursuing community interests and opinions, as well as offering the electorate an alternative set of policies and personalities.
Constitutional opposition
There are basically two types of opposition: The constitutional opposition and political opposition. The constitutional opposition consists of all those institutions provided for by the constitution to serve as a check on the Executive in the exercise of the enormous powers at its disposal. These institutions would include the Judiciary, the Legislature, the political parties, electoral commissions, et cetera.
Uganda presently operates a presidential system of government and the Constitution is accordingly tailored along the broad principles of the separation of powers. The constitution clearly defines the powers of the three branches of the government. It is obvious from the provisions of the 1995 Constitution that the legislature is the most potent arm of government to guard against any act of executive recklessness. But the legislators we have got are now in the hands of president museveni since NRM has more MPs than any other party in parliament. Whatever museveni wants to be passed through that parliament, he gets. He even boosted of this on the front page of the monitor on 9th June 2008 in regard to the recent controversial land bill. Surely, he is acting like that because he knows his conduct can never be reviewed by any other person or authority in the country.
In today’s Uganda, there is little separation of powers between the three branches of government and therefore, we have lost the surest guarantee and the most effective instrument against abuse of power in a democracy. The MPs have got powers over all executive and administrative departments of the government but I can bet that some MPs are not even aware of what is in that constitution. They just come into that house, sit for hours, shout Museveni wants this and that and demand for the pay cheques at the end of the month.
So let us agree that the constitutional institutions are weak to check the excesses of the executive in Uganda and this means there is less constitutional opposition in Uganda. It is no surprise therefore that president Museveni has gone overboard in his wanton abuse of power. Just like most dictators, he is not satisfied with powers vested in him by the constitution. He goes about acquiring more. In the process he is destroying all the mechanisms the framers of our constitution put in place to safeguard the principles of checks and balances. That’s why we always hear him saying I’m gonna sort out the judiciary now that the police and parliament have been put in order. By the way, who can today argue in Uganda that the judiciary has not been sorted out by Museveni considering the fact that new judges are nominated by the office of the president? Consequently, president Museveni does not appear to need the approval of the Legislature to spend public funds. For instance, I was surprised to hear one of the commentators on internet based radio Ngoma saying that the UPDF budget is never made public and therefore the president can always tap into UPDF money for his own purposes. The president has also made other unilateral decisions such as the order to bail out businessmen like Basajjabalaba and others.
The judiciary has also been put on pressure to become a victim in the serial abuse of power by the executive through acts of bribery and intimidation. It is today completely subdued and now does the biding of the Executive. A majority of the Judges uncritically and invariably hand out major verdicts favourable to the government in any dispute. For example, the two cases filed by Dr. Kiiza besigye immediately after the 2001 and 2006 elections required strong minded judges to order for the repeat of those elections because there were not free and fair, but their judgment came out indicating that one side were thieves but did not steal enough to be prosecuted. Last year, Besigye and his fellow members under IPC then submitted electoral reform proposals to the government but parliament has not even debated them up to now. Now under the circumstances, it will be very difficult for anybody to beat Museveni in 2011 because he has got the current Electoral Commission as his insurance policy.
By far the greatest case of abuse of power by the Executive has been the misuse of the state apparatus – the Police and the Army. The president can order the police and army to do things which would have been handled differently. For instance, the police are under orders to watch whatever the opposition leaders say to the people during rallies. Besigye was recently attacked by a man while on a rally in Madu but the president(Executive) just brushed it off by saying that Besigye brought it on himself.
In the NRMO itself, president Museveni has made sure that those that oppose him are thrown out of the party immediately. He is being helped to implement this by the likes of Ofwono pondo and group. With his support, his cronies organized the successful removal of Bidandi ssali and Group from the NRMO executive when they opposed the 3rd term project and now every one in the NRMO is singing Museven Yekka . Basically, the constitutional opposition has been weakened massively by Museveni despite the unselfish efforts from FDC and Besigye to always keep Museveni on his toes.
Political opposition
On the other hand, the political opposition consists largely of civil society organizations such as organized labour, the press, employees’ organizations, religious organizations, student’s associations, and such other interest and lobby groups. Most of the groups that fall into this category have been inactive apart from the press. Religious leaders such as ArchBishop Lwanga and Sheikh Obedi Kamulegeya have just started making some noise on certain issues but most of them have been ordered to keep quite on political issues. The press has been on its sick bed since the closure of CBSfm and it will be totally dead if the proposed Press bill is passed. Student organisations in institution such as Makerere University have been weakened so much such that even the few demonstrations organised end up in disaster.
Overall, living conditions have become worse especially in rural areas but I’m yet to know why president museveni wins in rural areas. The economy is not that good as opposed to the figures presented by Investment authorities. Unemployment is growing by the day and infrastructure is fast collapsing. Even the CHOGM roads and newly constructed northern bypass are losing it, while the security of life and property is deteriorating on a daily basis. Most of the money is being siphoned overseas while the rest is being wasted on foreign junketing and satisfying the desires of thieving officials. For instance, why would anybody spend a lot of money to buy Russian jets when people in Kangulumira town have only got just two petro stations to give them jobs? One time a Ugandan diplomat was caught with a lot of money on the Airport on his way to London? President Museveni’s administration is a failure in most respects. Even the much displayed so-called war on corruption is half-hearted and selective.
I respect DP a lot as a party and there are probably the 2nd favourite opposition party after FDC in the country. DP has also achieved a lot as a party including some constitutional battles. However, president Museveni only respects constitutional battles when he wants to or by the intervention of development partners/donors as was the case with multipartism. Secondly, however much I respect Mr. Norbert Mao as a person, I don’t think he is capable of changing anything for Uganda under the present environment. That’s why I ask those under IPC to give Dr.Besigye a chance such that he takes us to another level that will allow any Ugandan to freely participate in politics of our country.
Byebyo ebyange.
Abbey.K.S
Besigye has been emphatically saying ‘no’ to Musollin and Museveni compared to Mao!
20 Apr 2010 3 Comments
Dear readers,
I’m not going to portray Mao as an incapable leader , after all, he has been both as a Member of parliament and LC5 in Gulu. Nevertheless,a tyrant named Mussolini once said that the people do not wish to govern themselves. He said that people just wish to be lead, and be left alone. I think President Museveni was imitating Musollin when he also said that he does not see anybody yet with a vision to lead Uganda other than himself.
Yes, some people are confortable with Museveni as our president for life but Besigye has been emphatically saying ‘no’ to Musoline, and emphatically saying ‘no’ to Museveni , without mincing his words while making thie point. He wants to give Uganda back to Ugandans. Mao, on the other hand, comes across as somebody begging Museveni to leave the presidency for him which are some of the signs of a weak man. For instance, the more Mao keeps praising Museveni in some of his speeches, the more Ugandans who are fed up with this regime look at him as a political beggar. This is not different from a man who tells a woman that her top is nice just because he wants to get her attention for something. Such talk brings minor contribution to removing a dictatorship from a country. Even if there is a minor contribution, it is too small to change anything. There are much stronger forcings than trying to be in good books with president Museveni when one is a leader of an opposition party.
One Ugandan based in London called Phillip Oruni, wrote on the Ugandans at Heart(UAH) forum :’..…….But now the DP and UPC are getting more organised; and they are calling upon their members who have taken shelter elsewhere to return. The net loser in the new political reorganisation is the FDC,………..”
The ability to successfully predict and selectively change the future seems to make us happy but Mr.Oruni was wrong on this one. I don’t see that things would be so bad for FDC if UPC and DP reorganise themselves. What we do know is that DP and UPC parties have no power, and have little circulation, and definitely not enough to cause any change within the nation. They are Uganda’s oldest political parties but they can nolonger command the following they had in the 1960s or 1980S. This is because Ugandans have moved on and they(UPC and DP) nolonger have the political clout they had before.Therefore, FDC was created to fill this gap and it is doing a good job of it. The DP members who were originally in the party in the 1950S when DP had just started are mostly dead. The DP members who were in the party in the early 1980s are either too old to be active in current politics or already dead. This is the same situation with UPC.
This means that DP and UPC are not in a different situation with FDC and NRM because they are all targeting new members. And most of these new members being targeted are Ugandans below 40 years old.These Ugandans will determine the future of any party at the moment. FDC have already recruited young good brains in people like Semujju Nganda, and they mayeven get Nambooze in future if they play their cards right.
Those who crossed from UPC and DP to NRM and FDC are not so likely to go back. Those in NRM are comfortable with state benefits being awarded to them. For instance, i cannot see former VP,Kazibwe Specioza, going back to DP in her life time. I cannot see Agrew Awori or Bidandi Ssali going back to UPC in a million years.
The ‘crossers’ already in FDC will also not go back to UPC or DP because they will never be trusted in their old parties again when they go back. Those ones in FDC can only go back to NRM because it’s in power and therefore they can get some money out of it. For instance, Mr.Pulkol announced that he had gone back to UPC after Otuunu was elected UPC president but he will never be trusted by anybody in that party. The Pulkol experiment is enough to put anybody off who was harbouring such thoughts. In England, for instance, if a Labour MP becomes Conservative, he would be laughed out of politics until the day he died.
I should note that there’s nothing offensive about a political figure changing his or her mind once in a while but this business of crossing back to parties is very risky for any politician. For UPC case, it will even take them time to even lure the youths to join them because they suffer the consequences of their actions while in power, which have come to hit them like a boomerang. This is the same fate NRM will suffer in future when Museveni leaves power because there are a lot of ill records people will use to ‘kill’ them.
The argument here is that FDC is not going anywhere as long as they keep doing what they have been doing for the last 3 years. Besigye has given this party a good foundation and so many young people like me are watching admirably. So Besigye will go but FDC will stay.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Both DP and UPC are split into factions and therefore need to rally behind Besigye
22 Apr 2010 14 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, Obote and UPC, Politics, Presidency, UPC current politics
Dear readers,
Those UPC supporters who say that nobody within the party is against Olara Otunu, i believe they are just in denial and anybody can see it. There is a section of UPC supporters that dont want Otunu in Uganda House and they could do anything to boot him out, but they are making a mistake, a big mistake. This group has come up with an excuse that Dr.Otunu’s election as UPC President was in violation of the party constitution, but of we flip the coins: assuming James Akena had won that election, would they still be crying over spoilt milk? Therefore, James Akena has got to come out and distance himself from the group working to bring Otunu down because this is gonna affect UPC in both the short and long term. There are no two ways about it.
The fact of the matter is that the two oldest political parties in Uganda are split into two factions. The Kampala DP faction is understandably and openly working against the Mao factions. There is also DP faction headed by Alhajji Nasser Sebagala which the EC refused to register. Then there is one headed by Mabike which he called the Social Democratic Party (SDC), and it was registered by the EC. Nevertheless, SDC has applied to join the IPC.
On the other hand, the UPC faction with no address is clandestinely working against Dr.Otunu. This is an open secret, bruv. The UPC faction with no address is the one that was against UPC joining the IPC and they are Oboteists. For them, without Obote’s ghost or his son or family member, there is no UPC, and probably that’s what was broken in the UPC constitution by Dr.Otunu. The legitimate faction headed by Dr.Otunu is pro-IPC but it has got some elements fighting Otunnu within, yet we are 10 months away to the 2011 elections.
Seriously, how can a party be divided internally and still think they can chip any votes off NRM in 2011? DP is in a mess as i write this and so is UPC. By the time, they sort out this mess; probably the 2011 elections would be over. That is why I request both DP and UPC members to rally behind FDC’s Dr.Kiiza Besigye for the meantime such that the opposition at least gains something in the upcoming elections. We may pretend as much as we want but Dr.Besigye is the best ticket for the opposition right now. I was impressed that Andrew Mwenda of the Independent has so far written two consecutive articles concluding with the same thing.
Let me leave you with a message posted on my blog from one of the most respected elders in UPC. Probably, you will understand what I’m talking about. It was posted on April 21, 2010 at 12:52 am:
”Semuwemba,The fact of the matter is UPC is split and no amount of trying to explain the split away in terms of Jimmy Akena misleading the people of Lango will help Otunnu. As WBK said earlier, in a large measure it is the people leading Akena and not the other way round. An example is what happened just before Otunnu went to Lira. Akena was told in no uncertain terms that he would open a major flood gate into NRM by merely standing near Otunnu. That is the reason you never saw Akena besides Otunnu in Lira, much as Lira Municipality is Akena’s constituency. Later when Otunnu met the elders in Lira they told him they would not accept Akena to hold sinecure offices in Otunnu’s cabinet.
Semuwemba, let me tell you: it is simply resources which is holding us up from opening a rival office to that Otunnu in Kampala. And let me assure you, were such an office to be opened, you would see a flood of UPCs flocking to that office and not 6th floor Uganda House.” Yoga Adhola.
Byebyo ebyange. Abagala okuwuliliza muwulilize
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
What has happened to hotels in Uganda after CHOGM?
04 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in Hospitality industry, Uncategorized
Dear people,
I have been reading pieces in newspapers about what has happened in Uganda after CHOGM but I have particularly picked interest in the numerous hotels that were built in and around Kampala prior to CHOGM. What has happened to them after CHOGM?
As you all know,the hospitality industry is a young industry in Uganda compared to the developed nations and I’m afraid there was an element of Bandwagon in the way people invested in hotels before Uganda hosted Chogm. I even heard that president Museveni plans to become a hotelier in his retirement(If he ever retires).
After Chogm, the occupancy level in hotels definitely became so low for obvious reasons. They are now few VIPs in town, not to mention that our tourism industry is still in crackers. Ugandans are not travellers within their country. Few people have got money to spend by the looks of the economy alone.
Africa is a continent that seems to specialise in symbolic hotels which, for months or years, are microcosms of their countries’ tumultuous histories. They are buildings where atrocities are committed, coups consecrated, embryonic rebel governments lodged, peace deals signed, and when the troubled days are over, they still miraculously come up with nice food, fresh tea or coffee and CNN in most rooms.
In Rwanda, that role is played by the Mille Collines hotel, where the management stared down the Hutu militiamen bent on slaughtering terrified Tutsi guests during the 1994 genocide. In Zimbabwe, hotel Meikles played that role, where armed white farmers rubbed shoulders with sanction-busters during the Smith regime. In Ethiopia it is the Hilton hotel, where during the Mengistu years some staff doubled as government informers. In Uganda, the Nile hotel was the centre for screaming of suspects being tortured by Iddi Amin’s police while in Congo the honour most definitely goes to the Hotel Intercontinental which acted as the emblem of Mobutu’s regime as his leopard skin hat.
The biggest concern for anyone setting up a hotel in the country is the cost of land and prime location. The budget hotels need land cheap to keep costs down. The government addressed this by giving free land to investors but they ended up with a lot of problems as we saw with the Shimon Land project donated to the Saudi Arabian prince to build a hotel. An investor argues that after Chogm they will bring down their cost per room by as much as 10 per cent but who is occupying these rooms now. Hotel operators in Uganda seem to be less sophisticated with poor strategies and tactics to maximize revenue and control expenses as evidenced in poor organizational structures and technology.
I’m afraid that some hotel investors did not take the time to properly research markets before swooping down to set up hotels in Uganda. Value should be based on net income trends, while speculation should involve complete market and property research before any investment is made. Asset value will ultimately return with new economic prosperity, political stabilization, and consumer confidence. This may take several years with certain ebbs and flows of transactions, mergers, and/or other shifts in hotel ownership structures.
The successful survivors in the hotel sector are those participants who consciously, strategically, and systematically evaluated the macro environment in the country before any investment was made. The band wagons have already lost out and turned their hotels into something else.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Obote started militarisation of politics in Uganda
04 May 2010 1 Comment
in history, Obote and UPC, Politics, Uncategorized, UPDF
obote and mutesa
Dear readers,
I’m going to create this as the background to show you how Obote’s evils nurtured Museveni of today. I want to show you where Museveni learnt all the tactics he using in running the UPDF today.
In his book African Upheavals since Independence (Westview, 1980), Grace Ibingira, ex-Minister of Justice, recalls a conversation he had with Obote at the Governor General’s Garden Party on the 12th of October: ‘as I accompanied Obote through state guests’, he writes, ‘he pointed out Karugaba to me at a distance and inquired whether I knew him. I replied I did not. He then confided that the senior British Officers were recommending him to command the Army and to retire Opolot and Amin, who had reached the highest ranks they could reasonably attain. Obote then told me Karugaba was a Roman Catholic and as such could not be trusted and he would not accept him to head the Army’ (p. 92).
Ibingira goes on to claim that the chief reason for Obote’s dismissal of Major Karugaba,which he proceeded to have carried out, was not primarily one of religion but of ethnicity, since he was a southerner and stood in the way of Amin whom Obote had chosen in his mind to be his hatchet man. This was in the face of strong advice to the contrary from the Governor General, Sir Walter Coutts, and the British Officers, Colonels Cheyne and Tillett, following charges brought against Amin of using great brutality against the Turkana tribe in the Kenya border area late in 1961.Have you ever wondered why people like Salim Saleh commit crimes but nobody punishes them but they keep being promoted in the army instead.Where did Museveni learn that from?
At Independence the Uganda Rifles consisted of one battalion and though it was very largely composed of northerners from the Acholi, Iteso, Lugbara, Kakwa tribes and other West Nile groups, it did not have within it many men from Lango in the north, Obote’s home area.However, Obote portrayed tribalism of the highest degree with the introduction of the para-military wing of the General Service Unit, almost wholly recruited from Lango.
Again Obote kept on promoting Iddil Amin Dada in the Army despite the ridiculous procedure which was being used by the British before in these promotions.Amin should not have reached where he was in the army if Obote had a good vision in the matters of military promotion.Like Lieutenants Opolot and Amin, they had risen from the ranks. To quote Major Grahame again, ‘On recruiting safaris we went for the chaps who were tough and strong and ran quicker than anyone else. It was a terrible mistake.’
When eventually the Kabaka’s Palace, the Lubiri, was attacked at 5.30 am on 24 May 1966, the army had established itself in an indispensable position in the politics of Obote’s UPC government in Uganda. Many university students and their families suffered, if not loss of life, certainly extreme humiliation by having their faces trodden on and their wallets stolen by the oft-times drunken soldiery. From May 1966 until the end of Obote’s Presidential rule on 25January 1971 Buganda was judged to be in ‘a state of emergency’ and was held so by the Ugandan army and the police.
Obote hated Baganda and the viceversa is true. This is clarified by an incident of his attempted assassination. One student of Makerere University in the names of Fred Serwada lived to tell this story. He was driving home from Entebbe airport on the night of the attempted assassination of President Obote at Lugogo Stadium on 19 December1969 when his car was stopped at the roundabout just below Mulago Hospital,Kampala. He was asked his name. An army officer in civilian clothes but carrying a revolver reacted strongly on hearing that it was a Baganda name and, on being told that the owner of this name worked in the Faculty of Agriculture at Makerere, replied that he would then have to shoot him. In fact, FredSerwanga received two bullets through the stomach and thanks to the skill and devotion of Professor McAdam, Senior Surgeon at Mulago hospital, lived totell his story. As Archbishop Luwum was to write so courageously in his letter to Amin some seven years later, the guns of the army were being used not to protect but to terrorize the people of Uganda.
Increasingly in Uganda, and in particular from the time of ‘The Government Proposals for a New Constitution’ of 9 June 1967, more and more powers were vested in the Head of State. Increasingly too, private or public criticism either of the Army or of the government became a dangerous matter for Uganda. Obote’s cousin, Akena Adoko, was the head of the state intelligence services and the ultimate recruiter of government agents.
As Professor Mazrui shown, ‘It was Milton Obote, not Idi Amin, who began the militarization of Uganda’s political system’ (Soldiers and Kinsmen, p. 139). When Obote made Amin the head of the army in 1966 he clinched the idea of an alliance between the brains of Uganda and the guns of Uganda, with the brains as the senior partner. Amin’s gun was to be manipulated by the calculating intellect of Milton Obote’ . By the late 1960s the partnership which Amin,with his shared crisis with Obote, Onama and Nekyon of gold smuggling across the Congo border in 1965/66, and with the uprooting of the Kabaka of Buganda and his Kingdom behind him—the partnership, which Amin had engaged in so energetically—was beginning to fall apart. After being so actively Obote’s man, Amin began to go his own way.
As a way of removing Major-General Amin temporarily from having any opportunityto participate in military action against him, Obote sent Amin to attend Nasser’s funeral and strongly suggested he should follow this up with a pilgrimage to Mecca. In his absence, Obote made new appointments in the top command of the army and air force and largely separated the latter from army control. On returning from Mecca, Amin was reported to have been placed under house arrest, but to the cheers (and some jeers) of the Makerere university students, and to the evident anger of Obote, he appeared in the seats reserved for the academic staff at the inauguration ceremony.
Guess who was having the last laugh? Amin and later Museveni.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
IPC Should not Boycourt Elections but Increase Parliamentary Numbers
22 May 2010 8 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, federalism in Uganda, parliament, Politics, Presidency, Uncategorized, UPC current politics
Dear readers,
I will never support anybody who boycotts elections in Africa because our African dictators don’t care whether the opposition is involved or not. As the Baganda say: ‘OMUZIZI AZIMBYA TWE NGA TWELILA‘. President Museveni will be so happy if the opposition boy courts the 2011 elections and I’m one of those who hate the kind of opposition that keeps a smile on his face. It’s actually one of the painful reasons why I have got a problem with Bwana Mao Norbert at the moment because his entrance into the presidential race has kept president Museveni smiling all the time. I’m totally sure that president Museveni has been smiling ever since Mao was elected as president of one the DP factions.
Mao knows that he cannot singlehandedly win the 2011 elections but I assume he is looking at 2016 where he assumes that he will have more political capital compared to his opponents. But I want to remind Ugandans that whatever will be happening in 2011 presidential elections will be the same story in 2016 when Major General Muhoozi(1st son) gets endorsed to become the NRM flag bearer. The only difference in 2016 will be that gates will be opened to all ambitious young men and women who wish to drive Uganda forward as most of the oldies will retire. For instance, FDC’s Anne Mugisha has already declared herself available for the FDC Presidential post , but I expect Major Mugisha Muntu to be around the scene again after losing out twice to Dr.Besigye. I also expect Winnie Byanyima to enter the race to succeed her husband as FDC president. So 2016 will be a very interesting year for many of us inishallah.
Nevertheless, Mao is being naive to think that he will be the only youths, if being youth means being in late 50s, who will be shinning in 2016. I know for sure that within DP itself, Erias Lukwago, has got presidential ambitions, and I’m still wondering why he did not stand for DP president in the recently concluded delegates conference. I guess it was because he takes the Mbale conference to have been organized illegally since it was not called by NEC. Among NRM, like I have already said, Major General Muhoozi, will be on the scene whether Ugandans like it or not. In UPC, we expect James Akena(Obote’s son) to bounce back though I don’t see him ever becoming the boss of that party in my life time, because UPC is rebranding itself away from Oboteists. So I will throw my coin on more youthful faces, like Robert Kanusu and others abroad.
As for 2011, as long as Norbert Mao is still playing in the hands of Museveni, the IPC should concentrate instead on increasing their numbers in parliament rather than wasting time on an already rigged presidential election. I think everybody can see it now that Mao has already helped Museveni win the 2011 elections. Those who are dreaming of a rerun should forget it. What Ugandans need to do is to punish bwana Mao in future when he starts knocking on their doors asking for votes.
For the meantime, I request all the IPC leaders who are still interested in politics to find a constituency to stand for parliament, with the exception of whoever will be chosen as the IPC flag bearer for 2011. This will help them increase their numbers in parliament after the 2011 elections. Personally, I would like Dr.Besigye to be the IPC flag bearer such that we say good bye to him for the last time, and we also expect him to use his popularity to help the IPC candidates in all local elections to be held. Therefore, Let Olara Otunnu(UPC), Kibirige Mayanja(JEEMA), Ken Lukyamuzi(CP) and Michael Mabikke(SDP) all go and stand for parliament somewhere. Actually, they should be already on the road campaigning in their respective constituencies because there is no time.
Meanwhile, i wish the Mengo administration finds a way to work with the IPC to sort out the candidates needed to stand in Buganda. Mengo should not do a Mao on IPC to work alone- because that will turn out to be constly for them. These things need a lot of money and a strong network for any candidate to succeed and that’s why Mengo needs to combine forces with the IPC. Mengo should secretly contact the IPC leaders to sort this out as soon as possible.They should all work together like they have done in Mukono north elections where Nambooze was endorsed by both the IPC and Mengo. Obviously, there are going to be some stumbling blocks like Beti Kamya who has got some personal wars to settle with some leaders of the IPC, but this can be sorted out amicably. Somebody needs to whsiper in Kamya’s ear not to ‘rock the boat’ for selfish reasons. We have seen enough of selfish politicians in the kast couple of years.
Byebyo banange
Abbey
Analysing Semujju’s Swipe at ‘Mole’ Norbert Mao
22 May 2010 32 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Uncategorized
| SSEMUJJU NGANDA: Mao is Museveni’s Trojan Horse |  |
 |
| Columnists |
| Written by Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda |
| Wednesday, 19 May 2010 21:13 |
| I had restrained myself from commenting about the recent election of Gulu District Chairman Norbert Mao as President General of one of the Democratic Party (DP) factions. Not because I didn’t have ideas to contribute to the debate on whether Mao was the most suitable person to lead DP; but, rather, because I thought commenting about Mao endlessly would be falling into Mr. Yoweri Museveni’s 2011 trap.
The scheme involved keeping the name of Mao in the media to raise his profile for future use. Once the name had gained enough feasibility, it would then be unleashed to the country as a presidential candidate for only one purpose: to attack the IPC and Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye in order to scatter all combined efforts to oust Museveni. And Mao has lived up to expectations. He has already attacked the IPC and Kizza Besigye. Col. Besigye is not an automatic IPC flag bearer but both Mao and Museveni have made him their target. Before I make any conclusions, I want to share with you three incidents that shook my faith in Norbert Mao. But before I do, I want to confess that as a parliamentary journalist during the time Mao was MP, I enjoyed listening to him. He was probably one of the best 20 speakers in the 6th and 7th parliaments. About two years ago, I went to Gulu Town to present findings of a research commissioned by ACODE and was booked in Acholi Inn. After making my presentation, I took a walk and on my return, I found Norbert Mao talking to Prof. Elijah Mushemeza and ACODE’s Arthur Bainomugisha. I heard Mao telling these two gentlemen that if Museveni “handled us properly, we can even help him defeat FDC in Acholi.” I didn’t want to mention the names of these two gentlemen but I have to in order for people not to think my assertion is a concoction. The conversation was not meant for me; it stopped when I arrived. Up to now I have never known why Mao wanted to help Museveni defeat FDC in Acholi and I also don’t know whether he has given up this desire. Secondly, again in the evening I went to town and on return I found Mao, Gulu RDC Col. Walter Ochora and Brig. Otema Awany swimming in the same pool. It was a bit strange but Mao later told us that such was the politics of the Acholi and his Gulu in particular. For them, serving Acholi transcended their petty political differences. But the Otema Awany I knew was the one who was harassing other Acholi leaders, especially MP Ronald Reagan Okumu. How come Awany is enjoying the same waters and breathing the same air with Mao? Why were they not mistreating Mao the same way they were harassing other Acholi? The third incident is when a group of Ugandan leaders together with senior officials of the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) flew to the jungles of DR. Congo to meet with rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). I am told Mao struggled to get onto the plane which was flying the GOSS leaders back to Juba for an urgent meeting, yet the same plane was to collect the Ugandan team the following day. The reason Mao wanted to return ahead of his other Ugandan colleagues was because he wanted to be the one to break news of the Kony meeting to Museveni. In fact Mao arrived in Kampala ahead of Col. Walter Ochora but failed to secure an appointment with Museveni. Because Col. Walter Ochora is an RDC, upon his return he drove straight to State House and spoke to Museveni ahead of Mao. Why was Mao competing with Ochora over who meets Museveni first? The most recent incident is that of confirming the existence of a new rebel group in Acholi for which some people are now in prison. You all recall when Mao wrote an article in The New Vision confirming the army’s claim that some Acholi in the Diaspora were working on establishing a new rebel group. Now that I have shared with you these four incidents, allow me to make one brief conclusion. Mao might be fulfilling his long desired ambition of helping Museveni defeat FDC, not only in Acholi but in other areas as well. All I can promise him and his clique that leads a DP faction is that 1% is all they can get. As national coordinator of Elect John Ssebaana Kizito in 2006, Mao’s efforts yielded only 1%. I am saying all this for God and my country. The author is the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) Spokesman. |
Nambooze has Won b’se of Opposition Solidarity!
25 May 2010 25 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, IPC, Uncategorized
Dear readers,
I congratulate Beti Nambooze for winning the Mukono north by elections but she would not have done so,despite her popularity, without the IPC,Mengo and other opposition groups working together.The Nkobazambogo guys have been everywhere on the ground to protect the votes and so were the IPC Youths. Besigye, Lukyamuzi, Mayanja and Otuunu have all been in Mukono campaigning for her, and so were some Mengo officials. If CBS was still around then she would have been sold all over the country, but there has been a media blackout throughout this election. The bottom line is that any opposition candidate can have the votes on the ground but you need a lot of eyes to protect the votes, and this is what has helped Nambooze.
Colline Hotel in Mukono
Mukono north elections were a referendum on Buganda’s popularity Vs NRM. Thank God she has won. Therefore, the opposition should fight to increase its numbers in parliament whatever happens with the presidential results. That is why Otunu, Lukyamuzi, Mayanja and Mabike need to stand for parliament in 2011. Mengo also needs to work with the IPC to sort out the Buganda parliamentary candidates for 2011.If the opposition stand together , they will increase their numbers in parliament. The problem is that Mao’s decision to put a fence on his DP faction is causing a lot of problems for the opposition in general.For instance, there were two DP candidates in this race and this tends to confuse voters.
Nambooze was already a very popular candidate in Mukono and I guess that’s why the state machinery found it hard to rig this election but there is a always a next time after 6 months. She did not get the 70% she anticipated because there were a lot of forces at work.
The EC is not illegal because it was appointed according to the constitution of Uganda. What the opposition is challenging is the incompetence of the current EC to hold fair elections. As you can see, reports from the monitor newspaper indicate that the EC cannot do a good job. Anyway, tomorrow the EC will be in court to defend itself after a case which was filed against them by the IPC.
Nambooze’s win is a win for all Ugandans at heart:DPs with Uganda at heart not ‘selfish’ ones; IPC,Mengo and all pro-democracy Ugandans. Yes, Nambooze stood on a ‘team working’ DP ticket not a ‘selfish DP’ (headed by Mao). Nambooze’s victory is a victory for all those who cherish team work and togetherness. For me, I have resorted to one of my best, not favourite, song below:
A Song For World Peace & Togetherness
Thank you
Abbey
Does Speaking English fluently measure someone’s intelligence in Uganda?
29 May 2010 37 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, cultures, Education in Uganda, Entertainment, social issues
Dear readers,
Some Ugandans have been criticizing Vice president, Dr.Bukenya’s fluency in the English language, particularly when he appeared to be struggling with English at a business forum in India as indicated in the YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNdb1n4MyWM&feature=related
The same groups have called for president Museveni’s press secretary, Tamare Mirundi’s head, because he cannot also express himself properly in English during press conferences. Others have also been mistakenly praising the president of one of the DP factions, Norbert Mao’s oratory skills for intelligence. Some have even, out of ignorance, said that Mao is more intelligent than the Mayor of Kampala, ‘illiterate’ Sebagala. But what is the truth in whole this?
Normally a person growing up just hearing a language will not speak it as a native speaker or someone that language is a mother tongue. However, if one begins speaking a language on a regular basis, one usually keeps an accent all their life. For instance, some of us have developed funny accents because of the regions where we live in Britain but does it mean that we can express ourselves better than Bukenya or Tamare Mirundi(presedential Press Secretary)? The answer is ‘no’.
For all practical purposes, a person speaking a language at mother tongue level is a native speaker. Therefore, Dr.Bukenya cannot speak English in the same way as an English man or like some Ugandans who have been abroad for ages. A native speaker may once have meant “native” in the original sense of the word, i.e. born in that country, but now it just means a person who grew up speaking that language – which is the only way to get perfect in one language.
Indeed, a lot of people that pass through educational institutions in Uganda can express themselves in English, but are not (and may never be) as good at English as a “native speaker” or someone who has lived abroad for years. So when Tamare Mirundi speaks English, he represents a large group of elites in Uganda, and this is ok as long as people understand what he is trying to say.
Again, it is not just about grammar. Understanding the various regional differences of English or American English can be quite challenging as well. For instance, I can bet several Ugandans would not understand a thing when they hear an English man from Yorkshire or Liverpool(UK) addressing them because of the accent. In the UK itself they accept people that know how to express themselves in good English but they don’t demand them to be from Anglophone countries, or speak English fluently. This means that Dr.Bukenya or Tamare Mirundi can get any job they want in the UK with their level of expression in English.
I am no expert on all these matters, but my personal experience is that there are really big differences between individual people. There are those who live in a country for more than 20 years and still speak the local language with a heavy accent while others are really hard to identify as non-native speakers after only three or four years. I don’t know what the reason for this is.
But of course it does not often happen that people have to be perfect in the language, and I don’t really think this is necessary. If we want an open society in Uganda, we have to be more tolerant against people not perfectly speaking our languages or any foreign language such as English. For instance, there are many people who are native Luganda speakers by birth, like me, but who speak a highly ungrammatical language that is not really rich on vocabulary. Many non-baganda beat their level of language.
It can also be proven that even a native speaker’s fluency is his/her own language can diminish given enough time in another linguistic environment. There has been several notable Ugandans example of this, but I won’t go into it.
Is Ssebagala Illiterate?
Let me also correct people one thing: Ssebagala Nasser is not an illiterate man as he can read and write. He can read and write Luganda fluently. He can read English but cannot speak it fluently. So their use of the word ‘illiterate’ is totally misplaced. But then again, history has shown that illiteracy is not in any way a measure of one’s intelligence. For instance, according to Islamic scriptures, prophet Muhammad (SAW) never knew how to read and write but he managed to spread Islam under very difficult conditions, and Islam today has got second biggest following after Christianity.
Wealth and intelligence
It is true that wealthy people are generally more intelligent than average all over the world. But this is not the same as saying that the current Mayor of Kampala,Hajji Sebagala, is more intelligent than Mao, but it is very possible. I don’t know, but it’s very possible, since intelligence is very difficult to quantify.My argument here all hinges on the word “generally,’ and I hope some people don’t equivocate on the meaning of that word. Yes, there is a distinct subset of wealthy people that are less intelligent than average but overall the rich tend to be smarter. That is a fact!
Alhajji Ssebagala, James Mulwana and most rich Kampala men are more street smart than the likes of Mao, and they are probably more intelligent than the likes of Mao. Probably, if Ssebagala had decided to invest more of his time in first acquiring more degrees before business, ‘theoretical’ elites would now be calling him so intelligent, because their definition of intelligence is on how much qualifications someone has got.
Look, Uganda, unlike USA or UK, people just don’t become rich through stockbrokers and mutual funds. One has to be ‘OMUYIYA’(creative) to make it to the top. Those who make it through straightforward means: acquiring education, getting a job, and becoming rich, are not many. But Pessimists are people who believe in elites and governments. They believe that famous college professors are smarter than ordinary men and women, which is totally wrong.
Education and intelligence
There is this false idea that education = intelligence. Education may lead to understanding of intelligence, but it can just as easily lead one away from their real abilities. We must not confuse education and intelligence with cult of education and intelligence. In many ways, an illiterate Ugandan peasant knows more about human nature, economics, and moral values than some highly educated Uganda bureaucrat steeped in Marxist theory, dialectical materialism, and historicist mumbo jumbo. A person can be highly educated with all the false ideas and idiocies. Only the CULT of education says that a person is more intelligent simply because he’s read more books, has earned a Ph.D. and given lectures.
For instance, I know a lot of uneducated men in Bugerere at Kisega Village, including my grandfather, who act more intelligent than this crop we have now got from Makerere university. For 1000s of years, the most highly educated Chinese believed that business was dirty and exploitative, and so China did not make economic progress like the West.
One can study for years and years, but if the ideas are false or misleading the educated can be more stupid, naive, and ignorant that those who learned of reality through everyday experience. Norbert Mao saw Ssebagala losing the trust of Ugandans by leaning himself more towards president Museveni and NRM, but the ‘intelligent’ Mao has been publicly praising president Museveni several times. The ‘intelligent’ Mao thinks that a fragmented opposition can stop NRM from leading Uganda for more 30 years.
That’s why I discourage people to go for postgraduate studies for the sake of beautifying their CV. One needs to find himself before going for further studies. We have all got abilities which we never exploit just because we are rushing to impress the society and those around us.
Is Mao more intelligent than Ssebagala?
Intelligence can’t even be quantified, let alone measured – and I see zero evidence anywhere that Mao is more intelligent than Ssebagala. If we define intelligence in terms of “success,” then Ssebagala has done well for himself than Mao.Speaking English fluently does not make Mao more intelligent.For instance,the computer with an NLP software understands plain English -but it is only as intelligent as its rules & database allow it to. It cannot acquire intelligence or use common sense.
Overall, we should all respect each other and never to make a mistake of measuring one’s intelligence, perfection or literacy depending on their fluency in a language. Yes, English is very important and we should all strive to learn it because the prevalence of English as a language of commerce and of technical communication easily connects us to the global village and global opportunities. It’s one of the reasons why I have been advocating for its promotion in East Africa at the expense of Swahilli.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Iddi Amin
FDC Will be the party to beat in the West after Museveni’s exit
01 Jun 2010 35 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, IPC
Dear readers,
I did not wish to comment on the recently released polls by the Daily Monitor because I never take polls done by newspapers very seriously but i was tickled by messages from some Ugandans who seem surprised that Besigye has got a lead of 35 per cent in western Uganda. In any case, I think Dr.Besigye should be with an overall bigger % than what the Daily Monitor poll gave him, because i believe that prresident Museveni is not that popular anymore. I also believe that the Daily Monitor feared to be whacked into some form of a demand for ‘ an apology’ if they had gone ahead with a headline like: ‘New poll puts Museveni vote at 33 per cent’‘. The current government is very good at demanding apologies from media outlets if things do not go their way, as exemplified by the hosting of Dr.Otunu by some radio station in the north.
Nevertheless, I think FDC has started eating into Museveni’s support in the western region and the results in all by-elections so far have been showing this. For instance, Jack Sabiti was the second after the NRM Candidate in Rukingiri by elections, and the gap was not as big as before. Yes, most westerners are satisfied with the status quo but some are not happy with the way they are perceived by the rest of the country, and this may be one of the factors why FDC may do well in 2011. For instance, the Buganda riots last September depicted a country divided along tribal lines, and the biggest casualties were unfairly westerners. I’m saying ‘unfairly’ because some of these westerners have genuinely worked hard to be where they are at the moment.
FDC and Buganda
I also think that FDC is gonna do well in Buganda next year because of the internal friction in DP. I have heard voices of some people in Buganda saying that they will never vote for Norbert Mao even if he kisses the hot flat iron. Ironically, Mao and his supporters have continued to brush this off by simply calling it old tribalism which had embedded DP for a long time. To be fair to him, DP’s strongest base has always been Buganda as Lango is for UPC, but a good leader does not increase party support by alienating the traditional base of that party. Probably, Mr. Mao is not as intelligent as we are made to believe by some people, because he has been approaching the internal problems in DP with a lot of confrontation and overrelying on courts rather than mediation. Atleast,UPC’s Dr.Otunu tried his level best to give Obote’s son a post in his administration, as a way of keeping the Langi happy, before the later selfishly turned it down.
The most important thing for FDC now, as regards to the Buganda vote, is to first of all, work with Mengo and all DP candidates in the region who are IPC friendly. For instance,Honourables:Nambooze and Erias Lukwago, have been working with Besigye for a while, and i see no reason why this relationship wouldn’t continue. Erias,specifically, has been sometimes acting as Besigye’s lawyer in some of the cases brought against him by the government. Nambooze was also supported by Besigye when she needed help most: in her sickness and in the recently concluded Mukono byelections.Surprisingly,DP’s Mao was awol at all times when Nambooze needed help most.
Where is the FDC traditional base?
Sometimes people say that because Besigye cannot beat Museveni in western Uganda, he therefore does not deserve to be given support elsewhere in the country, but this is what the Baganda call ‘OKOTOGERA’( sabotaging in English). President Museveni has already declared himself the ‘king’ of western Uganda.So it becomes difficult for a ”commoner” to fight the king within his territory in such a short time.In most cases, as history shows, one normally needs help elsewhere outside the kingdom to disloge the king. Therefore, nobody expects FDC to take over western Uganda for the little time they have been in existance as a party since 2004 when FDC was founded.Admitedly, even some in FDC accept that this will not be achieved in their life time or as long as president Museveni is still in power, but they have not given up hope or trying for future purposes.
Let us also remember that western Uganda used to be traditionally DP and UPC as confirmed by Museveni in his book: ”Sowing the Mustard Seed”. Bahima were traditionally DP supporters before NRM and Museveni changed this. The Bahima supported DP for historical reasons in Ankole. Just before independence the Protestants who were sharing power with the Bahima Protestants wanted to snatch power from the Bahima aristocratic system (Obugabe of Ankole). Therefore, the Bahima allied with the Catholics to foil the Bahiru protestant move. When DP was therefore formed in the 1950s, nearly all of them joined DP. That’s how the Muhiru prime minister, Nganwa, was toppled in 1962 and replaced with a catholic called Kabeirebo John.
On the other hand, Obote’s UPC also used to have a a lot of support in areas such as Bushenyi and among the Bahiru, but this was also changed when NRM came to power. UPM which later came to be called NRM, started with the recruitment of several Banyarwanda and Bakiiga into FRONASA in the 1980s because there were being discriminated by the Obote government- using guys like Chris Rwakasisi who was so powerful at the time.
Will FDC ever come up with a majority in western Uganda?
Yes, they will probably will when Museveni is out of power. Realistically, I cannot see this happening in the next 10 years because human nature dictates that’ if something sweet is in your mouth, you don’t throw up but continue enjoying it’. Most westerners already feel confortable with president Museveni and see no reason to ‘throw up’. But this situation will change in future and FDC will benefit, just like the north is slowly opening its gates to other parties other than the UPC.The fact is that the future looks bright for FDC unless something happens drastically.Both Old parties and NRM will always watch their backs as long as FDC keeps getting stronger because it is behaving like a cow not locked in a paddock. When a cow is not locked in a paddock, it feeds on everybody’s plantations in the village, and nobody likes that. This kind of cow tends to produce a lot of milk at the end of the day if the villagers dont kill it. So the question is:’ will other parties ever be able to build paddocks for FDC?’. I guess not.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Mengo makes their Big ”Political” Statement since their fall out with NRM
10 Jun 2010 9 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, FDC, IPC, kingdoms, parliament, Politics
People,
We should not get overexcited over the joining of politics by former Mengo ministers till when we see some changes in the Badru Kiggundu Electoral Commission (EC). NRM will still win big in Buganda and other parts of the country in 2011 as long as the EC remains as it is. Several people are going to be forced to stand on NRM ticket in Buganda basically because this is the only way they can go to parliament despite the fact that they don’t like NRM. For instance, two former Mengo ministers: Mr.Muyingo and Mr. Nsamba are standing in Bamunanika and Baale County respectively on NRM ticket yet their intention is to fight for Buganda interests in the next parliament if they get elected. There is also a lady, whose first name is Faridah, intending to stand as MP in Ntenjeru South as NRM yet she is believed not to like NRM, but she was told that she could only go through if she stands on NRM ticket.
NRM will still have the majority in the next parliament and President Museveni will remain president after the 2011 elections as long as the EC remains as it is. All those in the IPC,DP,PPP,………….. know it, and that is why they are putting their bodies on line almost daily to get some reforms in the EC. Unfortunately, the state has unleashed the police and the army on them to ensure that the status quo does not change. I really feel for those IPC women, like FDC’s Ingrid.T, who are harassed by the police every time they try to demonstrate against the EC on streets. Eventually, they will give up because of pressure from their husbands or partners. Ingrid, for example, is a mother and wife, and I don’t think her husband is happy to see his wife being humiliated by the police daily. Nobody wants that.
A friend of mine in Uganda once told me that Nambooze won because they (NRM) let her win, but it will not be the same in 2011. Actually, I watched Ofwono Opondo on NTV-YouTube after the Mukono South elections saying almost the same thing. The fact is that if there are no changes in the EC, it’s going to be difficult for the opposition to protect their votes in 2011. That is a given. DP- Mao is also likely to de-campaign the DP candidates willing to work with the IPC, and Nambooze falls in that category. They have already started a smear campaign against them.
All I know is that, when the Kabaka asked people a few weeks ago to go and register, it raised a lot of eyebrows among the NRM camp, and I think that was the beginning of Mengo’s involvement in the 2011 electoral process. The crossing of the former Katikilos to the IPC and the formation of the Ssuubi organisation was just an icing on the cake. I heard that there were a lot of people queuing up to register after this mobilisation by the Kabaka and this kind of scared the rigging machine and I suspected that Dr.Kiggundu would not give any more extensions after this, whatever the situation on the ground. The IPC leaders are also partly to blame for telling people that they will boycott the elections such that people became reluctant to register in time after that announcement.
The most important thing in all this is for the opposition to combine their forces together before 2011. Candidates from Mengo need to work with the IPC if they want to achieve something in 2011. IPC must think of various ways of counteracting the rigging machine because everything so far shows that NRM is again ready to rig this election. In other words, I cannot see the numbers changing in the next parliament that much if the opposition remains in this fragmented state where Mao’s DP faction is now campaigning against fellow DPs, IPC and Suubi instead of NRM and Museveni.
Lastly, there is nothing like a”no go” area for any political party in Uganda. FDC was created in 2004 but it’s so far the largest political party after NRM, with several candidates in different parts of the country. DP was formed in 1954 but it has only got candidates in Buganda region. NRM was formed in 1981 after Professor Yusuf Lule joined the then UPM headed by Museveni, and Lule became the chairman and Museveni his vice, but NRM has now got candidates in almost all parts of the country including the north. It also replaced DP and UPC in the west among the Bahiru and Bahima.
DP will remain strong in Buganda as long as there are few Baganda in FDC because people still look at FDC as a party for westerners, yet this is not true. You could say that NRM is also looked at in the same way but because they are in power, they can attract a lot of ‘NFUNILAMU WA?” (Selfish and greedy Ugandans) into their party. Once NRM are out of power, that will be the end of them. They have committed a lot of mistakes such that if anybody is to write a big book about them in areas of elections rigging, corruption, murders, tribalism and nepotism, it can sell like a hot cake, and trust me, people will do.
So basically, some Baganda still look at DP as a Baganda party because all their leaders ever since it was formed have been Baganda till recently. The election of Mao as the DP president is likely to force some DP supporters in Buganda to vote for the IPC candidates rather than those fronted by Mao. Some of these IPC candidates who may benefit from this situation are likely to be DP (minus Mao) or FDC. So we are likely to see some FDC candidates in Buganda in the next parliament. Secondly, I don’t think DP have got strong structures in all constituencies in Buganda such that any party is capable of benefiting from this. FDC have now got structures in almost all parts of the country, but most importantly they have got money to sponsor all their candidates if we are to take Besigye’s announcements seriously.
I think Ugandans do not elect people basing on their parties but they do so because of their personalities, tribes, qualifications, and religion. As such, Ssemujju nganda will stand in Kyandondo on FDC ticket but people will only vote for him as Ssemujju Nganda not because of his affiliation with FDC. This will be the same for every candidate who intends to stand as MP anywhere in the country. Multi party politics has not yet sank in among Ugandans but we shall eventually get there. If FDC can source out strong Baganda candidates to stand in Buganda, then they will do just fine in Buganda. There is nothing like a ”no go” area in politics. I had a dream the other time when Lango had become an NRM stronghold, and i think one day Lango will be switched to another party other than UPC.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Mao & and His Group Are as Fake as the Regime they claim to oppose
13 Jun 2010 8 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, IPC, Lule and Uganda politics, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Moshi conference 1979, Obote and UPC, Politics, Presidency, Tribalism
Dear friends,
How does DP expect to decampaign IPC but at the same time expect them to cooperate with DP at parliamentary level during the 2011 election? I listened to Mr. Mathias Nsubuga who is the DP’s Secretary General, today on London based Ngoma radio, and he quoted a lot of history, how alliances have historically weakened DP due to loss of members,blah blah. But he clearly missed the gist of the point why opposition parties in developing nations form coalitions: the incumbent always uses the state apparatus to frustrate the opponents and therefore it becomes difficult for an opposition party to win an election on their own.
Mathias Nsubuga rightly quoted the alliance made in 1961 between KY and UPC and what later happened afterwards in 1966, but he forgot to tell people that the alliance had received its initial objective which was to stop Ben Kiwanuka from becoming the Prime minister. Whatever happened afterwards can be attributed to other factors but not the alliance itself. It should also be noted that between 1961 and 1971,DP lost members to UPC despite the fact that they were not part of any alliance at that time. For instance, UPC catched a big fish in 1964 when the then DP Secretary General, who was also the leader of the opposition, Mr. Basil Bataringaya, crossed to UPC.
The alliance made at Moshi in 1979 also achieved its initial objective of removing Iddil Amin Dada from power. The different groups that were fighting Amin on their own could not have achieved this objective. On the military front, FRONASA, Kikosi Malumu and others had to combine efforts to fight dictator Amin. Whatever happened afterwards, like the forced resignation of Professor Yusuf Lule, cannot be attributed to the disadvantages of an alliance. But if we had people that reason like DP-Mao at the time, probably Iddil Amin would have remained a president of Uganda for longer.
After the 1980 elections where UPC openly rigged and denied DP a chance to take over power for the first time since independence, again a mother of all alliances had to be formed to kick out dictator Milton Obote . Before the alliance was formed, DP again lost its members to other parties particularly the ‘third force’ which was formed by former UPC members who wanted to fight Obote but did not want to join DP. For instance, the ‘third force’ recruited DP members such as:Matia Kasajja of Hoima, Bernard Buzaabo, Dr. Bwambale and several others. So the argument that DP only loses members after alliances had been formed does not hold water at all. Secondly, if different parties had not worked together, probably Late Obote Militon woul have died the president of Uganda since he had the support of Julius Nyerere who was controlling Uganda through a remote control from Tanzania.
DP claims that they lost a lot of members after 1986 through an alliance formed with Museveni at the time to form a broad based government but I think this is a fallacy meant to hide the internal weaknesses of the party. Those DP members who decided to remain in NRM other than returning to DP would have done the same if those very privileges they enjoyed while in NRM had been offered to them outside this alliance. For instance, president Museveni has managed to get on board UPC guys like Agrey Awori, without necessarily forming an alliance with UPC itself. He also unsuccessfully tried to recruit UPC’s giant lady, Cecilia Ogwal, during the CA elections when the issues of federo had caught fire in parliament, and he therefore needed UPC to be on his side to block Buganda from getting federo.
Let’s assume that we take DP’s reason to lose their members to other parties because of alliances as a bit weighing, but how does DP explain their hypocritical claims that they would be ready to form an alliance with the IPC if president Museveni does not get the 51% required for some to win all election. Will this not make them lose their members to other parties OR the party will be strong then after just a period of 7 months to the elections?
Finally, I’m still so skeptical about Mr.Mao’s presidential candidature and intentions because this is not the first time he is talking about a Nile Republic. He at one time wanted the north to secede from the south. He is a secessionist like JEEMA’s Hussein Kaynjo and this is not material for a Uganda president. He does not really believe in One Uganda, One people project. Secondly, because Mao has been elected DP president by one faction of DP, he is gonna affect the fortunes of the IPC candidate in the north since some people in the north believe in him. With this, president Museveni does not need to win the north to remain the president of Uganda come 2011 since Mao would do the job for him. If DP-Mao also fields candidates in Buganda in 2011, then the Buganda opposition vote will be divided between the IPC and DP-Mao candidates .It will actually be the same everywhere if Mao goes ahead to think in terms of ‘ONLY DP’ and ‘ONLY MAO’.
With that I can only conclude that by DP-Mao staying away from IPC, they are looking at themselves as bigger than anybody else and I find this arrogant and sickly. The reasons they give for not joining the IPC are as fake as the current regime in power. Therefore, any sane Ugandan who is tired of the Museveni regime should shan them completely. Only IPC candidates should be supported in the 2011 elections by opposition supporters. I hope the donors do the same thing.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Journalists should stick together if they want to fight for Media Freedom in Uganda
17 Jun 2010 19 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, East Africa, FDC, media in Uganda
Dear readers,
It would be wrong for some Newvision journalists to defend the governnment on media freedom howevermuch they love president Museveni. So many things have been done to journalists under Museveni such that history will judge him harshly:
1n 1993, the government stopped government offices from giving any advertisement business to the Monitor newspaper, just because they wanted to run it down, which some in the NRM call ‘dying naturally due to mismanagement’. The monitor lost about 70% of its advertisement revenue till when this decision was reversed in 1997.
The first journalist to be convicted of sedition charges since independence was haruna Kanabi of the Shariat. This did not happen even under Obote or Iddil Amin. Brother Haruna was jailed for 5 months and its unfortunate that some journalists are not fighting for each other but instead concentrate on praising the regime in power.
In 2002, the Monitor was shut down for a week for publishing a story alleging that a military helicopter had come down while pursuing rebels in northern Uganda. At the moment, all eyes on the Uganda Observer to see if they will survive the onslaught of the government hard arms, after publishing a story claiming that Museveni will chop off Mengo’s head.
On 17th Nov 2005, the Daily Monitor offices were raided by the security operatives because they suspected the newspaper was printing posters appealing to well-wishers for money to defend the then remanded leading presidential challenger, Kizza Besigye, and other political prisoners.
My argument is not based on the latest developments such as: the new media laws banning radio stations from playing Buganda’s ‘ekitibwa kyabuganda’ or national anthem, the closure of CBS fm and other radio stations; the constant appearance in courts of journalists such Andrew Mwenda; assaulting,torturing, and imprisoning Sserumaga after his appearance on WBS after the Buganda riots, e.t.c. The fact is that there is no press freedom in Uganda and I’m surprised that some journalists are defending the government position on this instead of fighting for the rights of the media.
The story published by the weekend Digest in 1986 was false but it did not warrant closing up the newspaper. How could any foreign power really sabotage Uganda’s peace process by supporting DP millitarily, a party that is always full of ”cowards” as we all know. The paper should never have been closed. May be this action alone should have warned us about president Museveni after closing a paper just 6 months into power.
I don’t know much about what’s happening in other East African countries since some people argue that there is relative media freedom in Uganda compared to our neigbours but i certainly know what happens in the UK and Uganda. All i know is that president Museveni is very good at playing the international image better than any president Uganda has ever had. For instance, Uganda was among the first countries in E.A to sign the Windhoek Declaration on Press Freedom, which was formulated in 1991. This did not mean that president Museveni is for press freedom but he did it to protect his image internationally because 7 years down the line after this, he was trying to get a law that will punish any journalist that publishes ‘false news’. Thank God, the judiciary rejected this in 2004.
‘If a media house is accused of publishing or airing wrong information/news yet it believes and has evidence that it is right, what should that media house do? ”
The media house should stick to its story whatever the initimidation from the govt or anybody else. There is no newspaper that publishes something when they have not got some shreds of evidence somewhere,and this is what it bases on to publish a story. Whether the stroy is true or false, that’s another ball game altogether. But then again, who determines what is a wrong story without ”reliable” evidence? For instance, evenif the govt produces a video showing Museveni’s speech in Bunyoro, who determines whether that video is genuine or not? The video can easily be edited by those who want to make the whole thing go away. This is the reason why in 2004 the judge threw out the Section 50 of the Ugandan Penal Code (Cap. 120), which criminalises publication of ‘any false statement, rumour or report which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or to disturb the public peace’. It was a fundamental win for the journalists/media in Uganda. The judge declared that section 50 was open to misinterpretation and abuse on political grounds, and therefore was not ‘acceptable and demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society’. This was after the govt brought a case against two monitor journalists over ‘false news’.
‘If government finds that a certain media house is publishing or airing wrong information/news, what should the government do?”
The government should approach the media house for correction and also issue a warning. Remember a warning is a form of punishment in political terms. If this fails, then courts of law should be involved, and it should be the courts Of law to determine the closure of a media outlet not the govt. We should never allow the government, in this case the president through the media Council or Broadcasting Cooperation, to close down any media outlet. It sets a bad Precedent in the country.
Remember, even the courts are not so free but atleast they cannot easily twist the law in favour of the incumbent. That’s why they should be the one to determine the final fate of any media outlet not the office of the president.The office of the president can always abuse this process, like it was done with the CBS fm.For instance, a magistrate who handled Onyango Obbo and Andrew Mwenda’s case in 1997 over DR Congo story, was corrupt ,but somehow the two journalists survived spending even a day in jail because his hands could not twist the law.
Now ,because the order to close Buganda’s CBS fm came from the executive arm of the govt, every judge in Uganda does not wish to handle that CBS vs Govt case. It is as suicidal as the treason cases brought againt Dr.Kiza Besigye.That’s why courts will keep recommending ‘mediation’ between the CBS and state, because everyone is afraid of pointing it out that CBS was illegally closed.
So what im saying, as long as all journalists come out with one voice, they will set a landmark for press freedom in Uganda, because atleast Museveni allows them to use the courts to fight for themselves, unlike Obote who used to trash most of the court decisions. But they cannot do this when some of them are praising the president most of the time even he gets it wrong.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Yes, We Still Need An Army in Uganda but A Professional One is better
29 Jun 2010 30 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Obote and UPC, UPDF
Dear friends,
In reference to an article written by Mr.Acemah in the Daily Monitor recently, I think we still need a national army in Uganda but it shouldn’t be in the current form the UPDF is in right now if what was written in the Observer newspaper by Ssemujju Nganda last week is true. What we need to work on is the unity and professionalising our army in Uganda. UPDF is so fragmented into special units and this is a classic exercise of divide and rule by the powers be.The end result in this is that one unit can easily be played by the leader in power against the other and this is not good for everybody in the long run.For example, Jordan and Yogoslavia have got a united army and they seem to be doing better than states like Saudi Arabia and Palestine, which have got several security factions. No wonder the Isrealis have always done well against the Arab armies.
President Museveni has learnt from the recurrent coups and elite infighting that characterized the previous regimes in Uganda and therefore, he has institutionalized the internal ‘divide and rule’ structures within the security forces to make sure that coups are history in Uganda.Obote and Amin had these same structures in place but they were not properly institutionalised and that is why they had to lose power sooner compared to president Museveni. It is a model that has been adopted by all ‘modern’ dictators of this 21st century from late Sadama Hussein(Iraq), Robert Mugabe(Zimbabwe), Hussain Mubaraka(Egypt) and Gadaffi(Libya), and it is very effective in keeping the anemies more disorganised and fearful of one another.
Most of the dictators rule on the basis of tribe or regional solidarity or a combination of both, and president Museveni is certainly no different from the others. As a former Dutch ambassador and scholar of Syrian politics put it, ‘it takes a village to rule Syria’. Yet a village or a tribe cannot possibly provide the manpower needed to control the population of the whole country but it can sometimes be effective if a leader plays it well to his advantage. In Syria, for example, the Alawites make up 12 per cent of the population. Even supposing that all Alawites are loyal to the regime, and that all in the relevant age groups would join the security forces, they could still provide less than 14 security personnel per thousand population – a ratio between security personnel and general population that is less than half the ratio that presently exists in Syria. The president of Syria, Bashar Asad, comes from the Allawite tribe and they are the one dominating the ‘juicy’ positions of leadership in the army and public service despite their small numbers. Under Sadam Hussein, the al-Bu Nasir tribe and the Suunis used to dominate the ‘juicy’ positions in the army and public service.
Similarly,the same dynamics have characterised all the long serving leaders Uganda has ever had, from Obote in 1960s to now Museveni. They have all created factions in the security forces being led by their cronies with a primary objective being to protect the regime in power by policing and monitoring society. This is not good because it prolongs the whole idea of having a proper national or professional army in Uganda, since the army tends to be mainly equipped to defend the regime in power rather than doing anything else. For instance, Iraq almost lost the war against Iran in 1980s because Saddam Hussein had fragmented the Republican army into different factions though he later corrected this in 1984 after he gave in to army commanders and strengthened and made the Republican Guard forces more professional,a factor that helped him to push Iran a little bit.
No wonder, then, that most of the ‘life presidents’ don’t allow combined army operations or training to become routine because this could easily lead to unity in the army. Incidentally, the fragmentation principle is even reflected in ensuring that the various security forces receive different weapon systems. I’m not privy to UPDF operations but I’m sure that you gonna find that some of these characteristics are there. Perhaps, the UPDF was more united and effective when they used to fight external wars and Kony in 1990s than right now where almost all eyes are telling them to protect the regime in power. For example, the Vietnamese army was effective against the US army because the communist government never interfered with the internal operations of the army. They gave their commanders some bits of independence.
Basically, the argument here is that an army is very important to matters of national security and we should all support its existance, but at the same time it needs to be professionalized on a regular basis. The French army was arguably professional enough but still former president, Jacques Chirac, had to announce more reforms in the French army in 1996 to make sure it is at per with the dynaics of the world. UPDF can also be similarly be turned around to become an army we are all proud of if those in power put their ‘executive’ minds to it.If Obote had not messed up the army in the 1960s and 1980s, we probably would be a better step forward right now. We should find a way of stopping this business of rendering the existing army absolete every time the regime in power changes in Uganda. Please It’s not too late to turn the UPDF around into something we are all proud of.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
Suubi 2011 is Like an ‘unofficial wife’ of Mengo whether we like it or not!
09 Jul 2010 8 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, FDC
Dear readers,
Mengo or rather Katikiro’s message to distance the kingdom from Suubi was just timely and perfect. It will reduce on the pressures Mengo were getting from some corners, particularly from DP-Mao and NRM. It will also stop voices that have been publicly saying that IPC and Suubi are dragging the Kabaka into politics. Even those who have been branding Suubi as another Kabaka Yekka(KY) will find no excuses this time since the later (KY) was openly supported by the Kabaka in 1961-62.
In other words, Kattikiro’s message to Suubi-2011 is like a married man who tells his mistress to stop telling people that they are an item. Once a woman starts sleeping with a married man and at the same time opens her mouth to the public, then there is always gonna be trouble. The alternative is for the woman to accept the way things are and then everybody will be happy.
Similarly, Mengo is telling Suubi-2011 and IPC to recognise that the Kabaka of Buganda is in a ‘fix’ here when it comes to politics in the country. If Suubi was an organisation created to endorse NRM in Buganda, then we would not be getting all these problems, but it’s not. So Suubi have got to tread very carefully while campaigning. People will eventually know how Ssabasajja wants them to vote.It’s also understandable when some DPs say that Suubi brings back bad memories of the 1960s when KY openly went on a mission, with the support of Kabaka Sir Edward Mutesa 11, to stop Ben Kiwanuka from becoming the Prime minister but , then again, most of the current active DPs were not even yet born at that time.
IPC and Buganda Strategy
There are some people in Buganda who cannot buy into the IPC concept on its own. So the IPC delegates, former Katikiros and some sections of DP had to think of something that can get this group of people on board. I was one time hosted on radio Buganda-USA , and from the voices i heard, it looked like some people wanted Buganda to join IPC as an organisation not as individuals. This way, it would give them better negotiating power in case the IPC wins power at some point in future.However, the formation of Suubi may have a knock down effect on IPC if it is not handled very well, because the critics of Suubi are saying that it is an organisation for Baganda only which itself is not true but, as you know, some people take in everything being told by others on board.
I’m one of those who don’t believe in a lot of political parties in the country but as they say: life sucks, so we have got to get on with it. Why the hell do we have Beti Kamya’s UGANDA FEDERAL ALLIANCE(UFA) which in itself is not different from Suubi that much. The only difference between UFA and Suubi is that the former does not believe in IPC but Beti Kamya at the same time supports Suubi.
I particularly just don’t trust Beti Kamya and her party or rather her intentions, and I think that’s why she may not win more than a single seat in the 2011 elections. She started up UFA disguising that she is fighting for federalism but federalism is in every party’s constitution part from NRM. So why didn’t she join up with any of the already established parties and instead started up her own movement? When she was expelled from FDC, why didn’t she join, CP, for instance, which has been agitating for federalism since 1980s? Why form a movement that i hear it is soon going to register as a political party? All these things make some of us sick because their intended outcome is to divide the opposition voting block, and the sole beneficiary in this entire circus is NRM and president Museveni.
But NRM should not count their chickens yet because there are still a lot of foxes out there. Suubi and IPC are basically one thing if one critically analyses all the players behind these two organisations. DP-Kampala, CP,FDC, UPC, JEEMA, SDP are all part of IPC now. So, all they need to do is to find a way of isolating their political enemies in: MAO-DP, PPP(Bidandi Ssali), Bwanika’s party and obviuosly NRM.
Suubi and Challenges
Look, every organisation meets challenges when it has just been formed and Suubi 2011 is no different. By the way, I wish the architects of this organisation had simply called it ‘SUUBI’ instead of ‘ Suubi 2011’ or ‘Suubi lya Buganda” because I can see this thing being still a force after the 2011 elections. The architects must have looked at short term objectives which is a sort of a weakness itself because with Mao dividing the opposition votes, I cannot see the presidency changing in 2011 through the ballot box.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UK
SUUBI IS NOT KY AND WILL NOT LEAD TO THE 1966 CRISIS
11 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, cultures, FDC, kingdoms, Politics
Dear readers,
Some of the Mao supporters have written and said a lot of stuff about the 1966 crisis and Kabaka Yeka( KY) in relation to IPC and Suubi, but they are again scaring Ugandans on matters they seem not to know very well. Yes, they resolved in their latest meeting to de-campaign Suubi and IPC but I think they are going about it wrongly.
DP-Mao and its supporters are replicating what DP did in 1961 when they refused to take the same position as Mengo which was calling for a boycott of national elections because neither the British administration nor the African political parties would guarantee Buganda’s future position within Uganda, and all but three per cent of the electorate stayed away from the polls. DP eventually won 20 of the 21 seats in Buganda but Ben kiwanuka’s aim at that point was to isolate the kingdom from its subjects, and this is exactly what Mao is also doing but we shall see if he will succeed. That is why Mengo have got to do everything in their powers to support Suubi and IPC in Buganda and ensure that they achieve some success at the end of 2011 elections.
KY was formed mainly by Kabaka Mutesa’s friends under the Kakamega club in 1961. These were guys he was with in Buddo but they later became his political advisers in almost everything when he became a king. There were the ones that championed the KY cause. So it’s wrong for some people to say that all of KY was assimilated into UPC by 1964 apart from Daudi Ochieng.
The fact is that If Suubi and IPC can achieve what KY did in 1961 then the opposition will be back in business in 2011. If the opposition can win all the 82 constituencies in Buganda, then that will be a big achievement without any doubt. The Suubi critics are scaring people for no good reasons apart from the fact that it is a threat to parties such as DP-Mao who are selfishly looking at Buganda at their stronghold, and therefore don’t want any other bull in the kraal. FDC is supporting ”Suubi” and IPC like all other parties in the opposition. Yes, FDC is also a threat to old parties like DP but this is not the time for concentrating on individual parties, and this is where Mr. Mao and his DP got it wrong.
The 1966 crisis and the fall of KY was a result of several things that happened mainly in 1964: there was a no confidence motion of March 1964 demanding the resignation of Katikiro Kintu; low coffee prices that weakened the finances of the kingdom coupled by the fact that Obote was also starving the kingdom of funds; losing the referendum over lost counties;e.t.c. The issues in 1964 automatically created the show down in 1966. Some of these issues were caused by Baganda ourselves, i.e. they were internal rather than external, but the Suubi critics seem to concentrate only on the external factors as a cause of the 1966 crisis and later the fall of KY.
So basically, there was nothing wrong with the KY/UPC alliance in 1961 because it achieved its initial objective of keeping away Ben Kiwanuka from power. By 1962, Katikiro Kintu was elected chairman of KY and Buganda kingdom was protected by the federal status, as seen in the 1962 constitution. So the alliance had achieved its initial objective despite what happened in 1966 when Obote abolished kingdoms.
Branding Suubi a new version of KY is not a decisive blow of any sort to this project as some people think. The architects of Suubi must have anticipated it and that is why they included non-Baganda at its launch. I saw Anne Mugisha, Salaam Musumba, Wafula Ogutu, and others in the YouTube video when Suubi was being launched.
I think the critics of Suubi are losing the argument everyday because, for God’s sake, Suubi is not KY, and even if it’s a little bit of KY, what was so bad that KY did that was detrimental to the lives of Ugandans? You see, I can honestly tell you that I was not even born during Obote 1 and I was a toddler during Obote 2 but from what I read and heard about UPC, it’s enough to put off any kid that is yet to be born several years to come. But this is not the same case with KY.
There is a hypothesis that If Suubi does not achieve its objectives in 2011, Buganda kingdom is likely to become weaker politically and I’m surprised that some Kabaka subjects cannot see this. They are instead concentrating on bashing FDC & Besigye and praising Mao, both of whom may become irrelevant after next year’s election.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba United Kingdom
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Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
A War against Alshahab Militants will not make Ugandans safer
19 Jul 2010 16 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, East Africa, FDC, IPC, security
Dear people,
I’m not in agreement with those who are supporting the government’s position to wage a full scale war on Alshabab Militants because history has shown that the war on terror, if it is the one we intend to fight, is not won that way. The attack on Al-shabab Militants is a very small, almost incidental part of the War on Terror, certainly not the heart of the matter.
Therefore, I disagree with president Museveni’s war drums since I believe he is not focusing on the problem of terrorism as in terrorism. It seems he has an agenda that has not been presented to the citizens succinctly. I suspect one of the reasons why the government is war mongering is to get people to think of war instead of domestic issues. Most leaders do so to deflect attention from their inadequacies and I simply think that president Museveni is petty.At this time, I really don’t understand our need to go to war with Alshabab despite the recent bombs in Kampala, because we simply don’t have resources to fight such wars. Perhaps some Ugandans are content with his reasons but I’m not impressed with what he has put on the table.
President Museveni should not fall into the traps of the former US president, George Bush, who after Sep 11th attacks on New York, kept telling Americans and the world that the war on terror will be worn, but later to backtrack on this statement some years later, in an interview broadcast by the ‘Today’ show, where he told host Matt Lauer that he doesn’t think his ‘War on Terror’ is winnable. “I don’t think you can win it,” said Bush. “But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world.”
Of course some of us had already seen it that a war against terror cannot be won by bombing and waging several wars. Terrorism is a weapon. How do you wage war against a weapon?
Religion
It’s also so unfair and wrong when some people generalise that all Muslims are terrorists because they are quite wrong. While there are some scriptures in the Koran which encourages violence ,it is quite pale compared to the bible and that’s a fact. Secondly, some of these verses were revealed to the prophet depending on the circumstances at the time but some writers manipulate them to fit in today’s surroundings.
I know the Koran has a lot to do with the Old Testament and some Christianity because whatever is in it does not really conflict so much with the original books of earlier prophets. But many historians are frustrated the earliest texts are locked away and have been allowed to rot rather than be examined and copied. Few early copies of Koran have been examined and most findings never publish widely. Much of history is threatened or political correctness forces it off shelves.
There are over a billion Muslims in the world and about 9 millions in Uganda. If they all supported Kampala’s 711th bombings ,we would already have a hell of a problem on our hands. It is therefore wrong to call Somali alshab militants ”Muslim combatants” and ”Jihadists” instead of simply “the terrorists” and the “evil doers”. It is simply an insult to the rest of the peaceful Muslims in Uganda or the rest of the world.
Terrorism is simply a tactic of war and in the past has been used even by the Western democracies, e.g. the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the fire bombings of Hamburg and Dresden Germany. So it is simply wrong to call the warriors of al Qaeda, Hezbelloh, Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, etc, ”Muslim” terrorists.So I have a better idea: Hold individuals accountable for their acts, don’t collectivize and group based on alleged beliefs, and have a counter-terrorism policy that does not play into the hands of extremists who say we are true to our evil core of conquest and killing for the sake of wealth and power.
I must also point out that Islam has no central religious authority like the Vatican in Catholicism. So there is conflict over interpretation of some verses and sayings of the prophet, as some claim Koran calls for slavery to god, others say servant, some obedience, some say it is presented in strict format. So we have Sunni and Shi’te and other splinters all over the place though personally, im just a Muslim without any alliance to any sect.
Some people say that Islam was forcibly exported to other regions but this was also the case for christianity in parts such as Spain and America. Spanish colonialists forcibly exported Christianity and they were after gold, not souls, while the people that conquered what is now Saudi Arabia were unambiguously after souls.I don’t have enough information to measure Saudi religious oppression against, say, that of Spain on its own territory , but there were certainly periods of forcible Christian expansion.
Old pagan religions, Mithraism, Gnosticism, Arianism, and non-Christian Judaism all just didn’t disappear out of Europe because the Catholics employed sweet reason on infidels and heretics. Christianity also came to Europe wading in blood.Besides the Spaniards in the new world, most of European colonialism had a religious component. Europe conquered the world and religion was a part of that.
IPC and terrorism
Now that we already know NRM position on fighting terrorism, we would like to know FDC’s stand on this since we have been reading conflicting reports from the party officials ever since the bombings on 11th July. Is it really asking so much for the second largest political party in Uganda to put forth some official statement of position on terrorism and how to deal with it? It shouldn’t have to be an election trick.IPC should also have an official position on this instead of newspapers quoting Besigye and Lukyamuzi as having different views on the issue.
I think the perception among some Ugandans is that the FDC and the rest of the opposition would simply shut down the war on terror and commit to a policy of appeasement and apologism. So I call upon the opposition to break that perception and show us that there’s other people besides president Museveni committed to addressing the problem of terrorism in Uganda and Africa in general.
Solution to terrorism
I consider terrorists to be like criminals as like any other. As such, the way to get rid of (we’ll never get rid of evil) is to simply limit them through detective work. We can use the military for crushing pesky folks, but the way to limit these folks is through detective work, infiltration, Intel, seizure of money, but military muscle should be a last resort.
One defeats terrorism by undermining the conditions which breed terrorists. Economic inequality, crushing poverty, shattered educational infrastructures, rampant violence and a total lack of hope are the soil in which suicide bombers germinate. Until one get rid of those, there will always be terrorism. Period. Somalia is fertile with such conditions such that a simple act of war will never make Ugandans safer in any way.We should do more assessment before we think of a war with Alshahab militants because i believe it may breed more problems for our people.
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Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
http://ugandamuslims.wordpress.com/
Massive Industrialisation in all East African countries will reduce the dominance of Kenya
23 Jul 2010 1 Comment
in East Africa, Economics, federalism in Uganda, history, international, Presidency
Dear people,
The remake of the East African common market or community (EAC) is the utopian dream of all good globalists / global socialists like me. “Community” is sometimes called “space” for everybody to enjoy but the EAC goal is clear: a common economic space for all people in the region, a space in which trade, capital, and people flow freely. Therefore, the EAC’s “integrated” strategy calls for a more open border for the movement of goods and people.
However, it is absurd to believe that suddenly we can create a global free trading area, a common market with, for example, Kenya, without massive changes leading to consequences that we cannot anticipate. For example, in common market countries college education is free but where is the room for this in our EAC recently reborn.
The East African Common market was started in 1917 at a pre-industrialisation stage in the region. It was also started to serve the British business interests and those of settlers in Kenya. Therefore, it came as no surprise that when joint services were established in 1945, Kenya benefited more than Uganda and Tanganyika.
Kenya benefitted in terms of :value added to their Gross Domestic Product(GDP); more employment benefits and revenue. For instance, according to the Common market & Economic Affairs Secretariat, in 1971, the East Africa Railways employed: 55% Kenyans, 33% Tanzanians and 12% Ugandans.Kenya also had a higher manufacturing base than either Uganda or Tanzania, a situation that has not changed up to day. Our system is second rate at best, we are far behind Kenya and Tanzania.
As a way of correcting this inequitable situation the British had created in the first place before independence, the colonial government established the Raisman Commission in 1960. According to Professor Brown, who was a member of the Raisman Commission, Kenya gained most from the common market, Uganda gained marginally and Tanzania broken even. Therefore, fiscal compensation to Tangayika and Uganda through the distribution tool was recommended, as one of the solutions to this inequity. Nevertheless, the fiscal compensation failed to solve this problem because the sums involved were far short of what would be needed to lead to developments of industries in the two marginalised countries(Uganda and Tanganyika), and the sums that would be considered adequate would be too great for Kenya to accept. I’m now wondering what exactly was negotiated recently by the architects of the East African community to solve this problem.
In addition, the experience of the European Union and the World Trade Organization makes it clear that a common market requires a court system, so it will be in order for us to have an East African court as soon as possible where cases of higher magnitude will be settled.
But just as in Europe, where such a Common Market led to a European political union, a hemispheric EAC will mean an eventual end of Uganda’s separate identity and national sovereignty. Much as this is good, how do we integrate ideas such as: Buganda federalism or Uganda federalism instead of dreaming that they will just go away with the East African federation? This is something the architects of the E.A.C need to think about now instead of constantly brushing it under the carpet.
We also need a thought through East Africa Constitution that can, for instance, help with guiding the election process and rigging among member countries.Elections have been rigged in Uganda in 1980,2001 and 2006 and Uganda courts admitted this but nothing really changed.We probably need an East African court that can help such things. For instance, In USA, there was “free trade” or common market between the states from 1787 through 1865, and It was the whole point of the new Constitution.
Overall, the main way the East African common market will economically benefit all the member countries is if they all undertake large scale industrialisation projects, because with appropriate distribution, this can reduce substantially the inequality that mainly led to fall of the community in 1977.If we don’t address all this economic imbalances, Kenya will continue to benefit more than others and the EAC Common market will dissolve in future and every country will return to its everyone against everyone else mentality.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Those Fighting Suubi and IPC are the most selfish of Ugandans!
23 Jul 2010 11 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, culture, FDC, IPC, kingdoms, Politics
Dear readers,
I’m for Uganda but not for really ‘so many political parties’. In other words, I’m not ‘married’ to any ‘bogus’ political party or organisation. By ‘bogus’ I mean any political party that does not really fight for Ugandans but its leaders. It’s the very reason why NRM are no longer for me because they are just fighting for president Museveni to remain in power regardless. Groups such as Kiboko squard and Kalangala are basically there to make sure that the status quo in the country never changes.Anybody who tries to change it in NRM, he is immediately whipped back in line and If one continues being stubborn then one faces the ‘Besigye’ disciplinary measures.
Nevertheless, I get so astonished when we spend a lot of our energy and efforts on the survival of certain political parties rather than the interests of our country. For instance, all those fighting ‘Suubi’ and IPC are doing so because they want DP to continue to survive in Buganda. They don’t want another bull in the kraal. Mao is fighting all other opposition parties basically for his survival and nothing else!
Cartoon by John Nsubuga (member of UAH forum)
Some Mao supporters are trying to make a meal out of what was said by both Cardinal Wamara and ex-Katikilo Muliika in regards to Suubi and IPC, but the context of their words is no different from what was officially said by the Katikiro of Buganda. In other words, these two guys aren’t doing anything to burry Suubi but they are trying to keep the Kabaka away from politics which i think is good and bad. Good, because it will not bring him further problems with the central govt, and I suspect somebody from statehouse asked the cardinal to take this noble responsibility. So we are likely to see a lot of noise in the next few months coming from specific people to remind us that Suubi is not a Kabaka project. It’s a task that has been put on their heads and they have got to fulfill it.
It’s bad because the Kabaka is slowly being distanced away from politics in Uganda since 1966 yet he has got constitutional rights to participate in non-partisan politics, and it is an indicator of the gradual extinction of the Buganda kingdom or all kingdoms from Uganda. In other words, they are slowly being rendered irrelevant to people’s lives. If they cannot do anything about Uganda politics and economics which are the two main things that matter to the people of this country, then what is their use anymore? People are gonna say they are still relevant to ’Culture’ but what is really ‘culture’? This thing called ‘culture’ will keep changing till when people start determining their own culture. It’ s already happening here in Europe where you dress anything you want as long as you feel like it, and somebody is gonna say:’ that’s how it’s should be”. So if Mengo/Kabaka is also limited on how much business he can conduct too, as it was reported by the Eddobbozi newspaper that the MTN deal was hijjacked from Mengo by the central government, then the future of the Buganda kingdom is at stake here.
To be honest, if organisations like Suubi are being fought left and right by the same Baganda/Ugandans that are supposed to protect them, then Mengo is in trouble.If suubi proves to be useless come 2011, then Mengo will become weaker and weaker. Just watch this space! We may say as much as we want but Suubi is Kabaka’s hidden stick against the central government. So the question is: ‘where is our loyalty as Baganda?”. Is it only DP and Mao or Kabaka? Is it in DP and Mao or in Uganda too? Is it in NRM & Museveni or in Kabaka too?
Byebyo ebyange mikwano gwange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Mao is the Best Gift the Opposition has ever given to Museveni’s political Career
25 Jul 2010 24 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, FDC, history
Dear readers,
I’m one of those who rarely opens my mouth against anything I know that has been baked in Mengo because I believe ‘EBYOMUNJU TEBITOTOLWA’( in house matters should be resolved in-house’. Suubi is without a doubt a product of mengo and it’s Kabaka’s hidden stick.
Several people have been openly fighting Katikiro Walusimbi’s administration because they believe he has done nothing for Buganda and that he is working for the Museveni government, but I have been one of those who have been calming the waters down because I believe that if people start fearing that post(Katikirorism), we will end up with no kingdom at all as it happened in 1966.
Courtesy of John Nsubuga (member of UAH forum)
In 1964, S. Semakula, a member from the Saza (county) of Mawokota, was one of those hell bent on squeezing out Katikiro kintu , not knowing that he was slowly squeezing out the Buganda kingdom. Semakula kept on banging his chest about the same things some of you are doing so now in regard to the current Katikiro, Suubi and IPC, and Obote was just enjoying the movie being played in front of him waiting for his moment. Take it from me when i say that president Museveni is also just waiting for his moment as long as Baganda keep fighting each other.
The problems Kintu was facing then(in 1964) are the same problems Katikiro Walusimbi is facing now: Buganda’s worsening financial and political relations with the central government; the growing stagnation of the Ganda economy; the inefficiency of the Ganda administrative system. The first problem was majorly created by Obote who was hell bent on starving Mengo and Kabaka of funds, just as President Museveni is doing the same.
Unlike KY, Suubi has been formed after the current president of Uganda had shown his true intentions towards Buganda. KY was primarily formed to fight Ben Kiwanuka’s DP not Obote. The problems Buganda is facing now were not such a big deal at the time when KY was formed. These problems are affecting everybody in Buganda including those in DP-Mao who have made it their mission to fight Suubi and IPC in Buganda for selfish reasons. Surprisingly, they are not afraid to turn around and tell Ugandans that DP-Mao is Buganda’ s best ally which is a total lie. Which kind of ally is this who thinks that the only way Buganda can achieve its objectives is by having a divided opposition in the region?
The truth is that Mao was the best gift DP has ever given to president Museveni’s political career. We were hoping that the opposition will be united in 2011 such that president Museveni is beaten hands down in elections, and then we leave him to force himself on us, but Mao made sure that he spoils the party. So our champagne bottles have gone back to the freezers till 2016, if we are still alive by then.
The Baganda fighting Suubi now are not different from the same Baganda who were fighting KY and Katikiro Kintu in 1964. Coincidentally, the Ben Kiwanuka supporters in Buganda continued to oppose KY and Kintu’s administration till when KY buried itself some years later. Surprisingly, some of the KY members also started fighting Katikiro Kintu yet he had openly endorsed them. So let’s hope that the current Katikro, Walusimbi, will not openly be seen fighting or supporting Suubi anymore than it is necessary, because they could both go down together if the situation is not handled properly.
So I call upon members of Suubi to stick to their objectives and aims whatever thorns are put in front of them by some DP and NRM members. Let them emulate men such as: Antoni Tamale, (a member KY and of the Ndaiga investigation committee and a Lukiko member since 1962 and secretary of the Lukiko Elected Members Organisation (LEMO)), and Hajji Busungu, who did everything possible to keep KY intact, only to be betrayed by a few people. As people in Kampala say: ‘BALEMELE KUNSONGA’. Let Suubi work with IPC and Besigye whatever DP throws at them.
If we are to go by what has been quoted by some DP members as their party’s contribution to Mengo, then i think we are in trouble, because president Museveni and NRM have done a lot for Mengo in that respect than all political parties combined. The government contributed a lot of money to Kabaka’s Mutebi’s coronation and his wedding to Nabagereka Sylivia lateron but in what spirit did they do these things. The truth is that there is nothing that much DP has ever done for Mengo. Ben Kiwanuka was once a friend of Sir Edward Mutesa as president Museveni was once a close ally of Kabaka Mutebi.
It will be interesting to see both Mao and Museveni in 2011 de-campaigning Honourable Beti Nambooze in Mukono north elections while Besigye, Otunu, IPC and Suubi campaigning for her. I think we have started getting the picture of how things are gonna be: Mao & Museveni Vs IPC and Suubi. Obviously, newsmen are gonna have a field day in the coming elections.I can only compare this to a Liverpool manager supporting Manchester United for a tittle! I’m sure if a manager does that at Liverpool, the fans will call for his sack straightaway, but surprisingly Mao can get away with it and i wonder why.
Byebyo banange
ABBEY
GOVERNMENT SHOULD LEAVE KALYEGIRA ALONE
06 Aug 2010 15 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Legal issues, media in Uganda, Politics, security
Dear people,
I agree with the Daily Monitor’s Daniel Kalinaki analysis of Timothy Kalyegira as a conspiracy theorist rather than a terrorist or seditionist (going by the charges laid against him by the government). There is an old saying that one can never convince anyone who doesn’t wish to be convinced and I think whatever Kalyegira writes is up to the readers to make up their own minds on whether it’s true or not. I don’t believe in conspiracy theories but I think it’s wrong for a government to arrest a journalist for writing something that they feel very passionate about. As long as the media, TV journalists in particular, continue to leave some important questions lying dormant, people will continue to write their own opinions and there is very little the state can do about it.
It’s now acceptable worldwide that anyone who questions the settled version is ridiculed as another one of those “conspiracy nuts” but I think arresting and charging a journalist or anybody with sedition is a step too far. This kind of situation discourages further investigations, disparages all independent thinking, and all further efforts to find answers to all the unanswered questions simply peter out.
The July bombings in Kampala were as shocking as the September 11th attack on New York and several conspiracy theories were written after these attacks. Alexander Emerick Jones is on of USA’s ‘conspiracy theorist’ and journalist but the government there has never arrested him for sedition.
Film maker, Michael Moore, did a documentary titled ‘fahrenheit 9 11’’ that indicated that 9/11 was really a CIA plot but nobody searched his house or asked passwords for his emails. Another documentary titled ‘Loose Change’ ridiculously came to the same conclusion as that of Michael Moore’s and some people loved it. Moore’s documentary delayed being released in USA due to its controversy but it was allowed in time here in Britain, and I was among the first batch to watch it in the cinema.
Craig Unger also wrote an informative book which he called ‘House of Bush, House of Saud’, and it criticizes the Bush administration for allowing so many Saudis, including the relatives of bin Laden, to leave the country quickly after Sep 11th, while all other flights were grounded, without being questioned about the terrorist attacks. Unger cites FBI and Police agents as witnesses, but he also never faced the same wrath as Uganda’s Timothy Kalyegira after the bombings in Kampala.
What actually the then CIA director and Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates, did after conspiracy theorists went into gear was to issue a press statement in June 2005, stating that:”The American people know what they saw with their own eyes on September 11, 2001. To suggest any kind of government conspiracy in the events of that day goes beyond the pale.” They didn’t need to arrest people who differed with the government position on matters.
The truth is that several conspiracy theories have existed in our life time and several others will come up after us. For example: the owner of Fulham FC here in England, Alfayeed, also came up with a theory that Princess Diana and his son, Dodi, were murdered, but the UK government didn’t arrest him. He actually spent a lot of money on this investigation but it yielded nothing and now he has let it go.
There is also a theory that soft drink Fanta was invented by the Nazis but we are still enjoying our Fanta, don’t we?
When president Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, innumerable theories were written about him. Oliver Stone made a film called ‘JFK’ and it sold like hotcakes worldwide. The same Oliver did a film on Ronald Reagan when he was shot, titled “The Day Reagan Was Shot,” and he made a lot of money out of it. Reagan was shot and critically wounded on March 30, 1981.
In Uganda, up to now, people don’t believe that General Kazini was indeed murdered by a mere woman despite several contrary reports by the government.
Therefore, Please I request the government to leave Timothy Kalyegira alone. The police who arrested and charged him should be the one to be charged with sedition: for attempting to turn our Constitutional Republic into a Dictatorship. The sedition Act was introduced in USA in 1918 during World War I basically because it was a very unpopular war and therefore suppression of speech was necessary at the time, but the last sedition case to the U.S. Supreme Court was Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), when it overturned conviction of a KKK leader on similar grounds as in Yates. KKK leader advocated in speech the use of violence to effect political change. He was convicted under Ohio statute banning advocating violence for political change but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it; saying law must distinguish between advocacy of ideas and incitement to unlawful conduct. This is the law today.
The bottom line is that the events of July bombings need a better investigation. Maybe most of the events were close to what the government and mainstream wants to claim, but there are definitely unanswered questions and Ugandans wishes to know them. The issue is all about lack of trust between the government and the people they lead, a loop hole some people will always exploit.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
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Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
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‘TUKUDENDEREZA’(praising) president Museveni’s mistakes is not necessarly
15 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, Museveni and NRM, Obote and UPC, Politics, Presidency
Dear readers,
We all once loved president Museveni because we thought he was going to give Uganda a better foundation than Obote did. Actually, he tried in the first 10-12 years of his leadership to put things right. Both his political and economic policies were sound. I know people particularly some UPC members have always criticised president Museveni and late Dr. Kiggundu(Former Governor of Bank of Uganda) for devaluing the Uganda shilling in the 1980s but this was the right thing to do at the time. Actually, this was one of the measures IMF/World Bank came up with to enhance the scope of the private sector, contending that private enterprise was more effective. So nobody was going to get IMF/World Bank money before fulfilling these conditions. Therefore privatisation and devaluing currencies were IMF/World Bank policies and we would have benefitted from them if the whole process had not been messed up by greedy people in the NRM government. Donors overall aim was to shift the governments of Africa from consumption to investment.
Museveni’s economic policies from 1987-1997 were not bad. It was the implementation process that was abused. For instance, during privatisation, several ministers sold themselves state enterprises on the cheap.Salim Saleh and Sam Kutesa were among those that enriched themselves during this process. The state property prices did not reflect the actual market value. Privatisation itself was not bad
Those now close to president Museveni should advise him to go back to the Museveni of 1980s, at least for the remainder of his current term. There is no need to praise him even when he is clearly making mistakes. President Museveni himself criticises people who praise leaders all the time without pointing out their mistakes in his book sowing the Mustard seed on page 48. While in exile in Tanzania, he met Akena Odoko and Sam Odaka whom he described as among the many ministers and colleagues of Obote who were busily flattering Obote at the Uganda Club in Kampala while he was making mistakes. Ministers used to sing TUKUTENDEREZA( to quote Museveni) to Obote.
So NRM members, be aware that president Museveni himself may not be impressed by guys who praise his mistakes all the time. If he is making mistakes, please do us a favour and expose him like some of us are already doing.
Let me also tell some people in the opposition now in Uganda that being in opposition does not mean opposing even a good policy when you see it. For instance, I live in the UK and there are several times when the opposition here decide to support the prime minister on several issues in parliament. That is how it should be in Uganda. If the opposition thinks that they are going to oppose everything Museveni , then we are doomed as a nation.
Thank you.
Abbey.K.Semuwemba
Beti Kamya and President Museveni cannot be trusted on federalism
15 Aug 2010 3 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, kingdoms, Museveni and NRM, Tribalism
Dear Sir or Madam:
Politics is a ‘don’t trust me’ ball game and Honourable Beti Kamya decided to play this game by hijacking something called federalism to further her career in politics, without giving a damn to a lot of people that treasure federalism alot. If she does succeed, we will be happy. If she fails, she will probably jump on to something else to further her career. Please nobody should deceive you that there are no people in FDC, DP,SDP or CP fighting for federalism in Uganda as federalism is part of all these party’s manifestos. I don’t know about UPC but I’m sure there are people doing it in other parties and have probably been doing it for ages. For instance, Owekitibwa Joyce Sebugwawo has been fighting for Buganda as far as I can remember and nobody should compare her to Beti Kamya in this battle. Sebugwawo probably would have won the Lubaga chairman elections in 2009 against Sematimba Peter if DP and FDC had sat on the same table and kept their differences wrapped in a magic cloth somewhere. Sebugwawo has been a rock for Buganda for ages. Beti Kamya is just a new comer and we all know why she is jumped on the federo band wagon and Buganda causes. If Kamya was that much interested in fighting particularly for federalism, why didn’t she join CP which has been doing it since 1980s?
In Mexico, there was a man called Francisco Madero who preached federalism and every one knew that he believed in it. He continued to preach federalism even after becoming a president. He was one of the few Mexican presidents to preach federalism seriously though he was murdered in 1913 before he could achieve his goal of returning “political personality” to local government. He was not like some people who preached federalism and Ebyaffe in the bushes of Luwero to further their political career, and after becoming presidents; everything just went out of the window. That’s why I personally don’t trust people who hijack serious causes because they have fallen out with their political parties.
As far as I know, FDC is not against federalism and there are people in that party fighting for it.It was part of their manifesto in 2006 as it’s going to be in 2011 elections. Who could possibly be against a broader distribution of power, decision-making capacity, and economic resources—at present so centralized in the NRM regime or Museveni’s state house?
It’s the NRMO leader, president Museveni, who is against federalism when one follows what he has been writing or saying about Buganda and federalism in the media. In any case, can the division of power implicit in federalism be implemented by an NRMO government that has acquired and so long kept its power under shady circumstances involving fraudulent elections in 2001 and 2006?
So Ugandans, trust me when I say that federalism in Uganda is still a long way particularly if President Museveni and NRMO continue to lead us because you can’t achieve it when a large number of politicians aren’t into it. There are signs that Ugandan politicians are not even aware of the need to consider what the role of federalism will be in the present situation. Everyone is just on political survival: ”how do I safe guard my constituency”. That’s why there are even designing draconian bills like the duo citizenship bill that stop guys like us from returning home and compete for specific offices, basically because we have got citizenships of another country. These guys in power now are first class cowards.
In Mexico, because the government in power was preaching and believing in federalism, it invested a lot in making the population and politicians to understand what federalism was all about. For instance, the Federal Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City actually sponsored a course on federalism for its members organized by the National Institute of Public Administration. The classes attracted more than 100 deputies and government officials and included comparative study of the federalist systems of Mexico, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela. The 2-month seminar ended with the conferring of diplomas in federalism.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Opposition should ignore Mao’s DP for a bit and start selling their policies to the voters
15 Aug 2010 3 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, IPC
Dear Ugandans,
We have got less than 200 days away to 2011 elections but the Uganda opposition has failed to convince the voters that they have got a bigger alternative than fighting among themselves. DP-Mao and Bidandi Ssali’s party are fighting the IPC instead of NRM which has confused the voters so much. So I suggest that the IPC ignores Mao and Bidandi for a bit and start selling their policies to the voters. The opposition should, for instance, have a policy on Universal primary (UPE) and secondary education (USE) instead of just criticising it but I have not read any yet. The opposition should have an independent policy on ‘prosperity for all’ or ‘BONA BAGAGAWALE’ and ‘how to deal with terrorism’, but I have not read anything to that effect.What have the opposition got to say on the disputes between the Heritage Oil company and the Uganda government?
President Museveni, on the other hand, only goes back to Ugandans when he is looking for votes. When he introduced UPE or ‘Bona Basome’ in 2001 elections, it won him a lot of votes despite the fact that he was facing a formidable challenger in Dr.Besigye for the first time. In 2006, when he went back to the population, he told them that ‘I introduced UPE and all your kids are now having free education, what else do you want from me?’ The peasants replied: ‘Anti Muzeyi, when the kids finish primary school, they stop there and we cannot do anything about it’. So Museveni responded like a king: ‘O, you will then have USE if you vote for me’ and indeed some peasants did vote for him though that time Besigye fairly won it but was denied the presidency by the rigging machine.Actually, Universal Education is mainly funded by the World Bank but NRM always takes the credit.
Courtesy of John Nsubuga (member of UAH forum)
I don’t know what President Museveni is going to promise the voters in 2011 but he has always got something up his sleeve to give them. The July bombs in Kampala have already paralysed the 1PC and other opposition pressure groups as they are now finding it difficult to hold rallies and demonstrations in and around Kampala. The bombings have also helped the president to get USA and other donors to his side which is not good news for the opposition at all.
Nevertheless, some people have been unfair on FDC’s Dr. Besigye by saying that he has got a bad temper and that is why he is losing out to Museveni. Dr.Besigye has improved on the way he deals with the common man in Uganda. I read about him trying to crack jokes in his speeches while on his nation wide tours. He has been forced to dress in Muslim attires while on Muslim functions like Iddil or when he was attending Late Dr. Sulaiman Kiggundu’s prayers(‘DUHA’) at Kibuli mosque in 2008. He dresses in Buganda’s traditional ‘Kanzu’ while meeting Mengo leaders and the Kabaka -as we saw recently in Butambala during the celebration of Kabaka’s coronations. He dances ‘DOMBOLO’ on different wedding parties or other functions he is invited to in Uganda. He has generally learnt to do emotional labour (smile even he doesn’t want to) and dress in ‘BITENJE’ unlike in 2001 when he used to put on shirts all the time. The man is doing a lot of things to connect with ordinary Ugandans and we should give him credit for that.
Some in DP keep comparing Dr.Besigye to Mr.Mao which I find odd because these are two different people. Yes, Mr. Mao is a likeable person, I hear, but I don’t think that he is gonna worry Museveni at all because he(Mao) is a secessionist, presidential newcomer and novice, and a political beggar. The main effect I see on Mao’s candidacy is that it may help DP to divide the opposition votes in northern Uganda and Buganda which in turn will help president Museveni to win more votes in northern Uganda and Buganda.
The truth is that most Ugandans still believe that the only person who can take over from Museveni must be a military man like him, and I think even president Museveni agrees with them. That’s why the president had to write a full letter in Sunday Vision in May 2009 responding to Besigye’s allegations that he never fired a single bullet throughout the NRA struggle. I read president Museveni’s letter with a heavy heart and I was amazed that the president could make time to respond to such a pity issue till when I tickled my brain to look outside the box. What I found out was that the military is still running the show in Uganda and it is embedded in everything the state is doing at the moment. You ignore the military at your own peril.
The opposition should look at DP Mao in the same spectrum as the Nelson Ocheger’s party in 2001 elections. The Nelson Ocheger’s party were one of those parties created to distract the ‘real’ parties. In Venezuela, Likewise, Chavez melded together an amorphous array of parties to support him during the presidential elections. Chavez unlike Museveni, he never banned political parties in the first place. When elections are held with a multitude of ‘fake’ political parties, you end up with an ‘elected’ dictatorship , much like 2001 and 2006 Uganda elections, where elections kept on sending Museveni Yoweri into office.
That said, the opposition (particularly IPC, and Suubi) just need to organise themselves and sell their policies to the Uganda electorate after all they have got some form of legislations protecting them at the moment. At the end of the day, even an opposition working in an environment where freedom of speech is zero can make a formidable challenge to the government. For instance, Boris Yeltsin abolished freedom of the press, crushed an elected parliament with armed force, outlawed opposition parties, suspended the constitutional court, and ruled by decree but where his legacy in Russia is. Another one is Hitler of Germany- Hitler and his party members set about grabbing as much dictatorial power for himself as possible. The final act was the passage of a “law” making him dictator just after the death of Hindenburg. He outlawed opposition parties, intimidated dissent with the “wild concentration camps,” and assumed control of almost everything but ultimately Hitler had to go. Nevertheless, the fact is that most Germans did not support democracy, and Hitler managed to use emergency powers in a manner not intended by the constitution in order to eliminate the major opposition parties. The point is that everything has got an end.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UPC internal Divisions are affecting the IPC
23 Aug 2010 54 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, IPC, Politics, UPC current politics
Dear readers,
Those UPC supporters who say that nobody within the party is against Olara Otunu, I believe they are just in denial and anybody can see it. There is a section of UPC supporters that dont want Otunu in Uganda House and they could do anything to boot him out, but they are making a mistake, actually a big mistake. This group came up with an excuse that Dr.Otunu’s election as UPC President was in violation of the party constitution, but if we flip the coins: assuming James Akena had won that election, would they still be crying over spoilt milk? The answer is ‘no’. Therefore, i ask James Akena again to come out and distance himself from the group working to bring Otunu down because this is gonna affect UPC in both the short and long term. There are no two ways about it.
Coutesy of John Nsubuga ( member of UAH forum)
The fact of the matter is that the two oldest political parties in Uganda are split into two factions. The Kampala DP faction is understandably and openly working against the Mao factions. There is also DP faction headed by Alhajji Nasser Sebagala which the EC refused to register. Then there is one headed by Mabike which he called the Social Democratic Party (SDC), and it was registered by the EC. Nevertheless, SDC is now part of the IPC.
The Kampala group headed by Sam Lubega is so bitter with Mao such that they will never stop working against his downfall. I understand Mao and his party machine have now summoned some of these members to appear in front of the disciplinary Committee but this is like adding salt to the wounds. The worst that the Mao group can do is to officially expel all those working with Sam Lubega from the party but will this solve Mao’s problems? I dont think so. It will be the beginning of an open warfare which even the DP elders will find difficult to contain. Lubega has got some followers in UYD as is Mao. So we are likely to see these battles throughout the elections and afterwards.
On the other hand, the UPC faction with no address is clandestinely working against Dr.Otunu. This is an open secret. The UPC faction with no address is the one that was against UPC joining the IPC and they are Oboteists. For them, without Obote’s ghost or his son or family member, there is no UPC, and probably that’s what was broken in the UPC constitution by Dr.Otunu. The legitimate faction headed by Dr.Otunu is pro-IPC but it has got some elements fighting Otunnu within, yet we are less than 190 days away to the 2011 elections. As a result, Otunu has been confused by some elements in his party such that he has not yet picked the nomination forms for the IPC flag bearer. If Otunu eventually decided to pull out of the IPC then it will be a big victory to the Akena group or his enemies. Let him soldier on: pick the nomination forms and then support Dr. Kiiza Besigye as the IPC flag bearer.
Seriously, how can a party be divided internally and still think they can chip any votes off NRM in 2011? DP is in a mess as i write this and so is UPC. By the time, they sort out this mess; probably the 2011 elections would be over. That is why I request both DP and UPC members to rally behind FDC’s Dr.Kiiza Besigye, regardless of their party positions, such that the opposition at least gains something in the upcoming elections. We may pretend as much as we want but Dr.Besigye is the best ticket for the opposition right now. I was impressed that Andrew Mwenda of the Independent has so far written two consecutive articles concluding with the same thing.
Let me leave you with a message posted on my blog from one of the most respected elders in UPC. Probably, you will understand what I’m talking about. It was posted on April 21, 2010 at 12:52 am:
”Semuwemba,The fact of the matter is UPC is split and no amount of trying to explain the split away in terms of Jimmy Akena misleading the people of Lango will help Otunnu. As WBK said earlier, in a large measure it is the people leading Akena and not the other way round. An example is what happened just before Otunnu went to Lira. Akena was told in no uncertain terms that he would open a major flood gate into NRM by merely standing near Otunnu. That is the reason you never saw Akena besides Otunnu in Lira, much as Lira Municipality is Akena’s constituency. Later when Otunnu met the elders in Lira they told him they would not accept Akena to hold sinecure offices in Otunnu’s cabinet.
Semuwemba, let me tell you: it is simply resources which is holding us up from opening a rival office to that Otunnu in Kampala. And let me assure you, were such an office to be opened, you would see a flood of UPCs flocking to that office and not 6th floor Uganda House.” Yoga Adhola.
Byebyo ebyange. Abagala okuwuliliza muwulilize
–
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
http://ugandamuslims.wordpress.com/
IPC IS NOT DEAD AND SHAME ON THE PROPHET DANIELS OF UGANDA
31 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, IPC
Dear people,
I originally come from a country where I do not count that much. I am a muganda by tribe and a Muslim by religion, a combination that has never seen anybody become a president in a country like Uganda or a katikiro of Buganda. I don’t have coalitions rallying for what I feel is important but I support any coalition that can make my country a better democracy. I don’t have news reporters writing about “poor me” but, I have views and that’s my only weapon. I vote in the UK where I live but I don’t vote in Uganda because there are no arrangements for Ugandans abroad to vote in their countries of residence. And, I know there are millions of Ugandans all over the world just like me.
One of Uganda’s oldest and nastiest party, UPC, has decided to quit the Inter Party Coalition (IPC) simply because they could not accommodate or accept the views of the majority in the coalition.Coalitions and diplomacy are nice, especially when everyone agrees to do the same thing at the same time in the same way. For instance, the United Iraqi Alliance, a coalition of Shia parties, triumphed in the first proper elections in post Sadam Iraq, and this was hardly surprising since the Shia make up 60 per cent of the Iraqi population.
Why coalitions fail
The decision by UPC and DP to snub the IPC shows that up to now the opposition in Uganda don’t know what they are up against and they don’t understand the nature and magnitude of the campaign needed to gradually take NRM out of power. The differences between political parties in Uganda is as small as it was at the time of their formations but egos and selfishness have stopped them from cooperating with FDC to have a serious impact on the 2011 elections. With Mao and Otunu now attacking Besigye more than president Museveni, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell of a future alliance happening, particularly since we don’t have a strong multiparty system or a history of credible and fair elections in the country.
Yes, it’s true that some coalitions are formed prior to elections ,and with multiple parties, coalitions often have to be formed after elections, but in Uganda’s case the parties involved are too weak to even claim to be under serious multipartism. Both DP and UPC have got internal factions hanging over their heads and therefore the argument to form a coalition after the elections in a banana republic like Uganda does not make sense. Besides, there are never guarantees that any body can beat the incumbent on their own in the first around. Therefore, I think early coalitions are more efficient in developing countries than after elections.
Secondly, most of the coalitions in developing countries are not on the basis of strength, since some parties come to the table bringing nothing, and then having to accept other person’s guidance, instructions, and philanthropy. I guess this is what happened with UPC when it joined the IPC as they contributed very little to the coalition, but surprisingly they started complaining of the FDC’s dominance.FDC did put too much effort into the coalition than their partners.
In addition, most of our coalitions, unfortunately from my vantage point, are usually from a position of weakness. When IPC sit at tables with their donor counterparts, they come with ideas but not money. So donors finance their activities, and when people finance you ,they’re the ones paying the piper. So they usually feel justified in calling the tune. So IPC don’t feel that as if they can make progress with these kinds of coalitions where it serves the best interest of others who they are externally coalescing with, but not their best interests.
DP and NRM are happy with UPC’s pull out
NRM and DP-Mao are happy that UPC has pulled out of the IPC but let’s consider the following: there was a Christian prophet called Daniel who predicted about 2500 years ago, a political dynamic that would develop in the last days in the Middle East. It was an impossible projection at the time but it has come to happen and historians who were laughing at him are not issuing apologies but they praise his foresightedness.
Writing from the 6th century B.C., Daniel said that in the last days, there would exist a state of Israel. Israel state was just a dream for many people then but it came into reality on May 15, 1948 even when Daniel was already dead and buried. Daniel predicated that Israel would be at war with the surrounding states. Daniel also foretold the rise, fall and revival of the old Roman Empire.
I’m yet to find out the quranic version of the state of Israel but the point is that the pull out of UPC from the IPC was something that was around the corner and it was easy for those against the coalition or cooperation to predict something like that. Their predications were based on the fact that they wanted the IPC to fail not because they were a lot of reality in it. Those of us who wanted and still want the IPC to work will continue promoting unity among different political forces even if the current coalition does not achieve that much in the 2011 elections.
Some NRM and DP supporters read into the situation when they realised that Otunu had not turned up for nominations at Kololo and took their chances to make legless announcements that IPC was dead. But IPC membership is not defined by UPC or DP only as there are other parties involved. If membership was defined by the political weight of the party then FDC remains the ‘king’ of the IPC, and if the ‘’king’’ had thrown in the towel then it would probably be justifiable to announce the IPC dead.
Therefore, for those who have remained in the IPC ,they need to be most organized and also understand that they are going to run the most expensive campaign ever in Uganda’s history. Ugandans should reject the narrow vision of DP and UPC who have built walls themselves for the sake of promoting their self interests.
For now, let’s rally behind the four gentlemen: Besigye(FDC), Kyanjo(JEEMA), Mabike(SDP) and Kigongo(CP), who have put their personal differences aside for the sake of the restoring democracy in the country. It’s my prayer that other pressure groups such as Suubi and IPC women organisations keep working with them despite the official withdraw of UPC from the alliance.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
–
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
http://ugandamuslims.wordpress.com/
”We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society.” (Hillary Clinton, 1993)
Michael Ezra and Some wealth people in Kampala have got no Class
04 Sep 2010 38 Comments
in Corruption, cultures, Economics, kingdoms, media in Uganda
People,
Michael Ezra’s $3m dollar story ‘showoff’ in newspapers is a very interesting one. First of all, it confirms that Uganda is still a poor country and some rich people have got no class. Worst of all, it shows that the government is not bothered with finding out how the rich got their wealth!
Most Ugandans tend to be deeply offended by such frivolous showoffs and expenditures by the rich and that’s why I’m not surprised that people are sometimes put off with Michael Ezra’s behavior in the press. But the great United States Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that the real cost of the rich to the rest of society is what they consume.Therefore, how much is it costing the rest of us that some rich NRM politician, or some Kampala millionaire in his late thirties, is splashing around money on anything? The rich cannot want the same things as the poor though it would make more sense if Ezra could use his money; say to construct a hospital or factory somewhere in Uganda, other than blowing £¼ m on an expensive watch at an auction in Dubai. Because such a project could provide goods and services to millions in Uganda and he would probably be more appreciated.
Ironically, what the rich are often praised for is likely to do more harm than what they are condemned for. For instance, Ezra owes money to the URA, but all this is likely to be water under the bridge after that press conference where he splashed his $3m pocket money to the press.His message was very clear:‘i have got more to clear my debts where this has come from”. The journalists who attended the conference all probably went home with smiles on their faces and murmuring words like: ’Omusajja Abalaze Sente’(the man has showed them money), despite the fact that they were not given any part of the money, but then again, he gave them headlines that probably helped them to make some money themselves in the process.
Some people asked:’’ how could URA be going after Ezra and on the other hand he is being protected by other state agencies?’’ All I can say is that most of these regulations and taxation came from the very rich themselves. They do not want competition! So the common person has to jump hoops to make money but at the end of the day, the system always protect the rich. It’s obvious that the government of Uganda knows a thing or two about Ezra’s businesses but it’s not under any obligation to disclose it to the public.Anway,Why should they do it if Ezra is not hurting anyone?
The fact is that the entire monetary system is based on crime (albeit presumably for a larger good).Most of the money is created as debt, at compound interest. It is a mathematical fact that there is never enough money in circulation for everyone to pay their bills whether in Uganda or elsewhere in the world, leading to a cannibalize or be cannibalized dynamic. That the bad guys can be winnowed out through such a process is a very questionable assertion.
The desperation caused by the continual shortage of money has led to situations where the unconnected are often forced to either take jobs which are basically a form of slavery, or turn to a different criminal structure. It’s all about survival for the fittest. People can do anything to land their hands on a dollar or pound, and morals are the last thing they think of in the process.
In the UK and USA, most wealth is inherent and the rich own factories where unions work for them and get decent wages, but wealth worship is also meticulously constructed by the press in these countries. American and British tycoons are some form of gods and Kings. A majority of population fantasize of being them. The corporations are the kingdoms and tea party is their loyal subjects.
When the USA rejected monarchy in the 18 century, a giant void was left in the American psyche. When the monarch was still around, human beings used to worship individuals better than themselves and aspired to be that individual. Kings and Queens were lauded in fairy tales. Some Americans romanticized the English crown since USA was a British colony? With no monarch now, the people in the USA worship the rich and celebrities. I can see the same trend happening in Uganda especially with increased isolation of traditional leaders by the current government.
Therefore, I request the poor to start minding their business and leave the rich alone. Ezra’s money will only benefit Ezra alone and not you. The current class of rich people only has allegiance to themselves. They do not care about you and never will! The rich generation of 60s and 70s probably would use some of their money to construct a road for everybody but not this lot. Just forget about them and move on!
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Inter-state economic disparities stand in the way for common market
05 Sep 2010 3 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, East Africa, Economics, international, Politics
Inter-state economic disparities stand in the way for common market
Tuesday, 18 May 2010 06:56 By Abbey K.Semuwemba
There are numerous coalitions, organisations and federations that have been formed regionally and worldwide. Some have worked and others have failed. The difference with the East Africa Federation is that some states are going through serious economic and political reformation particularly Rwanda and Kenya. Uganda appears still politically immature, but is that enough reason not to promote this federation? I don’t think so. An East African Federation is good. Uganda’s problems may never be removed by Ugandans alone. We need a partner to help us fight these impediments.
Having said that, I also support a Uganda federation within an East African federation. This will be a bonus if we achieve the Uganda federation first before the East African federation. Buganda and some parts of Uganda are rightly asking for federalism within Uganda. Like Dr Kizza Besigye explained one time on radio, federalism was demanded by majority of Ugandans and therefore it’s not a Buganda issue alone.
The most important question is, have we learnt any lessons from the East African Community collapse in the 1970s? The East African Community collapsed mainly because of the economics involved. If the current architects can create good economic policies, the East African federation will be a rock for all the member states. Therefore, we need to look at why the East African Common Market or the Community collapsed in and whether those mistakes have been corrected. Otherwise we might be pursuing a futile project.
First, the common market was founded in 1917 and collapsed in 1977. This idea was started by the British colonial government to serve her economic interests and those of the British settlers in Kenya. The aim was to create a free and integrated market, sheltered by selective high tariff walls to simultaneously encourage Kenyan settler- businessmen and expand market for foreign exports into East Africa.
This meant that the gains from the Customs Union were either not reaped or the distribution between partner states was not ‘equitable’. When Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika got independence, the distribution issue caused instability and led to the collapse of the common market. Will Kenya not again be the top beneficiary at the expense of other partner states?
Secondly, the federation is going ahead without assessment the industrial strengths of the partner states, yet this was a major factor in the collapse of the first East African Community.
Kenya, like before, has an advanced manufacturing and service sector. This industrial imbalance indicates lack of equity in the distribution of integration benefits. These mistakes were neither corrected by the ‘Raisman Commission’ in 1960 nor by the Kampala/Mbale Agreement in 1964/5. The latter was never implemented because the Kenya parliament refused to ratify it and the proposed committee of industrial experts was never set up.
After the failure of the Kampala Agreement, the cooperation became so shaky that the Philip Commission was appointed to save the common market. This culminated in the treaty that established an East African Community consisting of a common market and a wide range of common services. Again in this treaty, most activities had their headquarters in Kenya. Have we taken note of this? Is Kenya going to continue playing the role of the ‘boss’ as it was before?
Let’s take an example of the East Africa Development Bank, established with the aim of promoting balanced industrial development. A differential investment formula was proposed. It was then enjoined on the bank so that it should have loaned, guaranteed or invested over the consecutive five years slightly more than 38 percent of its funds to Uganda and Tanzania and the remaining 22 percent or so to Kenya. This failed for some reasons. Have they corrected them?
However, I’m happy that the architects of the East African Federation are rectifying some of the mistakes that led to the collapse of the first federation on July 1, 1977. For instance, having a single currency among member states by 2012 is a step in the right direction. It will somehow lead to balanced development among member states assuming other factors remain constant. The last monetary policy developed by the 1967 East African Community that involved unified exchange rates led to a situation where the Ugandans and Tanzanians preferred to keep their money in Kenyan currency because Kenya had more industrial goods for consumption. This made the Kenyan shilling a stronger currency, which sparked the creation of a black market. The Kenyan currency continued growing stronger while those of Uganda and Tanzania were becoming weaker. This eventually affected the working of the East African Community cooperation by creating the problem of ‘inter-territorial transfer of funds.’ The policy also led to a decline in reserve positions of both Uganda and Tanzania because of currency flights from these two countries, thus exasperating the need for further exchange controls.
Chapter VII, article 24 of the 1967 Treaty for East African Cooperation, provided for exchange rate harmonisation among the three partner states. Harmonised exchange rate means “the relative per values of the currencies of the member states of the common market remain irrevocably fixed while their absolute par values when changed would change in the same proportion.” The three currencies were to be exchanged without restriction at the IMF parity of shilling 1U = sh1K = sh1T. The rate of inflation was assumed to be equal since the absence of equal rates of inflation would automatically mean that a unified exchange rate situation no longer stood. The three currencies for purposes of parities vis a vis the outside were tied at different times to foreign currencies (British pound, US dollar) and to the IMF special drawing rights.
Considering that the three countries had different economic problems and strategies for solving those problems, the policy of exchange rate unification presents real problems in theory as it did in practice in the past. For example, On February 7, 1967, Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere issued a statement of party principles called the Arusha Declaration which called for nationalisation of banks and large enterprises in agriculture, manufacturing, construction and commerce. In May, 1970, Uganda also announced a leftist policy at Nakivubo. These two policies created uncertainty and hurt business confidence in these countries. Both countries imposed exchange control policies to prevent capital flight. This situation created differences in the three currencies and the policy of unified exchange rates collapsed and contributed to the ultimate fiasco of the East African Community.
Abbey is a Ugandan living in the UK
http://www.independent.co.ug/index.php/column/comment/70-comment/2933-inter-state-economic-disparities-stand-in-the-way-for-common-market
Dr.Gilbert Bukenya Was Simply Shown a Copy of the Animal Farm
18 Sep 2010 16 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, Corruption, IPC, Museveni and NRM, parliament, Politics, Presidency, Tribalism
Dear readers,
Following the end of the NRM primaries, I would like to congratulate president Museveni as one of the brilliant political brains Uganda has ever produced because he managed to get rid of one his future opponents in his vice president, Bukenya Gilbert, without firing any bullet or anything like imprisonment. President Museveni has ended Bukenya’s political ambitions in the most extra ordinary way possible which may not bruise him (the president) that much and I’m still shaking my head over it. What a genius!
Gilbert Bukenya
There is no way the current Secretary General of NRM, Amama Mbabazi, could have beaten Dr. Gilbert Bukenya in any fair and free election unless if there was some underplay somewhere. Obviously, I’m basing this on Mbabazi’s previous abysmal performance as the Secretary General of the party. However, I remember watching a YouTube video where Mbabazi laughed off Bukenya’s challenge in simple words, and some of us called him arrogant, but maybe he knew something we didn’t know. Actually, the Observer newspaper went with a big headline about Mbabazi Vs Bukenya for the Secretary General, and it was all arrogance throughout.
I therefore made a prediction sometime this year that Bukenya was going to win the post of Secretary General but I had underestimated the powers of the ‘remote control’ in this process. I apologize to the Vice president, Bukenya, if he got a snooze about it and also got excited about the whole thing. The way I see things now is totally different after the NRM primaries and I would never rule out Amama Mbabazi or anybody from becoming my president in the post Museveni era.
Now, let’s face reality: If Bukenya was told not to stand against Mbabazi before the delegates’ conference but he insisted and lost, what does that say about NRM? It means that there is a ‘remote control’ – controlling everything in NRM, and this time the button ‘BG’(Bukenya Gilbert) was not pressed. Somebody decided that this is the best way to dump him, and to be honest, I think he is gone after this.
Bukenya’s Life after NRM primaries
This is my simple prediction as far as post Namboole-Bukenya is concerned: He is going to accept the results and move on, just like Honorable Ssekikubo(Lwamiyaga) did. He will accept the advice from the Animal farm: ” All men are equal but some men are more equal than others’. Probably he may be consoled with some simple post somewhere if he does not wreck the boat or make too much noise but we should accept that Bukenya’s political ambitions are over. If he is maintained as the vice president, it will be because he is a catholic and there wasn’t a single catholic elected in the top five powerful NRM positions. Honorable Kaddunabi Lubega (Butambala) and honorable Sempijja (Masaka) were also among those ones that were humbled using the NRM ‘’Super’’ Electoral Commission and now I think they have leant their lessons. Sometimes I wonder what is going in these guys’ minds!
If anybody wants to enter that parliament, they better run to state house and get endorsed by president Museveni. I think his hands are everywhere and my hats off to him. You become stubborn, he will always find a way to humble you which my Rwanda friend I hosted for Iddil Fitri called ‘MUSEVENI’S DIPLOMACY’ which he wants president Kagame to borrow as far as his enemies, the Nyamwasas, are concerned. The same diplomatic skills have worked on the Kampala Mayor, Alhajji Nasser Ssebagala, and now he is singing ‘long live Museveni’.
Amama Mbabazi,NRM Sec Gen
Baganda in the NRM
It’s also wrong for some people to blame all this jiggery and thuggery we witnessed in the NRM primaries on Baganda delegates who did not support Bukenya. Baganda in the NRM are not as powerful as some people think. They control nothing and if you control nothing, you cannot control an election. NRM have got their way of doing things which has got nothing to do with any particular tribe. Somebody is controlling everything on a remote control and I think this is the time to think twice about the whole 2011 election thing because the opposition may be wasting their time.
Bukenya did not lose because of what he uttered about Buganda riots and CBS last year. There are those Baganda in NRM that didn’t approve the closure of CBS and condemned the riots but the ‘remote control’ again did not want them on the scene, and so they are gone. For instance, Brother Hajji Kadunabi was shown the one way ticket out of Butambala, and also got disqualified to stand against Alhajji Moses Kigongo for the post of vice president. In simple terms, he was also shown the copy of the ‘Animal Farm’?
If a man controls the system in Africa, then he controls the elections. If you control nothing, you cannot determine the outcome of an election in most developing countries. As things stand, Ugandans should be prepared for anybody to become their president starting with 2011 elections. As for me, I will be watching a film entitled ‘Remote Control’ while eating popcorns with a cup of tea in next year’s elections.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
Scientists and Politicians Should Support the Herbal Medicine Industry
25 Sep 2010 2 Comments
in science, Witchcraft
Dear readers,
It’s a fundamental of human nature that people feel bad about disease; common to all cultures whether they use Western medicine, shamanism, medicine men, witch doctors, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine etc. The only exceptions that spring to mind are Jehovah’s Witnesses whose religion forbids medicine and vaccinations.
It’s also worth mentioning that not everything the herbal doctors advertise is nonsense. I’ve tried things on hunches and gotten good results. Evidently, in my experience, herbal medicine using concentrates and extracts can be quite efficacious.
Personally, I love herbs because of the wide variety of conditions that is said to be treatable with a single plant or group of plants. The reasons why some remedies from plants are used for so many diseases could be that they affect a common (denominator) factor responsible for the diseases and disorders. One takes them for cough but one end up treating several diseases hidden in the system as well.
Herbs have been an important source of medicine for thousands of years. The World Health Organization estimates that up to 80 percent of people still rely on herbal remedies for their health care. And there are reasons for this, namely, the high cost of drugs in clinics and pharmacies, drug resistance which often lead to treatment failure, prolong and expensive treatment of some chronic diseases which the general population cannot afford. Has anyone seen those lines at Mulago hospital? Not everyone can afford to take their wife and kids for treatment at Kampala International hospital. If herbal medicine was not in Uganda, so many Ugandans will be dead by now.
Herbal medicine in other countries
In South Africa; traditional herbs have long been used to treat various pain or inflammation-related symptoms. South Africa has the richest plant biodiversity in the world, many of which are medicinally useful .They also use herbs to treat livestock diseases.Some of the plants are employed to treat: diabetes, tumours, stomach pain, rheumatism and many other indications.
In USA, the Mormons are into natural healing and natural medicine. Partially as a consequence, many vitamin and herbal medicine companies are located in Utah. All over the United States, sales of herbs is a booming business in health food stores and pharmacists.
In Germany, an expert committee, Commission E, evaluated and approved herbal medicines until it disbanded in 1991. Today, German consumers can buy standardized over-the-counter herbal preparations that are often cheaper and more effective than synthetics.
I also read an article about an HIV herbal treatment in Iran. In that article the Iranians did not say the treatment would cure AIDS, only that it would control its symptoms and could be used with the other drugs, since it was an herbal treatment.
Herbal medicine supplements general medicine
I’m not an expert in herbal medicine and I agree that it needs to be run along with conventional medicine. Today, from forty to fifty percent of pharmaceutical drugs are plant-derived, and pharmaceutical houses are beating the bushes in South America and Africa in search of botanicals they can analyze chemically. Herbal Plants contain a wide variety of natural compounds mainly plant secondary compounds. Among the secondary compounds are the flavonoids. Flavonoids are among the most common constituents in plants. They are present in high concentrations in flowers, seeds, leaves, herbs, fruits, stems, bulbs, tea, wine, vegetables and other food sources. Below are some of the examples that show how herbs supplement general or contemporary medicine.
There was a German doctor by the names of Albert Schweitzer who established a medical mission in Gabon early in the century. He forged a relationship with a local doctor, whom Schweitzer addressed as “mon chère collègue.” Schweitzer explained that he admired the witch doctor’s ability to deal with mental illness, so he sent him patients, just as the witch doctor routinely sent Schweitzer patients who would benefit from Western medicine. In neither case did the two doctors understand the therapeutic system of the other, but both doctors respected results.
The Germans discovered that Echinacea, a valued remedy of Amerindians from the western plains, has antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, unlike synthetic antibiotics, which are only antibacterial. Experiments with root extracts demonstrated that Echinacea is an immune stimulant as well. Early in the century, Echinacea was listed in the American Formulary, but was dropped later when the medical profession got caught up in the fashion for synthetic drugs.
According to International Journal of Cancer (2007), an herbal drug called black cohosh which is used to help women cope with menopausal symptoms may reduce breast cancer risk.
In addition, several European studies demonstrated that a preparation from ginko tree leaves increases blood supply to the brain. Israeli scientists developed a preparation from the elderberry bush, Sambucol, which tames influenza and its accompanying cough. Researchers proved that milk thistle extract improves liver function and actually regenerates damaged liver cells.
Finally, the Chinese practice of acupuncture is an interesting discovery that several scientists in the developed world dismissed till USA former president, Nixon, made his surprise visit to China. When a journalist in Nixon’s entourage underwent an emergency appendectomy and lauded Chinese acupuncture for pain relief, the few curious American doctors who actually investigated the ancient treatment reported positive results. In the presence of Western doctors, Chinese doctors anesthetized a woman with acupuncture and then performed surgery on the patient while she was awake and at ease. A decade after Nixon visited China; veterinarians reported they had successfully treated animals with acupuncture. On November 5, 1997, a federal advisory panel of non-governmental medical experts announced its strong support for acupuncture .The twelve-member committee was enthusiastic about acupuncture’s ability to relieve pain and nausea with minimal side-effects.
The Department of Botany at Makerere University has done a lot of research around this area which one may find very useful to read. They did a study between January 2000 and September 2003 to document medicinal plants used to treat fungal and bacterial infections in health care in and around Queen Elizabeth Biosphere Reserve in Bushenyi and Kasese districts in western Uganda. They also did another one in August 2007.
We therefore want the government to put herbalists into some form of training like the Chinese have done to improve in the grey areas which are worrying people. However, we should all try to fight traditional practices such as the thriving market for human body parts in many African countries, where they are used in traditional medicine. In S.Africa, it has led to a lot of Muti murders”. “Muti” is the Zulu word for medicine. In Uganda, these kinds of murders have been branded ‘Ekisadaka’ meaning child sacrifice. In Tanzania, there are people hunting the albinos for purposes of making traditional medicine.
Abbey.Kibirige Semuwemba
Currently doing Masters in Public Health Promotion in the UK
Healthcare should be a ‘Right’ to all to reduce Social inequality
01 Oct 2010 10 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Africa, Economics, health, Politics, social issues
Dear friends,
The news that most of the parts of the Busoga region in Eastern Ugandan are now infested with jiggers is mind blowing and embarrassing to all of us considering that Busoga has been voting President Museveni and NRM in big numbers since 1996. For those who don’t understand what jiggers are, it’s a special pathological condition, caused by fleas of the genus Tunga. A jigger is also called chigoe. A jigger often attacks the feet or any exposed part of the human body, and when it burrows beneath the skin, it produces great irritation. When the female is allowed to remain and breed, troublesome sores result, which are sometimes dangerous. Most people in the developed nations know a jigger as a bartending tool used to measure liquor not as a dangerous insect as it is in Africa and Asia.
Now, as someone who partly grew up at a small village called Kisega( Kangulumira in Bugerere), I saw on a regular basis how jiggers affected people and what a lack of healthcare does to people. The next two major hospitals from Kisega are a lot of miles away at Nagalama and Kayunga towns. Health centers in the area are too ill-equipped to handle major health problems. As such I think health care should be designated as a special ”right” to everyone in Uganda, and probably the whole of Africa.I’m saying that heath care should be as much a right as life, liberty, and happiness because I don’t believe that only people with money should have X number of hours of a Doctor’s time available. Health care should be accessed too by people who can’t afford life-saving treatment because their lives are not worth less than those with a lot of money. Why should health care be any different from police, fire or military protection? Would one want one’s house to burn down because the neighbor paid for fire protection and one did not? Everybody needs a doctor at some time, just as everybody needs roads and schools and fire protection. These are things that only a government can supply to the people they represent.
Yes, I acknowledge that none of those things magically appear just because I say people have a right to them. No one has an unconstrained “right” to as much medical care as they think they need, just as no one has a right to a private public-funded tutor for their kid or a right to have a personal fire truck and firefighter always parked outside their home. But I think the government needs to find a way to make sure that the less privileged can access medical care as the wealthy ones. The picture in the Monitor Newspaper of the woman struggling to feed her kid when they are both suffering from jiggers is so upsetting, yet most of these conditions are treatable and preventable. As UK epidemiologists, Professor Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett also said in their book entitled’ The Spirit level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone’, social inequality is one of the causes of the poor health due to a big gap between the poor and the rich. As such, I think health care should be as much as a right as like free speech and like free speech has limits but in general is unrestricted. Cosmetic surgery, for example, might in general not be considered health care. If one wants to look 20 years younger it’s on one’s dime.
A feet affected with Jiggers(image sent by Otto Patrick)
Historically, National health care programs were first instituted by Otto von Bismarck in imperial Germany in 1883 before it later spread to the rest of Europe. In USA, former president, Harry Truman, proposed it to the Congress following World War 11, before it was defeated by a coalition led by American Medical Association. In his message to Congress on Nov. 19, 1945, Truman asked members to support his Economic Bill of Rights which included the “right to adequate.
For the meantime, I advice people in Busoga to put on Leather or rubber shoes which could shod their feet from jiggers at least as we wait for the government to address some of the social inequalities in our society. Jiggers will always be a problems as long there is still a big gap between the poor and rich.
Byebyo Ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
We Should All Try To Buy Dr.Kobusingye’s Book If Possible
20 Oct 2010 11 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Corruption, history, international, Politics, security
Dear people,
I would like to thank the Monitor newspaper for agreeing to serialise Dr. Olive Kobusingye’s book, particularly after the drama we have been exposed to by Uganda Revenue Authority and Mr. Kivenjinja Kirunda as part of the reasons for holding her book. The Monitor is doing a lot of people a favour because most Ugandans I know don’t want to part with their hard earned cash to buy books. Yes, they can talk about it as in like:’ Besigye’s sister wrote a book which is giving Museveni sleepless nights’, but they never spend money on reading books. It will, however, be easy for them to part with shs.1500 daily to buy a copy of the Monitor just to read about the book chapters and other stuff in the paper. If in the process, so many people buy the Monitor and the sales shoot up, then definitely Dr. Kobusingye and other intended beneficiaries will get something out of it financially. As we all know, a newspaper cannot just serialize one’s book without any catch because writing a book is not that easy.
In the same vein, it would be good if the Luganda newspapers such as Eddobozi, Gwanga Mujje and possibly Bukedde(if it wants to prove its independence from the state), do crack a deal with Dr.Kobusingye to do what the Monitor is doing at the moment. This may be helpful to those Ugandans who cannot read and write English to also benefit from this beautiful literature.
From the few chapters I have read so far, the book offers a selected view on the Museveni of today in comparison with the one of 1980s thorough research. While this book paints a rather negative picture of the president, it does remain as a very factual source. The book is written with a lot of sarcasm opinionated in the various quotes made by president Museveni verbally and in writing. The facts I have read so far are entertainingly presented and to be honest, I just cannot stop smiling.
Let us also remember that the world has seen a lot of controversial books being banned and accepted elsewhere. In 1906 in Britain, a book titled:’’ The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion’’ caused a lot of storm as it claimed to have secret minutes of the Jewish elites planning to dominate the world. The ‘protocol’ became one of the best selling books of the century before it was overtaken by another one of a similar sort written by an American politician, David Duke, whose research was done in the same way as Dr.Kobusingye’s ,i.e. by quoting major Jewish figures and sources as Dr.Kobusingye has also done by quoting Museveni and other big people in the government. As a result, in 2000, the Jews in Russia filed a complaint in the Russian courts of law asking that the Duke’s book be declared anti-Semitic and illegal but the courts decided otherwise after one year of examination of the book.
In 1953, the Literature Commission in Georgia (USA) proposed that a book titled: ‘Southern Exposure’ and authored by Stetson Kennedy is banned because it is filled with filth. This book did a good job of exposing the ill motives of the Ku Klux Klan and racism in USA. The main citation that was picked on for its ban was a statement by one of the southern officials that:’’ “The only way we’re willing to give the niggers equality is by filling them white”. Common sense prevailed and the book was not banned such that the author is now recognised as an award winning one.
In 1999, a book about Adolf Hitler with the title: “Mein Kampf”, put the German media company, Bertelsmann, on a collusion course with its online book selling partner, Barnesandnoble.com, because they believed the book was full of hate literature. Amazon continued to sell the book despite protests in some political circles in Germany.
In 2004, I believe a teacher was banned from working in France for questioning the Jewish version of World War Two and he was later sentenced to two years in prison by a French court after he made a film contesting the official Jewish version of an alleged massacre by German forces during the war. The crime was termed a ‘thought’ crime by the media.
Up to now I cannot understand the definition of a “thought crime”. I don’t know whether the term is a technical one. So I guess my quibble is that the French teacher was punished, not for thinking, but for expressing and distributing his thoughts in the form of film. As a supporter of civil liberties, I have no patience for such absurd semantic quibbles.
I’m, however, surprised that the government of Uganda decided to give Dr.Kobusingye’s book free publicity by seizing it at the Entebbe airport. By the way, I remember telling a few Ugandans I interact with through online debates that several people will start writing about the years of NRM rule particularly when president Museveni is out of power, and this will bury the NRM for good, because there is a lot of evidence out there which Ugandans dread to read about. NRM will suffer more than UPC did when Obote left power, and they know it. That’s why they will do anything to make sure that they maintain the status-qou. For the meantime, let us all endeavour to buy Kobusingye’s book as we also welcome the reopening of CBS fm without any conditions.
Happy days!
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
United Kingdom
No wonder Kobusigye is smiling
I’m indifferent as far as Obote is Concerned. I don’t hate him
25 Oct 2010 1 Comment
in 1980 Uganda elections, Lule and Uganda politics, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Museveni and NRM, Obote and UPC
Dear Ugandans,
I would also like to say that I don’t hate Obote as per some statements I have seen flying around by some writers. I’m indifferent as far as Obote is concerned despite the fact that I lost a father during the time when he was the man controlling the system.
As I assume some of you already know, UPM which later evolved into NRM was a combination of several political parties. Let it also be known that most of the founders of UPM were former UPCs. When UNLF stopped being in existence and Binaisa was out of the office, some members of UPC who did not want to join DP thought of forming a new party. At first, they called themselves the ‘Third force’. This group was led by Akena Pojok(then minister of Transport and a UPC), Opira (former deputy chief of intelligence in Obote 1),Erisa Kironde(chairman of UEB in Obote1),Ruhakana Rugunda(then deputy minister of health), Bidandi Ssali(then minister of local Administrations),Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and other UPCs. The ‘Third force’ also recruited from DP territory and they managed to get guys like: Matia Kasajja of Hoima, Bernard Buzaabo, Dr. Bwambale and so many other DP supporters. They also went for neutrals and the biggest fish they got was Professor Tarsis Kabwegyere.
This ‘third force’ came up with a better name: ’Uganda Labour Congress’ in May 1980 which they later changed into UPM. Museveni(FORMER UPC) was chosen the leader of UPM. Guys like Yona Kanyomoozi, Ephraim Kamuntu, Dr. Ezra Nkwasiibwe, Kabwegyere and Pojok did not want Museveni to become the leader of UPM but they failed to block it. Actually, Kabwegyere later decided to join DP. So basically when one analyses all these political parties, they have been almost formed by the same people from older parties.
UPM (started before 1980 elections by the Musevenis) later changed its name to Uganda Liberation Movement when some UNLA soldiers joined them. Uganda Liberation Movement then changed to MOSPOR(Movement for the Struggle for Political Rights) which later also changed to Peoples resistance Army(PRA)-more like a replica of the ghostly rebel organisation started by Besigye in 2004. It was this PRA that later united with Uganda Freedom Fighters (UFF) of professor Lule to form NRM.
Museveni also formed an alliance with the UFM(of Kayiira) and the UNRF when they met in London to form what is called Uganda Popular Front(UPF). FRONASA formed in the 1970s doubled as the military wing of UPM.
Yes, most Ugandans supported all these alliances, may be just as like we are asking the current opposition parties to unite for a common cause. The scale used to measure the unpopularity of a leader is when a leader attempts to rig an election, just as Obote did in 1980. When a leader does that, it means he has not got the majority of the population behind him.
Baganda did everything to support the war against Obote for obvious reasons. For instance, some families in Luwero lost their lives at the expense of hiding Museveni and the then NRA rebels. Obote was hated among various groups of people. The Banyarwanda hated him because of his isolationist policy against them headed by Rwakasisi. The west Nilers hated him because of the massacres committed there by UNLA soldiers in 1980s by Oyite Ojok and company.
I do not rule out the fact that some of the murders in Luwero might have been committed by NRA rebels . However, because of the nature of the war fought in Luwero, it’s fair to say that UNLA did more killing than NRA. Please click on the links below to see the names of some of the people killed in Uganda between 1981 and 1984.
http://semuwemba.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/1980-84-uganda-murders1.pdf
http://semuwemba.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/more-1980-84-uganda-murders.pdf
Obote may have done some good things for Uganda under Obote 1 but it does not make him a messiah of any sort. These 1980 murders were committed at his watch as the leader of Uganda. He rigged the 1980 elections and that was enough to get him on his bike by force. We should not cover soil with faeces just because we want to eat mushrooms.
Thank you
Abbey
We all contributed to the Reopening of CBS fm
25 Oct 2010 2 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, Buganda, Bunyoro and lost counties, FDC, IPC, media in Uganda, Politics
Dear people,
I think there is no need for Suubi/IPC to revisit the CBS issue in their memorandum of understanding. It should just be ticked as one of the issues already achieved earlier than expected and then fight for others. CBS has been a yearly struggle of all of us, and by us, I mean members of Ugandans at heart (UAH) forum. We have been running a yearly campaign to keep the CBS issue burning in the ears of our leaders and the media. We have been using UAH as a medium of communication for Buganda issues, something which probably would have been done by CBS if it was on air. So the credit goes to everyone who has been helping out in one way or the other.
I read in the Observer of 25/10/10 and it seemed to have given more credit to Mrs.Ameria Kyambadde in this struggle than anybody else. But they were wrong because Suubi, IPC, Besigye, Ugandans at heart forum, media organizations nationally and internationally, online radios and other pressure groups, have all been fighting for CBS fm, and they should be recognized.
Nevertheless, whatever the tales, Museveni’s relationship with Buganda will never be the same. Baganda will never trust him! Reopening CBS is more like a man who organizes a holiday to Spain to salvage his marriage but when all the signs on the wall show that the marriage is finished. So let’s enjoy the ‘’CBS holiday’’ but I think the divorce papers are still on their way, and somebody will have to sign them. The marriage is FINITO
As for DP and their wars with Suubi, I think it’s a bit unfortunate because they (DP) have got bigger problems than just Ssubi. Beti Kamya’s UFA has almost got the same aspirations in Buganda as Ssubi and they are seriously eating into DP support in Buganda and elsewhere in the country. For instance, some of the DP supporters who were previously loyal to Kampala Mayor, Nasser Sebagala, have now crossed to either UFA or Suubi/IPC according to newspapers. Lukyamuzi’s CP should also be in position to finish DP off in Buganda if they expand their horizon other than keeping themselves in cities.
In the north, DP may make some gains because of the little profile of their leader in Gulu but then again we expect UPC and FDC to remain the tigers of this region. NRM is also making inroads slowly with the help of their ‘brown envelopes’ policy.
So basically, the 2011 elections may determine if DP should be admitted in intensive care unit or not. May personal feeling is that unless they get the help of the ‘remote control’, they will come out of this election a bit weaker than even last time in 2006. Mao is not the kind of leader who is ready to roll up his sleeves and put his hands in the dusty part of politics on streets. He prefers to remain in a coat, tie and shirt despite the hot weather in Kampala, and then just preferably appear on rallies and conferences. I have not see him leading any demonstration of anything though I must admit his ‘’magishu’’ dances on YouTube have been outstanding so far.
Finally, I was amazed to see a photo of Besigye’s house in Rukungili in both the Newvision and Bukedde newspapers. So I wondered whether this election is about people’s houses rather than issues. Just for the sake of argument, Besigye has never stolen anybody’s money and if he had anything wrong while in government, the Museveni government would have been the first to expose it and he would probably be in prison. Actually, Besigye has made more of his money after leaving the government. He is simply a hardworking man. He said this himself in his memoirs with the Monitor newspaper ages ago that he intended to be an Accountant/ business man rather than a doctor or politician. And as you know, there is no better way of making money than being self employed.By the way, why do people always want poor people to lead them? How much have we benefitted from getting poor leaders into state house?
We should accept that Besigye is not in politics to ‘eat’ or benefit himself. He can survive without leading FDC or IPC or opposing Museveni. Actually, he probably would have benefited more if he had chosen to remain in NRM instead of being in opposition. He is an average rich man belonging to the middle class of Kampala. In other words, what he has achieved wealthy wise can easily be achieved by any hard working man or woman in Uganda at his age. Those who exaggerate his wealth have got other intentions which we already know. So shame on Newvision and Bukedde for running headlines intended to portray a certain image of the best opposition candidate Uganda has ever had. Let their cameras got to the north and take pictures of Otunu and Mao’s houses too if they want to turn this campaign into ‘who has got the best house’.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Note:The song below is dedicated to president Museveni’s new friends, possibly the Banyoro, after falling out with Buganda:
The Kabaka Will Never Abdicate His Throne for Direct Elections
31 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, IPC, media in Uganda
Dear readers,
I would like to react to Afande Chama’s article that appeared in the Sunday Monitor on 31/10/2010:”Forget Besigye, we had only feared Kabaka standing” ,available at : http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Commentary/-/689364/1043372/-/13u15ldz/-/index.html. There was no way the Kabaka would have abdicated his throne to stand for presidency or anything like that. The Kabaka does not need to this directly but he can use other groups to champion for what he wants, and indeed the formation of Suubi2011 is exactly for that purpose. Suubi is undoubtedly Kabaka’s invisible hand in the 2011 elections in Uganda. It’s unfortunate that there is some form of mistrust that historically has been in existence between Mengo and DP such that I was not surprised when DP started attacking Suubi even before its official formation.
That said, I think there is a lot of credibility in Afande Chama’s article than what meets the eye. Since the beginning of this year, the Katikiro and Mengo officials have been very careful with their words as far as the central government is concerned. The Katikiro even made an attempt to distance Mengo from any political party or pressure group yet we all know that Suubi is fighting for most of what Mengo wants in these elections. The feeling is that something must have been agreed upon between Mengo and the central government despite the mistrust between the two. For instance, Mr.Otafiire and the Katikilo,J.B.Walusimbi, kicked off an SMS fundraising drive for the Kasubi tombs recently, and it’s so likely that the government will financially contribute more to the reconstruction of the tombs than any other group. I also remember writing after the September 11th Buganda riots that CBS will be opened but I did not know when, but it has been opened before the elections, and I think the timing of this is just perfect for Museveni’s electoral team.
Will CBS ever be the same radio again?
There is no doubt that the popularity of CBS exceeds any other radio station in the country and it will remain so despite being off air for a year. However, it will not generate the same buzz it did before its closure. The management is going to be more cautious as far as anti government views are concerned. They will get rid of workers who are deemed to be anti -Museveni or anti-government. This means that a guy like me does not stand a chance to get employment in CBS even if I apply. In other words, it again looks like president Museveni has marginally won his battle with both Buganda and CBS and the media.
Yes, CBS employees will keep demanding for compensation over being closed for one year and they have got a strong legal case over this if they want to keep pursuing it. Again, my feeling is that the government is willing to cough up some money to compensate all groups concerned but it won’t be in billions as some people think. The government team is working around the clock to make sure that the CBS issue is settled once and for all, I believe. Therefore, more backdoor meetings are still taking place to sort out all the remaining problems, and trust me they will be sorted out by Museveni standards.
Why has Mengo agreed to engage the government again?
Mengo have been disappointed, probably like many of us, by the divisions within the opposition. There was an assumption before the elections that the opposition will unite against the incumbent, and I think a lot of Ugandans wanted this but it has not happened. As I write now, the Inter Party Coalition ( IPC ) is probably more attacked in campaigns than NRM and Museveni. The leading attackers are the opposition presidential candidates, particularly Bidandi Ssali(PPP), Mao Norbet(DP) and Beti Kamya(UFA). For weird reasons, UPC’s Olara Otunu and IPC seem to have some sort of an official agreement not to attack each other in public, and it is working so far. I also think that Otunu must have realized by now that he made a grave mistake to abandon the IPC because he has since been politically isolated.
Mulyanyamuri and Mulwana at Kasubi tombs in 2009
It was also thought that the former Katikilo, Mulyanyamuri Ssemogerere, would be in position to help unite all the political forces in Buganda because of the too much respect he commands in the region, but all signs are that he failed. DP’s Mao, whatever the reasons, they kept playing hide and seek with both the IPC and the Katitkiro. At one time, we saw Mao emerging from talks with Besigye and Mulyanyamuri and we thought that’s it, but it was all meant for the cameras. It was never going to happen, and for me, this is enough reason to detest Mao in this or any future elections in Uganda. He simply put his personal selfish ambitions ahead of anything else, and this hurts like hell.
Because of the above developments, there was no way Mengo was going to put all its eggs in one basket. They realized that there are higher chances of president Museveni ”winning” this election than Besigye despite the memorandum of understanding that had recently been signed between Suubi and IPC. Mengo also realized, again just like many of us, after the NRM primaries which were marred with open day rigging, that even if by some miracle Besigye wins this election, the current Electoral Commission will never announce him as the winner. Actually, to be blunt, they will never announce anybody as the winner as long as Museveni is still the president of Uganda. Yes, Buganda will never trust NRM and Museveni again but their options are limited as long as the status-quo does not change in the political circles.
So why are IPC and Besigye involved in this election?
Dr.Besigye is an intelligent man and I think deep inside, he knows that the elections are going to be rigged again as was the case in 2001 and 2006, but he is hoping that some miracle will happen and Ugandans decide to defend their votes with or without a partisan Electoral Commission. There is also a genuine feeling that boy courting election in Africa does not make any difference to the party in power. Actually, it ends up weakening the opposition than anything else. With the FDC involved in this election, it helps them to keep in touch with their esteemed voters at the grassroots and to also win some parliamentary seats which are both good achievements in the long run.
It’s unfortunate that some people will keep unfairly attacking Besigye as a loser even after these elections yet there was no genuine and transparent way of determining that he indeed lost the past elections. Anyway, whatever happens after these elections, Bessigye’s work in the politics of Uganda will remain legendary and highly appreciated. He could not have done it any better and some of us salute him for this.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
UK
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Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
http://ugandamuslims.wordpress.com/
”We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society.” (Hillary Clinton, 1993)
‘The Correct Line’ Is An Eye Opener To All Ugandans
06 Nov 2010 9 Comments
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, Legal issues, media in Uganda, Politics
Dr. Olive Kobusingye is Dr. Besigye's Sister
Dear Ugandans,
It took me just six hours to finish reading Olive Kobusingye’s ‘The Correct Line’, and I wonder what the fuss over the book was all about when it was impounded at Entebbe Airport by the state. There is nothing in the book that was not already known to the public apart from the fact that it may be helpful to people who are still bathed in Musevenism and anti-Besigyesm.
Safe Houses
I was mostly touched by three chapters and one them was Chapter 9 which talks about ‘safe houses’ and how people are treated while in such places. It can make one very angry and at the same time so disappointed with the current government. The kind of inhuman treatment people are subjected to; speak volumes of the Nazism embedded in African politics in general. How can any human being subject another human being to such appalling level of torture just because one has been ordered to do so? The case that particularly drove me almost to tears was that of a lady called Kesanyu who ended up with pus coming out of her private parts while in a ‘safe house’, simply because she was a Besigye supporter in elections in Rukungiri and therefore someone arrested her on tramped up charges. Her story is so touching such that one can only find it in one of those nasty films we normally watch on TV.
Elections
Chapter 11 is another one that needs to be read by anybody who thinks that Besigye merely lost the 2001 and 2006 elections and, therefore, does not deserve another shot at the presidency. In this chapter, Olive acknowledges the role played by Beti Kamya in Reform Agenda in 2001-2004. The ordeal the Besigye family has gone through is also mentioned again, particularly on how they were all forced into exile at some point; how Khidu Mukubuya misused his position as Attorney General to try to keep Besigye’s face off the 2006 ballot papers; but most importantly the chapter shows how the 2006 elections were rigged.
Basically, Dr.Kiggundu Commission produced its own results in 2006 according to this book and as of now, I have lost total respect the EC Chairnman. How can any principled man remain in that position after what the world witnessed in 2006? It’s disgusting and hurting at the same time. No wonder some people I know are not going to waste time voting in these elections.
Death of Besigye’s brother
Chapter 15 will make anybody feel for the Besigyes or Kifefes as Dr.Olive Kobusingye describes the ordeal her kid brother, Musasizi, went through in prison before his death. There is a particular statement in this chapter that caught my eye and it goes like:’ anyone who wanted to know what it was like to oppose Museveni need never wonder. And having a young brother die in this manner seemed so much a part of that wretched role’.
The Besigye family don’t know me but let me hope that it’s not too late for me to send my condolences to Dr.Olive, Catherine ( Musasizi’s wife) and her family. Where is the humanity left in our leaders today after this experience? I’m also so disappointed in the professionals at Mulago who kept refusing to write a medical report such that Besigye’s brother could get bail and possibly better treatment. They left him to the dogs and it was so sad.
Media and Elections
The Newvision has always been pro-Museveni and this is not going to change in this year’s presidential elections. But I suspect that they will try to give fair coverage in these elections to ‘state friendly’ candidates such as Mao, Bidandi and Kamya whose message has been anti-Besigye and IPC even before the campaigns kicked off.
According to Kobusingye’s ‘The Correct Line’, The Newvision got their story wrong on Okwir Rabwoni’s defection to the the Museveni camp during the 2001 elections. This story itself simply shows that Newvision are always used by the incumbent as a PR machine. According to Kobusingye, it seems Ameria Kyambadde and General Tinyenfunza were the brains behind the Okwir Rwaboni defection story such that she(America) was disappointed when Rwaboni did not show up at a youth conference at Ranch on Lake Side Hotel. Newvision had already gone with the front page about Rwabwoni’s defection to the Museveni camp yet he (Rwaboni) spent the night at Kiza Besigye’s house dining with their family.
Tramped up charges
Lastly, I request Ugandans not to believe so much what you read in papers, particularly the Newvision and Bukedde. Some of these papers are used to stitch up the opposition activists or candidates .Some of these stories are meant to make someone look too bad which I find to be the lowest point of journalism in our country.
For instance, according to Kobusingye’s ‘The Correct Line’, two members of parliament from Northern Uganda were arrested and put in prison over tramped up charges. An opposition activist, a certain Peter Olaya Yumbe was arrested and later killed in prison. Basing on these experiences, we should read FDC ‘s Godi story with a pinch of salt because you never know what this government is capable of.
I’m not siding with anybody but I’m merely pointing out that the NRM government is very good at stitching up people from the opposition. As it is pointed out in the ‘Correct Line’, an NRM chairman, Alfred Bongomin, was murdered in 2002 in Gulu by unknown people, but the government went an extra length to stitch up some people in the opposition for this murder. If you can also remember, MPs : FDC’s Reagan Okumu and Michael Ochura were also once upon a time arrested over the murder of the same NRM chairman in 2005 before their acquittal some time later.Besigye has been arrested and tried by the same government over tramped up charges before he was finally acquitted of the treason charges this year by the constitutional court.
So maybe there are those who never got as luck as Besigye,Okumu and others to be acquitted by courts, and they are still rotting in prisons. In the same vein, we cannot be sure of the accusations being laid against MP Gudi because the pointing finger cannot be trusted. Yes, there is a possibility that Gudi might have murdered his wife but how can we be sure of this if he is being tried in a system that is capable of stitching up anybody for crimes they never committed.
All in all, those who can afford should buy this book and send it to their friends and family as a Christmas present because it’s worth reading.
–
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
http://ugandamuslims.wordpress.com/
IPC & DP Should Not Dump Weak Candidates on Ugandans
11 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, FDC, IPC, Politics, Presidency
Dear readers,
We should applaud DP for withdrawing their candidate, J.B.Kakooza for mayoral elections but if rumours that they intend to back Mike Mabike over Erias Lukwago are true then we are back to square one. DP is not doing this in good faith if it’s true. They are just trying to punish Erias Lukwago for going AWOL on Mbale’s Mao but things may not work in their favour and this should not worry anybody supporting Lukwago for mayor because all indications are that the mainstream DP (MAO) has lost control of its supporters. So under the circumstances, DP supporters will support the best man for the job who happens to be Erias Lukwago.
Nevertheless, we hope that DP go an extra mile and do the same elsewhere in elections like they have done with the Kampala mayoral elections. For instance, Mao should also stand down for Besigye as soon as possible because this ”mix-up” in the opposition does not make sense to a lot of people I have spoken to so far. It is obvious that Besigye is a stronger candidate than Mao in this race such that if they work together, they are in position to pull this thing off, at least on a paper.
Personally, I’m getting fed up with having a lot of political parties in the country because they tend to misrepresent what voters want. The IPC or any other political party will be making a big mistake to endorse Mabike for Mayor because I’m sure that’s not what the majority of Kampalans want. In a book called ‘The Politics of the Real World” by Jacobs(1996), some organisations in the UK expressed dissatisfaction with the formal political system or main stream political parties because they seemed to be out of touch with what people wanted. As such they formed their own organisation in that year (1996) which they called ‘The Real World Coalition’. This was an alliance of over 40 national and international civic bodies, charities, NGOs, and agencies, covering issues such as poverty, community, economics, environment, pollution and development.
So, similarly, we would not be surprised if Ugandans start losing faith in certain political parties and start their own organisations that will fight for what they want. The formation of Ssubi was a starting point in that direction. We expect to see groups such as the businessmen or traders in Kampala forming organisations that will end up turning political. In all honesty, why should we allow IPC or DP-Mao to tell Ugandans to vote for Mabike yet there is a better alternative to him. I therefore ask the supporters of Lukwago to go ahead and form organisations that will help him become a mayor if the IPC goes ahead and endorses a weaker candidate.
As a certain writer called Boulding wrote in his book:” Three Faces of Power”, power is the ability to influence the behaviour of others in a manner not of their choosing”. This is exactly what some leaders in the IPC and DP are doing as far as dumping Mabike on us is concerned but Ugandans should not allow it. If Mabike’s SDP decide to quit the IPC as they are threatening, it will affect their leader more than anybody else because it means IPC have to nominate a candidate against him in Makindye, something which will affect everybody in the process. Mabike will not like it to campaign against almost three strong candidates from DP, IPC, and NRM. He needs to think this through before he makes any further threats. Life does not end with becoming the Mayor of Kampala. He should look at the bigger picture here instead of blackmailing the IPC leaders.
We should also accept that Mao is equally matching Besigye in terms of the number of supporters abroad, if we are to believe the online polls done so far. So why can’t they work together if their intention is to represent what majority of Ugandans want?
Some in DP are deluded that there would be a rerun in these presidential elections but they are bound to be surprised because I can’t see it happening. It has not happened before and it is not going to happen this time. In Museveni’s Uganda, it’s either a Museveni win in the 1st around or he finds a way to remain the president.
As for Besigye, he is serving his last term as FDC president or presidential candidate. I’m sure that he won’t tamper with the party constitution at the end of his term and he will set a precedent in Uganda politics which we have not seen for a long time. So Ugandans should support him for his last term by persuading all the other candidates to stand down. If the likes of Mao and Otunu continue being in this race and they don’t want to listen to our cries of cooperation, and then by December Ugandans should be told to shun them and vote for someone who has higher chances of beating the incumbent.
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Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
http://ugandamuslims.wordpress.com/
”We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society.” (Hillary Clinton, 1993)
Mabike Should Not Threaten Anyone During the Campaigns
21 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
Dear friends,
The Kampala mayoral race is now on but we have so far been disappointed with some of the stuff that has taken place. Apart from the opposition nominating two candidates, we were alarmed at the threats Michael Mabike allegedly made at the former IPC spokesperson, Ssemujju Nganda. It’s understood that Mabike is inciting his supporters to unleash violence on those who don’t support him. His comments, taken from varying sources, all reflect a concern that the nation has not yet moved on from the strata of violence despite the 24 years of Museveni rule without a full scale war in most parts of the country. It’s illuminating to study Mabike’s remarks because they reveal a lot about him and the prevailing philosophy of those that support guys like him for leadership. Such threats are particularly unfathomable in light of the fact that it’s one opposition candidate making them against another opposition candidate. If this continues, we are likely to stampede ourselves into some kind of electoral violence, which most reasonable people agree would be a disaster for the whole country.
I understand that the young violent men in Kampala find solace and a feeling of belonging in a gang environment but this is not the right way to go. If this irresponsible behaviour by leaders is not checked, we may find our selves with a Baghdad version of Kampala. For example, In August 2005, armed men entered Baghdad’s municipal building, deposed the then mayor and installed a shia militia man belonging to an organisation called Badr.
On the same note, UPDF should also not be tempted to unleash violence on anybody in this election because the way we understand people who go to the military is that they are taught the right things – about leadership, about sacrifice, about what is important to character. Technically, that is how a professional soldier is supposed to be.
Therefore, people will appreciate it more if Lukwago,Mabike and other contenders spend most of their campaigns telling us what they are going to do for Kampala than anything else. For instance, in London, the main roles of the elected mayor are well known: to promote economic development and wealth creation, social development, and the improvement of the environment. The Mayor also has a number of other duties in relation to culture and tourism, including responsibility for Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square. Mayors in other UK cities and Europe tend to preside over marriage or citizenship ceremonies. For instance, in 2004, in Paris, the French mayor married gays at the front of a parade that involved 700,000 people.
We expect our mayoral candidates to talk about the environmental issues, filling potholes, and emptying the garbage in their campaigns. We also expect a mayor to cut ribbons when opening new buildings after being elected in office though they won’t mention this in their campaigns, and that is ok.
Personally, I think the environment is a big thing in mayoral campaigns because global warming is a serious threat that should worry anyone, and there is no reason denying that pollution affects the environment and individuals anywhere in the world. For instance, in cities such as Chicago, wireless urinals have been adopted; businesses are being given grants for solar panels; and the mayor there has encouraged tree plantation. So, we expect a Kampala mayor to start effecting simple things such as banning smoking from all bars and restaurants, along with office buildings, gardens, clubs, arena, bowling alleys, and pool halls. Plus, encouraging use of bicycles for those residing near Kampala as it is good for them and the environment.
Some people may not see this now but a mayor is supposed to be a potential presidential candidate. Most mayors of capital cities tend to harbour presidential ambitions. For instance,New York City Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, has reportedly already dropped hints that he may be open to running for president. The former mayor, Rudy Giuliani, missed out basically because he was little known outside New York City. Lopez Obrador, former mayor of Mexico City, stood for presidency in 2006.
On this basis, therefore, we need a Kampala mayor who cares deeply about the country. Well, there are no congratulations in order yet if both Mabike and Lukwago stand for mayor. But whatever their differences, they must remain respectful of one another and stand united, especially in adversity.
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Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Blogs:
http://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/
http://semuwemba.wordpress.com/
http://ekitibwakyabuganda.wordpress.com/
http://ugandamuslims.wordpress.com/
”We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society.” (Hillary Clinton, 1993)
The Catholic Church Should Openly Support Condom Use and Contraception
29 Nov 2010 1 Comment
in cultures, health, luwero war after 1980 'theft', Museveni and NRM, Religion, science
Pope Benedict XVI
The Catholic Church has done a lot of immeasurable good things in Africa and elsewhere in the world but I still cannot understand why they cannot openly support the use of condoms to reduce Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STDs), and the use of contraception methods. The church has played a crucial role in educating; treating and bringing hope to a lot of Africans. It has quietly worked against evil systems, such as South Africa’s apartheid and African dictatorships, as was the case, for instance, when one cardinal was allegedly used to support Yoweri Museveni’s NRA rebels against Obote and Iddil Amin regimes in Uganda. Pope John Paul II also worked against communism and strongly opposed the war in Iraq, calling it a defeat for humanity which could not be morally or legally justified.
Nonetheless, recently, Pope Benedict XVI seems to have done a simple but not a ‘sharp’ u-turn on use of condoms when he said that people should use them which were a bit better than his April, 2009 message on his trip in Africa when he said that the use of condoms worsens the HIV problem. Benedict was born in 1927 and he has seen how the world has been changing since. So we expect him to see a lot of things differently though we expect him to review the abstinence message too. The church has been preaching abstinence outside married life and faithfulness within it and probably it would be effective if it was followed, but the truth is that people don’t do so.
There’s a lot of disinformation on the internet about regarding the safety of condoms. I suspect that the Catholic Church or religious leaders have something to do with it. The main problem with condoms is that they may break, or fall off when using them. I just don’t see how an HIV virus would get through these pores when water doesn’t. It’s physically impossible. Unless the condom is damaged, the risk to HIV is very low.
Therefore, the Vatican and other religious groups’ claims about permeable condoms are wrong. The World Health Organisation has already advised people to disregard messages from the church about this issue. The message of “abstinence” and “high-risk partners” should be preached alongside the use of condoms. There are some people who cannot abstain from knocking on certain ‘HIV addresses’ even if they are not landlords or tenants. They may just go there just to drop ‘letters’ or ‘leaflets’ or ‘ just delivering take-aways’, and we need to find a way to protect them. So postmen, ambulance people, take-away people and marketers all need to be protected from the dogs in the houses.
Several organisations including Lancet, a UK Medical journal, have been criticising the church over their condom message and I think the criticism has started bearing some fruits going by the pope’s recent message. We just hope that the rest of the church takes this message seriously, after all, condoms have already been proven as effective, in most African countries and beyond a doubt that they help in reducing the spread of HIV-AIDS and other STDs.
The Church’s prohibition of contraception is also wrong since it does not seem to have any Biblical foundation, apart from the story of Onan spilling his seed on the ground, which is a special case. It seems more likely to have come from Aristotle, the source of much bad doctrine. The Pope has continually forced his own views on how women may control their own fertility but I think it is wrong.
The pope’s U-turn in just a year’s time is a confirmation that merely because one is famous (or wealthy) doesn’t make one intellectually or morally superior to the rest of humanity. In reality, most of the so called famous people have a very limited understanding about how the rest of the world works, and are more interested in feeding their own fragile egos than examining the consequences of their actions. Many of them access no information, and base opinions solely on what is fashionably correct. They aren’t reviewing abstracts in the journals looking for relevant articles, reading up on epidemiological studies, or picking up a calculator to crunch some numbers to do a basic sanity check before publicly uttering inanities like some statements that have come to be associated with the Catholic Church over the years. Most of the time, they are merely regurgitating the same message they have heard over and over again, from the usual drones. So people following these leaders should use common sense before they take everything they say on board. We all love our religions but we also accept that very few people confess to their sins in public. So we need to find a way of protecting most especially the silent sinners because they may turn out to be useful some day.
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Being a former Student Leader does not necessarily make one a presidential material
30 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in 2010-2011 elections, Africa, FDC, IPC, Museveni and NRM, Politics, Presidency
Dear readers,
We will never know if FDC’s Kiiza Besigye lost or won the 2001 and 2006 elections because of the rigging that was reportedly involved in both elections. This rigging is partly mentioned in Dr.Kobusingye’s book: ‘The Correct Line’. So it’s unfair for one to justifiably determine Besigye’s failure in politics basing on the elections that were reportedly rigged unless if some people wanted him to fight his way to the top, just like Museveni did, by waging a war against the government. But then again, the same voices would end up accusing Besigye of ascending to power using primitive means of violence. So what do these people exactly want, a conference room and aeroplane politician, like Mao, or the guy who bends it like Beckham, such as Besigye?
Some Mao supporters have also been telling us that he was born a leader and that’s why he has a story to tell, and that it was not by mistake that he was Head prefect at Namiryango and later on, the guild president at Makerere University. But the fact is that Norbert Mao’s story in leadership is one of those that can send anyone to sleep because it does not really involve anything extra ordinary. First, anyone with sheer luck can easily become a guild at Makerere University or MP in Uganda. It’s not rocket science or such a huge responsibility as exemplified by some of the sleeping MPs in the parliament. With due respect to our MPs, I think so many Ugandans are probably more qualified to be MPs in that parliament than the ladies and gentlemen there. So I don’t think there is any big deal there as far as Mao’s CV is concerned. He only became Gulu chairman with the help of FDC and UPC but he is probably too arrogant to publicly admit it.
If presidents were picked based on their prior performances as student leaders, then we would have had many of those in Uganda. Uganda got its independence in 1962 and we have had more than six presidents but none of those were guild presidents,partly because student politics tend to be totally different from the national politics. So I was amazed to watch Mao on YouTube making this a big deal in one of his rallies as if he won some sort of a lotto by having one leg over late Mayombo while still at the university.
Mao’s guild presidency story at Makerere University is more of a fable than anything else. I don’t know of many student leaders that have made it to the top office just because they were student leaders. More importantly, I don’t know of any great leaders of the world that became so because there were student leaders prior to that. At least, I know George Washington,Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Churchhill, Nyerere Julius, Mandela Nelson, Kenyata, Obote Milton, Sir Edward Mutesa, Kwame Nkrumah, Fidel Castro, Gadaffi(Libya) and others in that category were not some university student leaders. Bill Clinton was a student leader and musician in primary and high schools but I don’t remember watching a video of him on TV telling people: ‘you see me here, I defeated MN at university elections when a few people expected it and now I want to make KB and YM history’’.Nyerere founded a group to bring together TZ students at Makerere University but I don’t think he went around singing about it when campaigning at rallies in Tanzania, and I’m sure he made it to the presidency because voters looked at other things other than his student involvement at MUK or Edinburgh universities
Jan Bubenik was a student leader during the Velvet Revolution but he did not make it very far in Czech politics.
Li Lu was a student leader who later turned himself into a politician and an activist after going to exile in USA, but that did not bring him anywhere near the presidency or prime ministerial offices in China. Actually, after going into exile, he only managed to sneak back into the country this year in September, under the wings of US billionaire, Buffet, for the Chinese car manufacturer annual business meeting in Shenzhen. The government saw no need to arrest him since he was bringing them business and profits instead of politics. Li is actually spending most of his energy in business and working closely with Buffet instead of wasting time with Beijing politics. He has tried to make peace with Beijing after realising that some times dogs can only be chased by fellow dogs, something which will take some DP supporters a long time to understand.
Another famous former student leader in USA called, Sam Brown, was only very instrumental in helping one of the Democratic presidential candidates, Kerry, in raising funds in California in 2004 but he never became a president. He also served in Carter and Clinton administrations.
In France, there was Daniel Cohn-Bendit who was a student leader of the May 1968 student protests in Paris. The best he could become was an MP for some party but not the presidency.
In Britain where I live, Margaret Thatcher was the only student leader who made it to the Downing Street as PM but Labour’s Charles Clarke looks like he will never be anything bigger than a cabinet minister in politics despite his endless campaigns on TV against Gordon Brown when he was prime minister.
In Iraq, Iyad Allawi was a student leader in Britain in 1960s and he only became a PM because of his connections to CIA and M16.He established these links when he started opposing Sadam Hussein.
As for his being Head prefect, Mao should not be mentioning this on rallies too because there are lots of head prefects I know who are now grassing. Actually, these things of ‘head prefect’ or whatever don’t really matter that much or determine anybody’s future prospects or potential. President Museveni was reportedly one of the bumless and unrecognisable boys at Ntare Sec School -constantly involved in political debates but he is now our president. Late Obote was a university drop out but he died being called a president and a doctor. Sematimba peter is a school drop out but he may become our city mayor if Lukwago and Mbaike don’t sort things out.
So ,it would only be reasonable if Mao stops wasting time attacking Besigye because he is not going to become anything bigger than Besigye, at least not in the next 15 years, unless if he later decides to join NRM.
Byebyo ebyange
Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba
Female Circumcision is still a Big Worry for the World that requires urgent attention
04 Dec 2010 12 Comments
in Africa, culture, cultures, East Africa, health, international, social issues, Tribalism
Sabiny girls after the circumcision ritual in Bukwo district(Courtesy of the Newvision)
Dear readers,
The article on the front page of Newvision on 04/12/10 showing pictures of sabiny girls that had been circumcised is justifiably one of the biggest cultural outcries so far in this year’s presidential elections. Female circumcision is a global problem and I think international organisations such as WHO need to urgently put it on their agenda in future conferences to be held and seriously try to do something about it. I remember watching a documentary on channel 4 here in the UK, a copy I kept up to now, that showed that some Muslim societies ,such as in Egypt, also practicing this evilness in the name of Islam. Female circumcision is done by removing the tip of the clitoris because it is believed that women should not enjoy sex but are to serve only to pleasure the man and have children. These female mutilation things are not a part of Islam. They’re just cultural traditions of a bunch of Arabs who happen also to be Muslim. But it’s sort of like American slaveholders who were B