Here is how Bishop Dr Zac Niringiye’s anticorruption crusade landed him into captivity

Vincent Nuwagaba

I find the 2013 Uganda quite humorous, quite enthralling but also bemusing as much as it is amusing. Since 2008, the government has treated me as a ball to be kicked by any policeman; it has taken me to be a drum; it has turned me into a punching bag. The reason has been simple: I speak too much and what I speak is too true to be fathomed. In fact, I have been portrayed as a problem everywhere. My colleagues in the human rights fraternity have ignored me; some of them have gullibly and naively concluded that I am mentally disabled never mind that the so-called experts have also declared me to be a genius.

Why do I begin with these opening remarks? On Monday February 4, I was arrested together with Bishop Zac Niringiye as we distributed the Black Monday Newsletter that chronicled corruption scandals by politicians and civil servants in the “visionary NRM government under the visionary leader” His Excellency Yoweri Museveni.

As we drove in Bishop Niringiye’s vehicle towards our next stage, we were blocked by the police patrol vehicle. Soon, I saw very many policemen armed to the teeth cocking their guns and I realized we had been arrested. While it may have come as a shock to the venerable Bishop, I found it quite usual and deep in my heart I was happy that the police had played into our hands.

A few minutes later, SSP Sam Omala ordered Bishop Niringiye to lower the window glasses. We were told to go to Wandegeya for a chat with the police and we obliged and we went in the company of two uniformed police officers both of them Cadet Assistant Superintend of Police.

As we reached Wandegeya, we found some students had also been arrested and they were asking why they were being subjected to anguish and torment. As I spoke in defence of the students, Bishop Niringiye rebuked me and told me he was going to chase me. At that point the man of God didn’t realize that he had already been arrested and he didn’t know that being soft with the police wouldn’t help him at all.

Minutes after arriving at the police city lawyer my friend Nicholas Opiyo arrived but he alone can tell the ridicule he was subjected to by SSP Omara and the Wandegeya Police station OC CID. Poor Nicholas and Zac thought they were going to use civil means with the police that has no scintilla of civility never mind that it is by law supposed to be a civilian force.
Our lawyer Nicholas Opiyo was reinforced by another prominent lawyer Deo Nkunzingoma, president Uganda Law Society. Because I am very close to Nicholas Opiyo and very close to Deogratias Nkuzingoma, I was tempted to think that they were there primarily because of me. In a short while, both the lawyers and my co-suspects became uncomfortable with me. Why? Because I never beseeched the police, I told them off and when the OC CID attempted to beat me, I told him that I would send him to his creator if he dared to touch me.

Inevitably, I was looked at as a spoiler and separated from the other suspects. I called my own lawyers – Asuman Basalirwa and tried getting in touch with Norbert Mao. Not because I despise Nicholas Opiyo for I know he is one the most brilliant young lawyers in Kampala but because he failed to understand one thing: that political questions are best answered with political solutions.

As a human rights defender and scholar I refuse to accept one thing. I will never negotiate with anybody when I know he or she is wrong. I will never sweet-talk anybody doing wrong. My approach works very well. My brains are superb and they never lie to me. This explains why I am now a free man but Bishop Niringiye is a captive because he still has to report to police on February 14. This explains why I never stepped in police cells but Bishop Niringiye and others did. This explains why I stayed in my shoes, stayed with my phone and all possessions but they rest had them removed.

The Black Monday architects are not entirely clean

Sadly, our society is entirely rotten. There’s stinking corruption in Civil Society Organisations more than in government agencies. And the reason is simple: because all government institutions are kaput, no efforts have ever been made to unearth corruption orchestrated, perpetrated and perpetuated by CSOs. I can state without any contradiction that most noise makers in civil society organizations are stinking rich not because of hard work but because they pilfer donor funds which are meant to benefit the ordinary citizen. And because the so-called activists know me, they don’t allow me closer to them. That’s why I am the only activist who earns no coin from the donors.

Definitely, there’s a lot of money for the Black Monday campaign. The organizers are not ready to account to anybody. I wonder how and why they should address press conferences without our knowledge; they meet the police without me even when I am at the venue; they address joint press conferences with the police without our mandate. Is civil society synonymous with NGOs? No. Are civil society members employees in the NGOs? An empathic no. To NGO Forum, HURINET, Uganda Debt Net Work (UDN), Anticorruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), DENIVA, Leonard Okello, Bishop Zac Niringiye, and Jackie Asiimwe, among others, corruption cannot be fought using nontransparent means. As you put to task the thieves to account, you also must account for the funds that use in the Black Monday Campaign. At least, I know for sure that you are not using your own money. I also need a vehicle, I need money, I need newsletters and all other paraphernalia to enable me in the campaign. I am the only person who dovetails with the unemployed youths and students in universities and other institutions of learning. I can give several reasons to buttress my argument if you dispute my assertion.

What shocked me is that after the release of Bishop Niringiye from the cells, virtually all the activists were less enthusiastic about the release of the students who incidentally had been recruited by Dr Niringiye into the campaign. I told the police leadership – ACP Tanui, the Regional Police Commander that I would mobilize students from Makerere to torch the police station if the students were not released after Dr Niringiye had been released. They were actually released after they had seen go to Makerere University to do the mobilization.

I embrace the Black Monday campaign simply because the issues raised are legitimate not that I agree with the architects. I believe that after successfully burying political corruption, it will be easy to put an end to corruption in NGOs and trade unions. I have resolved never to step in police cells again and never to be beaten by the police again until I have ousted Museveni’s regime using brain power. To successfully fight mediocrity, corruption and social injustice, you must consult me. I never joined anyone among the Black Monday activists in the fight against Museveni’s dysfunctional regime but they have all joined me. They cannot claim to be my leaders in the anticorruption crusade.

Mr Nuwagaba is a human rights defender
+256702843552

HOW IS M7 GOING TO PAY BACK USA? ASKS PROF MUCHAI

Dear Ugandans at heart,

After the winds of change in the 1960s, Africa found itself fast-gaining independence from colonialists, one country after another, until South Africa became the last country to claim uhuru.

Since then, there appeared to have been a surrender of the colonial ideology by the colonial masters but sooner rather than later, the colonial masters regrouped and came up with a more subtle manner of re-colonising Africa through regime change disguised as “humanitarian military interventions, democracy, good governance and accountability”.

The sad story is that all these high-sounding words were crafted and started being implemented largely from an American, British and French point of view and, generally from a Eurocentric point of view.

Democracy, good governance and accountability were never sought and implemented from an African perspective, not from an Africa eye and each African leader who has defied this has been a victim of regime change.

The pseudo-democrats, created and hoisted into power by the Americans, the British the Canadian and the French, have all turned out to be sell-outs with no interest of Africa and the Africans, but giving all the resources to the master of regime change.

This has been the dilemma of Africa and an affront to African humanism.

The United States of America in particular has set up military commands for the absolute control of Africa’s resources and is willing to deploy is soldiers to any portion of Africa, firstly disguised as helpers bringing peace and stability but behind the scenes, America will be milking that country’s resources or effecting regime change.

All Africans in the know got worried late last year when America deployed 100 soldiers to Uganda, to hunt for the Lord’s Resistance Army and save President Yoweri Museveni.

The question by all and sundry is saving Museveni from what?

The other question is how is Museveni going to pay back the American?

What with Museveni’s involvement in the DRC?

What has Museveni done to deserve special protection from the Americans, which Sudan’s Al-Bashir does not deserve?

What special protection does Museveni deserve which Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe does not deserve from the MDC onslaught?

The point is, while we should not support the rebels in Uganda, it is equally interesting to question the motive of the Americans yet there is the African Union that should be expressly dealing with such problems.

Is it not correct for the African Union to come up with a military contingent to deal with such problems, since SADC already has a Standby Brigade?

The LRA is not silly and reports from its camp are that they have done a tactical withdrawal until they understand the American mission.

They have not disbanded but they have gone underground.

For a country as big as America to have a military intervention in yonder Uganda, there must be something special and Africans should smell a rat.

Why America?

The UN, itself a latterday mouthpiece of American foreign policy claims that it has noted a reduction on LRA presence, effectively giving credit to the American operation in the same manner it did in Libya until the violent overthrowing of Muammar Gaddafi.

What is needed in Uganda is an African solution not an American solution.

This fact is attributed to a gradual decrease in Joseph Kony’s troops.

According to the Ugandan government, their numbers do not exceed 350-400 fighters.

But truth is that Kony now has more sympathisers in the Arab world than he had before as the anti-American sentiment is high in that section of society.

Considering this, one can clearly see how flimsy the US official excuse for sending 100 troops to the Great Lakes District is that there is need for stability in that region and that Kony has butchered ordinary people.

At the same time, this move is completely in line with the US plan to penetrate African and consolidate its military, political, and economic grip on the continent.

The move has given US AFRICOM one step into the African soil and it is fact not fiction that Museveni no longer has the power to withdraw the American soldiers and neither will he have the power to determine when the mission will end.

It is equally true that Museveni no longer has the power to defend his country’s independence and that he will now dance the American tune to the fullest.

The first stage of the plan was implemented in Libya, with the AFRICOM being brought into play there to deal with Gaddafi, disguised as America’s contingent to help Nato. Now the Africom troops are deployed in the Great Lakes District and what is next for Africa?

The decision made by the government of Uganda, DRC, Central African Republic, and South Sudan to allow the AFRICOM troops to their respective territories undermines the other AU member-countries’ effort to establish their own peacekeeping forces.

African leaders must put on the agenda of the January 2012 AU summit, the issue of deploying a regiment of the SADC Standby Forces in the Great Lakes as soon as possible, not AFRICOM.

This step would enable African countries to maintain control over the situation on the continent, keep any foreign players from meddling in African affairs and put an end to the new wave or colonisation.

The move is an affront to all effort for Africa to control and defend its independence in a manner it sees fit not in manner other countries and continents see fit. – DayAfrica.com

*Professor Muchai Wa Muthatha teaches History at Makerere University

And They Are Still Laughing!

.And They Are Still Laughing!

For so many years, like all of you suffering fellow Ugandans we had watched in silence our evolving, deepening wretchedness. With every hit that sent us down almost crying in pain; a dead relative or friend that should not have died; a dead hero of our country that was compromised; a young graduate roaming the streets of Kampala, jobless, penniless and hungry; an innocent citizen framed and convicted either to lose >legally=, land, a business, a licence, EVEN A LIFE. . . that which the rich and powerful decided to take, or simply to settle old scores; etc., We saw the cause before us and it was always the same. Growing confident, growing in size, growing rich, powerful and brazen. It was always the same faces of the same people and we wondered how many of our fellow indigenous Ugandans recognised them the way we did. They are the Musevenis= who now own Uganda lock, stock and barrel. And since the 18th of February this year, they believe they are to own YOUR FREEDOM and YOUR SOUL.

So, although until then we agonised in silence we felt challenged to write. Our hope was that little by little we could analyse our plight together; using the great opportunity that technology today has made so much possible. So we wrote one then two small pieces; to stimulate a serious debate on several issues. The overwhelming response we see is encouraging. But it has also exposed how much has gone wrong within our body politic thanks to Musevenism. It is precisely what he set out to achieve, it is succeeding. AND HE AND HIS CLAN ARE LAUGHING.

Fellow Ugandans, let us re‑focus on our duty to ourselves and address our problems starting from the roots.  We know that for every example we will give you, you can each give at least 20. So this better be just a beginning; at the end of which road we shall have not only found a way to respond to whatever Museveni and his clan are doing to us but we shall have the means to get rid of their entire system, lock stock and barrel. But it is going to be a long road.

Over the last four weeks we are sure there have been many of you quietly hoping that the bulletin according to Smart Musolin could be right; not because we are like Museveni wishing ill of others, that Salim Saleh was really dead. Far from it; Ugandans are/were hoping that at long last seeing the implosion, the fracture lines in a system that has ground relentlessly into submission every opportunity, every hope and our very existence. But to Museveni and his clan it may all be a game with particularly sinister intentions. AND THEY ARE LAUGHING.

Ask yourself, is it the first time they have played us for fools? Of course not.

They wore Obote’s military uniforms and massacred innocents in the Luwero Triangle; they wanted you to hate Obote enough to support a radical system they wanted to introduce into a peace loving country: ORGANISED VIOLENCE. We fell for it. . .they were killing us; us the very people they needed to create this organised violence that would get them the power their numbers would never have done in a million years.

They knew from the experiences of Rwanda and Burundi that they would never muster the numbers nor a legitimate cause and programme to win any election so they chose ORGANISED VIOLENCE to get them what no Election could.

As they massacred our people in the Luwero Triangle the Chakamchaka plus the uniform was doing the trick. You ended up believing that ‘Obote and Those Northerners’ were decimating you. They got us to hate our own fellow Ugandans as an investment for the future as we will point out. We can hear you say that Obote and their UPC brethren had proven to posterity that The Northerners were our enemies. But Daudi Ochieng, Martin Aliker, etc, were also Northerners. Besides, Museveni and his Clan were Obote’s own dependable force in The General Service Unit and the most vocal political force. But they never wanted you in the Luwero Triangle to remember this. So once they got you to believe that they were fighting for you. . .you had fallen into their trap. THEY LAUGHED SOME MORE..

Then they lined up along the roadside the skulls of our murdered brothers and sisters; to invoke empathy for the cause; but whose cause? Theirs of course!  They took pictures of your brothers and sisters’ skulls so that you can spread the gospel. But whose gospel? Theirs of course! Out of it more of us joined them in The Luwero Triangle. International Media and Agencies were hoodwinked into spreading their propaganda. They knew that we had all fallen for it. . .AND THEY LAUGHED SOME MORE.

Wearing Obote’s uniforms they targeted families with children. One wave of them slaughtered Mums and Dads with total brutality STATE RESEARCH BUREAU STYLE right in front of the kids so they never stop hating The Northerners, then another wave of scantily clad guerrillas would rush in guns blazing, some of the first wave would fall as if killed by the new heroes; they would get up and walk away after the terrified kids are collected to be taken to their new godfather YOWERI MUSEVENI. They are indoctrinated Marxist style how to hate, who to hate and how to destroy him/them. AND THE GODFATHER AND HIS CLAN GO ON LAUGHING.

Yet from the very start, when the first wave of massacre in the Luwero Triangle started, some of us, you and me, suspected that there were discrepancies in the stories. That we were being killed by these guerrillas and not the Obotes. But instead of going back to our roots, to examine the way our ancestors examined any given strange phenomenon, otherwise they would not have established the rich heritages all indigenous Ugandans enjoyed before the advent of aliens, white or black, we chose to ignore that route. WE chose to listen to the Chakamchaka. Or we kept saying to ourselves “wait before you tackle that problem, at least these guys. . Museveni and his Clan will help us get rid of These Northerners first”. And then what? Others chose to whisper MUKAAMA, because chakamchaka had let it known that “IF YOU ARE CAUGHT REVEALING SUCH SECRETS OF THE LUWERO TRIANGLE, YOUR PENALTY IS INSTANT DEATH” And there were examples enough to pose a deterrent even when it was known that it was the godfather himself that laid this law of this jungle and often executed it himself. And once you or any other fellow Ugandan chose to remain silent to this DECEPTION FOLLOWED BY SUCH CRIME‑KILLING FELLOW UGANDANS FOR A CAUSE OR CAUSES THAT HAD NEVER BEEN CORRECTLY DEFINED, EXAMINED BY OUR CAUCUS OF ELDERS OR SANCTIONED AS A POLICY FOR A DEFINED PROGRAMME OF OUR WELLBEING, then we had automatically surrendered our RIGHT TO SAY NO TO MUSEVENI AND HIS CLANSMEN. LUWERO TRIANGLE WAS THE FINAL TESTING GROUND FOR OUR TRUE RESISTANCE TO THESE ALIEN FORCES OF DESTRUCTION. From then on THEY HAVE NEVER STOPPED LAUGHING AT US.

We can see you fellow Ugandans saying to each other: “What the hell is Freddie Mwesigwa expected to achieve with this? Of course we know all these ‘things’, but they are all in the past.  . .time to move on.  Let us talk about corruption or the wastage of state resources on the huge Parliament and the purchase of fighter jets.  At least those are current and relevant”. Wrong, dear citizens of Uganda.  Let us challenge you to examine any other aspect of our predicament the way we have simply scratched the tip of LUWERO TRIANGLE CONSPIRACY. Don’t duck the chance to show that you are awake to the TRUE REALITY OF YOUR PLIGHT. Otherwise Yoweri Museveni will do what he has done for generations, and then recently, to the Email we sent to you to cajole you into re‑examining your course for the future. He got busy. . .no, he got his propaganda machinery to pretend that it were you responding to our Email, but instead , to deflect the thinking to other topics he wants you to stay glued to even if they were never going to improve.  Corruption? The man and his Clan have fleeced Uganda better than Mubarak; Gaddafi etc, have ever managed together. But you can talk and twitter all you like; he is going to continue fleecing as he wants. His mate Tumusime Mutebire can resign now. . .yesterday, if he was genuinely concerned about our financial plight. But he will not because there is still OIL AND URANIUM AND GOLD TO STILL PLUNDER TOGETHER.

If you want something current and we invite everyone who has first hand information to enlighten us all, where is GENERAL CALEB AKANDWANAHO TODAY?  Is he in The West Nile?  From where he is alleged to be supervising the final plunder of the state of Uganda. Whether he is dead or alive it is inconsequential, but ask yourself:

1). How did he come about all the land he is/was sitting on in West Nile? Someone please enlighten us!

2). How did the two brothers end up with unlimited access to HECTARE UPON HECTARE OF ACHOLI and LANGI LAND. Operation Scorched Earth, please someone? Internally Displaced Camps, please someone?

3). The mass killings, which are so current there will be at least fifty indigenous Karamojong dead before we finish this Email to you; all over Karamoja under the supervision of his wife Janet and his son Muhoozi. Don’t hold back please someone?

4).And now that they are on the threshold of permanent assimilation of our Territory, WITH ALL THE OIL FROM JUST WEST OF CALEB AKANDWANAHO’S REACH‑LAKE ALBERT and a little South at BUDIBUJO, WHICH THEY ALREADY OWN ANYWAY, THEY CAN ESTABLISH THE PERMANENT HEADQUATERS TO DO WHATEVER THEIR LONG RANGE PROGRAMME DEMANDS. You the citizens of Uganda will have even seen them establish, at your expense, THE NECESSARY PIPELINE TO TAKE THEIR EXPLOITS DIRECT TO THE INDIAN OCEAN. SUDAN and THE DINKAS can be ANNEXED just exactly the way ALL OF EASTERN CONGO CAN BE ANNEXED, which is why despite knowing that our borders with the DRCongo runs halfway down the Lake, they can develop THEIR OIL PROGRAMME AS IF THEY ALREADY KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE THEIR TERRITORY. You dear Ugandans will help them with your lives TO INVADE THE CONGO YET AGAIN. You are like the fodder that sustains the MUSEVENI ULTIMATE DESIGN ON SUPREME POWER of THE GREAT LAKES REGION.

Perhaps now you realise why Museveni and his Clansmen actually played this CYNICAL LIE on all of us? Because they SUCCESSFULLY GOT YOU PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH TO THINK THAT THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTH ARE YOUR ENEMIES. THAT YOU CAN SHUT YOUR EYES AND YOUR EARS, WHILE HE SLAUGHTERS THEM AND DISPOSSESSES THEM. And this PROGRAMME was CONCEIVED IN THE LUWERO TRIANGLE. You still think we are addressing old best forgotten issues? Wrong! MUSEVENI AND HIS CLANSMEN ARE LAUGHING VERY LOUDLY TODAY!

We are challenging you for our own good and sanity, to reveal without fear or favour all we can share between us not as a broken people, but as a force awakening to a reality of WHATEVER HAS GONE WRONG AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO DO ALL THAT IS NECESSARY TO RECLAIM OUR LAND, OUR HERITAGE AND OUR PRIDE.

Now, (a). See how he did deceive all Baganda to believe that Mulwanyamuli had any good to do for Buganda when he was serving Museveni’s Agenda from day one until now when we hear he has masqueraded his way into London lately, still serving the same lie. Don’t hold back again, dear friends otherwise MUSEVENI’S LAUGHTER GOES ON.

(b). Inter Party Coalition? Museveni successfully infiltrated every Organisation that had claimed to be in the opposition. So he controlled every step, every division that took place. It the end you know that there was no credible opposition. He bought everyone that mattered, and then he proceeded to buy every voter he could irrespective of damage to the finances of the land. Mr Mutebire where were you when he raided the Bank of Uganda Vaults? Someone knows more about this, please let us read it.

(c). Museveni created the biggest cabinet on the African Continent, ever. This on top of the biggest Parliament per capita, ever. If they have no accommodation enough and have to “rent space” from mercenaries like Sudhir and company, a member of The Billionaire’s Club then the Tax Payer is in for a clobbering. Someone knows more and we need this dossier to work out our strategies for survival of our Nation State. So, please don’t hold back the way we did in the Luwero Triangle. Whatever followed was never about us Ugandans. It was all for Museveni and his Clansmen; let’s have it now.

(d). Then having abused our intelligence with this huge Parliament, he got Irene Muloni a Roman Catholic Lady appointed Minister of Energy to imagine herself better placed than all the Professor Lules and The Kisekkas and the Bukenyas, probably encouraged her to throw this MAMMOTH PARTY, (just as he has done with Rebecca Kadaga with the Basoga) to which the guest list OBVIOUSLY PREPARED BY MUSEVENI had to include FOR FINAL HUMILIATION even THE TOP CLERGY IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. . . TO CELEBRATE!  To celebrate WHOSE ULTIMATE SUCCESS?  Not the Roman Catholic Church whose Clergy now appear VERY CHEAP OPPORTUNISTS, given that they have presided over services for the last 25 years, which services have increasingly attracted and overfilled Churches all over Uganda by POORER, MORE MISERABLE, SICKER AND DESPERATE MEMBERS OF INDIGENOUS CITIZENS, because they were all physically, mentally and psychologically suffering from MUSEVENISM. All the Newspapers, the Social Networks, the messages by phone (not in Uganda because ours is a POLICE STATE) but Internationally must have filtered through to our REVERED CLERGY enough to realise that THE DRINKS THAT FLOWED and THE FOOD THEY ATE would pass through the system as if they never were. And what would remain the next morning WOULD BE THEIR CONSCIENCES; AND WITHIN THEM THE FEELINGS OF BETRAYAL OF THEIR FLOCK who must have seen their pictures with dismay; as if all the preceding weeks of demonstrations were just a mirage, an illusion and a trick designed to do to the populace the very same betrayal that was done to Ugandans in the Luwero Triangle. ON THAT NIGHT OF THAT BIG WELL REPORTED FEAST MUSEVENI AND HIS CLANSMEN, MUST HAVE HAD AN EVEN GREATER CELEBRATION. THEY COULD NOT HAVE STOPPED LAUGHING!

Now we throw this challenge to you. Come up with well researched revelations about our plight. Be bold enough to share them with us. Someone has tried for more than thirty years to destroy your spirit. But we doubt he has succeeded otherwise he would not be sending Delegations after Delegations upcountry to subdue us, abroad to spy on many of you, in Churches, at weddings, at funerals, amongst the Boda Bodas, the market places etc, etc..

ONE DAY WE MUST DO ALL THE LAUGHING BUT IT WILL TAKE COURAGE, DETERMINATION AND A LOT OF SMART PLANNING So, Watch this space!

Freddie Mwesigwa

 

Why did the presence of Halliburton in Uganda go un noticed?

Now that’s called  Raw Power! Ugandans should be very afraid of this marriage between NRM and Halliburtn!

A colleague drew my attention to this report on Halliburton’s corrupt operation in Nigeria!

http://www.saharareporters.com/real-news/sr-headlines/6109-obasanjo-shared-74million-halliburton-bribe-okiro-panel-says.html

or

http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=106370

 

Transport Outlook 2011. Meeting the Needs of 9 Billion People

The world’s population will reach 9 billion by 2050. Meeting their transport demands will be challenging. As both population and incomes rise, global passenger mobility and global freight transport volumes may triple by 2050. The International Transport Forum’s 2011 Outlook examines these trends, exploring the factors that may drive demand even higher and the limits imposed by infrastructure capacity, fuel prices and policies to accommodate or limit potentially expolosive growth of car use in rapidly developing countries

The Outlook traces scenarios for emissions of CO2 from transport and the impact of policies to improve the fuel economy of conventional vehicles and promote the use of electric cars, including implications for fuel tax revenues. Trends in passenger car traffic are given particular attention, examining evidence for saturation of demand in high income countries.

http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/Pub/pdf/11Outlook.pdf

Rehema
Patriot in Kampala,East Africa
When the boot of government is on your neck,it doesn’t matter if it’s left or right. Today is Buganda and Besigye, tomorrow is some one else.

Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture

The Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture e-Sourcebook describes a wide variety of ICT innovations and discusses the potential they carry for stakeholders engaged in agricultural development. The overarching challenge for agriculture in the international development community is to make the sector fulfill its potential as an engine for a certain kind of economic growthpoverty-reducing economic growth.

The e-Sourcebook therefore focuses on support to poor smallholder farmers and the intermediate institutions that serve them, and within this classification of producers, on female farmers in addition to women who are otherwise employed in rural nonfarm economies.

http://www.infodev.org/en/Publication.1093.html
—
Rehema
Patriot in Kampala,East Africa
When the boot of government is on your neck,it doesn’t matter if it’s left or right. Today is Buganda and Besigye, tomorrow is some one else.

Sam Kutesa’s Son In Law Wins Lucrative Contract To Supply Oil To Uganda

A Ugandan company well connected in political circles has beaten out Shell for a deal to supply oil products to the Jinja tank farm. It will probably restore the facility, too.

After a competition lasting several weeks, the Ugandan concern Kenlloyd Logistics Ltd has won the contract to supply the Jinja tank farm (with its capacity of 30 million litres) and it is likely to restore it as well. The contract doesn’t involve privatizing the tank farm, which will remain wholly owned by the government

Kenlloyd is well connected in political circles since it is managed and 65% owned by Albert Muganga, son-in-law of Uganda’s foreign minister, Samuel Kutesa. It won the contract in a fight against Shell Uganda and another Ugandan firm, Hared Petroleum.

Officials at the energy ministry in Kampala told Africa Energy Intelligence Shell came to grief because of legal issues while Hared didn’t get past the technical part of the tender.

When contacted byAEI, Shell Uganda’s boss, Ivan Kyayonka, challenged the decision but said the company wouldn’t go to court over it.

The deal is highly important to Uganda. During the period of political turmoil in Kenya in 2008, Uganda’s economy suffered because of a lack of storage capacity in the country.

But before the tanks are filled with oil products they need to be rehabilitated. That task has fallen to Tamoil, which is due to also build an oil pipeline between Eldoret and Kampala. The energy ministry claims Kenlloyd and Tamoil will work together to restore the tanks, but the investment potential and uncertain situation of Libyan companies like Tamoil (AEI 652) makes it more than likely the firm will be showed aside, to Kenlloyd’s advantage.

Kenlloyd previously won the contract to supply Jinja but Parliament cancelled the deal because it hadn’t been put out to tender by the minister at the time, Daudi Migereko, who is now lands minister.

http://www.africaintelligence.com/AEM/oil/2011/06/08/local-firm-pips-shell-at-the-post,90553725-ART

Salim Saleh Donates 50,000 acres of land in Northern Uganda to Bangladeshi

The former general metamorphosed into a businessman, Salim Saleh, the brother of President Yoweri Museveni, is implementing the policy of establishing large agricultural farms in the north of the country, that he had suggested when he was an advisor to the presidency.

The first time round, in June 2003, he devised a Security & Production Programme intending to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel movement mainly by expanding commercial agriculture in the north of the country.

Today, his company Divinity Union Ltd has reportedly secured 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of land in order to propose it to Bangladeshi investors.

Another of his companies, Sobertra, is for its part making the zone viable by building roads. To be sure, the Bangladesh Africa Business Forum (BABF), which was recently formed and is headed by Abdul Matlub Ahmad, the chairman of the Nitol-Niloy Group, has just signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ugandan authorities to grow rice in Uganda, 80% of which will be exported.

 

Furthermore, under the terms of this MOU, Bangladeshi farmers will be authorised to establish in Uganda to develop commercial agriculture on the 10,000 hectare concession that Nito-Niloy has just been attributed.

This programme is to be ratified when President Museveni travels to Bangladesh in June.

http://www.africaintelligence.com/ION/business-circles/2011/06/04/salim-saleh-is-very-single-minded,90478833-ART

LETTER TO NINA MBABAZI FROM DREW DEMBE

By Drew Ddembe

Dear Nina,

Since wading into the murky waters of the tribal debate, I have had lots of inboxes. One of them will be the subject of my letter today. Its about the issue of “personalised scholarships” that appear to favour students from one region. The most famous of these of course is the presidential scholarships that have no known public criteria and nobody appears to know where the queue is!

Among my inboxes was this from a lady who is an insider and well connected to your government. You may even know her but I will withold her name given she did not allow me to use it.

Essentially she said of one lady, a cabinet member that, “the scholarships to India were given to her by Indian government when she visited once. They gave her scholarships of 4 girls a year so that is her program.” This reference was to a minster receiving 4 scholarships from a foreign government and handing them out as personal property in this case to a daughter in law. The son was a beneficiary of a previous scholarship. No wonder there are so many kids from western Ugandan studying India, China and Malaysia. I always thought they were paying for themselves kumbe they are using their public offices for personal gain! as you can see the implication here is that a serving cabinet member or government official can receive scholarships from a foreign government and treat them as personal property to be dished out at his or her personal whim without conflict of interest. You know I have said in the past that this government would not recognise a conflict of interest if it fell on their heads. I always thought the Ministry for Ethics was useless but now I have got even more proof.

This lady went on to inform me that “I also do scholarships but because I went out and looked for them. As a matter of fact, because of working with China a lot, they first suggested to me that they would give me a scholarship and I asked if my brother would take it, then I asked for more and they gave me 5 a year which my mum took over and totally threw me out. ……Those are individually sourced. I am talking about government sourcing scholarships on their own and putting in a pool.”

Now am starting to get relly worried! Seriously don’t you see a conlict of interest here? That some one who like you is very well connected to one of the most powerful men in the land receives scholarships as personal gifts from a foreign government we are well aware is very interested in influencing powerful people in Africa? Does the NRM have a code of conduct for public officials? Doesnt the leadership code cover gifts to serving officials of government?I will of course relate this to the recent debate about nepotism and tribalism in Uganda. I know that debate is on fire but we shall stay away from the more controversial elements and deal with this issue.

This revelation explains a lot. All those young Bahima and other kids from the west who appear to have an inexhaustible supply of scholarships that no one else has ever had of or knows where to queue for! Do we really live in the same country?

Imagine one group has the opportunity to use their offices to solicit favours and benefits from foreign governments which they can then channel to their relatives as they wish! Multiply that by 25 years and you can see where the inbalances come from. Extend that to skewed and flawed recruitment practices fraught with graft and nepotism and you will understand why we now have such a big problem with all of the resentment against westerners and Bahima. Jobs that are not advertised and scholarships that are not advertised or available to all. Can you imagine some girl from Buwekula (don;t even know where that is but it sounds interesting) ever accessing such state patronage? For some of us who had to pay for our degrees both undergrad and post grad because we didnt know where the queue was, it is galling and annoying! No wonder there is so much resentment among Ugandans. And then I wonder where some of you in this government get the chutzpah to claim that some of us are not “patriotic” when it is obvious you guys are eating alone -for 25 years!

Below is my detaieled response to her;

Ee are going to have to discuss the issue of scholarships further. I think that its innappropriate for a foreign government to “give” scholarships to an individual. It is also innappropriate for the individual working in an official capacity representing their employer to “receive” personal gifts from a foreign government. It is a well recognised form of corruption where foreign governments and companies attempt to influence government officials. Obviously this government does not train its officials regarding corruption and how to deal with foreign governments! This is one form of corruption.

An example of say a government operative who is likely to influence decisions involving a foreign government or foreign company accepting gifts from the foreign government or company of a material nature does influence their integrity. This can only happen in a third world country.

I can tell you that where I work, all gifts that come to one during their employ, belong to the employer and have to be declared. So I cannot receive a gift from a client or a company particularly if it supplies goods to my employer or if I am in a position to influence the decisions of my employer in procurement. This is a blanket rule!

A colleague of mine received a lottery ticket from a client. It won 3 million dollars. He could not claim it and had to turn it over to the hospital. Both the clients family and his own family were of course unhappy!

Internal codes of conduct if they do exist need to be reviewed with regards to these scholarships. Cretainly the leadership code needs to be re examined if it says noting about this issue for its a matter of national security as well as important in the fight against corruption.

These “gifts” are not innocious and are given out with ulterior motives to officials in a position to influence strategic and business dealings with a foreign government or company. In your case your closeness to the seat of power, your future potential makes you a target of foreign governments. I can bet that the Chinese have got a dossier on you and are actively interested in influencing you now and in the future.

The correct way to do so would be to “receive” the scholarships on behalf of government and hand them over to the central scholarships committee to be advertised and distributed on merit.

That law should be within the leadership code. I have never read it in full but if it was well drafted there should be some limitation or control on what kind of relationship government officials can have with foreign governments.

We have a whole ministry for ethics that again should have already dealt with this as should have the government itself given that it has for 25 years claimed to have a war against corruption.

While you can give the scholarships to your youth group again that is not in the spirit of equitable access. Its in part why we are having this debate about the national cake and how its distributed.

If we accept the conventional wisdom that western Uganda has got the bulk of government positions and managers in key government companies and organisations, then that means that western Uganda has the largest number of people with access to these kinds of unconventional gifts.

If like yourself they give them to their mothers who advertise within their clan and send all of the kids who have failed their high school, abroad on these scholarships, you can see how the rest of the country can see a pattern. Multiply that by 25 years and you will then understand why others will be fighting to dislodge you from power. Because after 25 years priviledge starts to make the government look like your family. I know what my mother would do with such a scholarship if I gave them to her. If your mother is anything like my mother who has educated tens to hundreds of her relatives with her own money, you can bet they will have all won the lottery. She looks out for her nieces and nephews as well as many in her community. I doubt that she will be inviting those in Arua unrelated to her to partake. After all she is not the government.

Extend this argument further and say these governments or companies come into the country to do business which is the Chinese and Indians primary motive. They understand graft very well these chinese and Indians. They will offer you directorships, shares as well as ask you to “assist” them find suitable employees. They know you are going to bring your relatives but that is a cost they have already factored into their maths. They want you to favour them. To use your influence and connections in their favour. To get access to contracts and resources or simply leverage to be used at some future date.

In 25 years, all business public and private starts to look like an extension of your clan and village!

These are the things that westerners are accused of but because they all consider such “gifts” given to them as personal gifts, they shrug it off.

These are not personal gifts as long as they are given to one in office or because they are close to someone in office. In many countries that take these things seriously, the employee of a lottery company or their close relatives cannot be allowed to cash in on a lottery. Everyone with any sort of potential to influence the outcome has got to distance themselves from any form of dealing that could be construed or misconstrued to heve been influenced by these gifts. And government officials cannot accept material gifts from officials of foreign governments particularly if they are in a position to influence policy and decisions!

The other problem of course with these gifts is that they threaten national security. Government officials pass on official secrets and insider information when they have extensive and close potentially exploitable relationships with foreign governments or businesses.

I hope that you will bring this issue to the powers who have declared that useless war against corruption. They actually need to read their laws and enforce them or close loopholes where they exist. Surely 25 years is enough to do that!

Tyranny is Museveni and Museveni is tyranny

By Nathan Iron Emory

2^nd May 2011: Tyranny has no time for people’s suffering. Tyrants mistrust people. They prefer to see their people in poverty throughout.  They use their security organs as vessels of terror.

A tyrannical regime spends a lot of time building dangerous organs of repression to perpetually make war upon their subjects, driving them out of cities and out of their homes, intentionally making the subjects paupers in their own country, dispersing them into exile, ceaselessly arresting political opponents and their supporters, torturing and detaining them on tramped-up charges, disallowing basic freedoms, the right to life, economic benefits, social management and harmony to the people.

This is exactly what Museveni’s National Resistance Movement [NRM] is.  The brutality of the NRM’s security personnel (ISO, Police, Military Police, UPDF etc) while dispersing peaceful protests must remind Ugandans that virtually all revolutions have arisen as result of wrongful application of powers/institutions and brutal abuse of fundamental people’s rights. In this case, the brutality of General Yoweri Museveni and his regime is unlikely to escape the same fate. It is a matter of time!

Ugandans have been forced to hate Museveni’s NRM regime because of its ruthlessness, intolerance, and primitive policies of governance. The people have been forced into a tight corner. The horrible events happening in Uganda today clearly show that Ugandans are likely to seek unorthodox means to end their suffering.

Museveni‘s organs of terror shall be brought to account one day.  Elaborate surveys have revealed that the majority of Ugandans have endured tyranny throughout the 25 years of NRM misrule. Ugandans have been subjected to forced rule by minority characters and egoists who equal themselves to demi-gods.

Our countrymen and women are groaning beneath immense oppression; oppression by an old self-styled General whose personality is charged with lust for power; whose overriding impetus is to grab wealth so as to deprive his political opponents of income.  Over the last 25 years, a few things have become very clear to Ugandans and the international community.  And they are:

• It is deep in the minds of many Ugandans that for General Yoweri Museveni, “Force is a Mania.”
• All organs of oppression established by the NRM regime are serving to maintain General Yoweri Museveni’s hold to power.
• Museveni has committed every inhuman crime at his pleasure, performed undemocratic actions, dealt out illegal punishments at all levels of his command with impunity.
• It is now clear to all Ugandans that tyranny is General Yoweri Museveni and Museveni is tyranny itself.  By him, tyrannical power is upheld; by him and him alone, the seeds of tyranny continue to be scattered.
• He has maintained garrisons of intimidation and brutality to persecute his political opponents and dissenting citizens who meditate resistance.
• He has brutally handled innocent demonstrators thus infringing upon all basic rights of Ugandans. Constant arrests, detention, and maltreatment of his political rivals in safe houses, military establishments, and in Luzira prison; all bespeak of the wantonness of the NRM regime.

The political, economic, and social situation in Uganda today has become unbearable as the NRM regime applies harsh measures to retain power. The regime has deployed its bloodthirsty security agents in every corner and every inch of the country to intimidate and stop Ugandans from enjoying their basic rights.

Corruption is endemic within NRM circles.  Inequity is openly practiced within government departments.  The public sector is in a sorry state.  The majority of Ugandan youth are unemployed.  Nepotism has positioned itself in every sector of public service; thus making Uganda a monarchy in all but name.  Meritocracy went through the window over a decade ago.

The “Walk-to-Work” campaign called to protest against the high cost of living in Uganda demonstrates boldly that “The Pearl of Africa” shall not endure servitude forever.  The protest is a strong message to the tyrant and his boot lickers that Uganda as a country SHALL NOT pass in unending succession from father to son, master to master etc.  Uganda SHALL NOT be the heritage of oppressors.

We can clearly see that every day, Ugandans are braving Museveni’s beatings, bullets and teargas.  They are determined to free their motherland of dictatorship, impunity, and bad governance. Ugandans appear to have resolved NOT to shrink.  They now seem prepared to face any danger if that is what it will take to liberate their country.

With this design of mind quickly and popularly developing among Ugandans, Museveni’s tyranny will be destroyed and freedom for all regained.  The glory of democracy shall never again be defiled and the sword of terror shall be put to rest. Never again shall Uganda be controlled by one man vision. Democracy shall thrive; the law shall hold its course and justice shall prevail for all.

This achievement shall be acclaimed from Bold Stroke taken by patriotic Ugandans to grasp the spirit to manage their own affairs without duress.

kiddepal@yahoo.co.uk

THE USE OF THE GUN IS A THING OF THE PAST IN REMOVING DICTATORIAL REGIMES

In recent years various dictatorships have collapsed or stumbled when confronted by defiant, mobilised people. Often seen as firmly entrenched and impregnable, some of these dictatorships proved unable to withstand the concerted political, economic and social defiance of the people.

Since 1980 dictatorships have collapsed before the predominantly nonviolent defiance of people in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Slovenia, Mali, Bolivia, Egypt and Tunisia.

The population has often been atomised unable to work together to achieve freedom hence a weak population lacking self confidence and incapable of resistance. People are often too terrified to think seriously of public resistance. In any case, what would be the use? Instead they face suffering without purpose and a future without hope.

What is to be done in such circumstances? The obvious possibilities seem useless. Constitutional and legal barriers, judicial decisions and public opinion are normally ignored by dictators. Understandably reacting to the brutalities, torture, disappearances and killings, people often have concluded that only violence can end a dictatorship. Angry victims have sometimes organised to fight the brutal dictators with whatever violent and military capacity they could muster, despite the odds being against them. These people have fought bravely at great cost in suffering and lives. Their accomplishments have sometimes been remarkable, but they rarely have won freedom. Violent rebellions can trigger brutal repression that frequently leaves the populace more helpless than before.

Whatever the merits of the violent option, however one point is clear. By placing confidence in violent means, one has chosen the very type of struggle with which the oppressors nearly always have superiority. The dictators are equipped to apply violence overwhelmingly. The dictators almost always have superiority in military hardware, ammunition, transportation and the size of military forces.

When conventional military rebellion is recognized as unrealistic, some dissidents then favour guerrilla warfare. However, guerrilla warfare rarely if ever benefits the oppressed population. Guerrilla warfare is no obvious solution particularly given the very strong tendency toward immense casualties among one’s people. Guerrilla struggles often last a very long time. Civilian populations are often displaced by the ruling government with immense human suffering and social dislocation. If the guerrillas finally succeed, the resulting regime is often more dictatorial than its predecessor due to the centralising impact of the expanded military forces and the weakening or destruction of the society’s independent groups and institutions during the struggle.

Coup d’etat against a dictatorship might appear to be relatively one of the easiest and quickest ways to remove a particular repugnant regime. Most importantly it leaves in place the existing mal-distribution of power between the population and the elite in control of the government and its military forces.

The answer lies in one fact. It is no use relying on the Government………You must only rely upon your own determination…Help yourselves by standing together…strengthen those amongst yourselves who are weak….band yourselves together, organise yourselves……..and you must win…

Against a strong self-reliant force disciplined, and courageous the dictatorship will eventually crumble.

THE “MONKEY MASTER” FABLE

A fourteenth century Chinese parable by Liu-ji, outlines this neglected understanding of political power:

In the feudal state of Chu an old man survived by keeping monkeys in his service. The people of Chu called him “ju gong” (monkey master).

Each morning, the old man would assemble the monkeys in his courtyard, and order the eldest one to lead the others to the mountains to gather fruits from bushes and trees. It was the rule that each monkey had to give one-tenth of his collection to the old man. Those who failed to do so would be ruthlessly flogged. All the monkeys suffered bitterly but dared not complain. One day, a small monkey asked the other monkeys: “Did the old man plant all the fruits and bushes?” The others said: “No, they grew naturally.” The small monkey further asked: “Can’t we take the fruits without the old man’s permission?” The others replied: “Yes, we all can.” The small monkey continued: “Then why should we depend on the old man: why must we all serve him?”

Before the small monkey was able to finish his statement, all the monkeys suddenly became enlightened and awakened.

On the same night, watching that the old man had fallen asleep, the monkeys tore down all the barricades of the stockade in which they were confined, and destroyed the stockade entirely. They also took the fruits the old man had in storage, brought all with them to the woods, and never returned. The old man died of starvation.

Yu-li-zi says,”some men in the world rule their people by tricks and not by righteous principles. Aren’t they just like the monkey master? They are not aware of their muddle-headedness. As soon as their people become enlightened, their tricks no longer work.”

Moses Kiwanuka

London

Letter to President Museveni of Uganda

Monday, 20 July 2009.

            Your Excellency

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni

President, Republic of Uganda.

Uganda Political On Going Violence

 

Your Excellency, this letter is specifically aimed at calling upon your attention on the height of  ongoing violence in Uganda.

The dramatic political violence by your government

Many political and peace observers believe you came into Uganda because it was relatively safe compared to Rwanda/Burundi. It was peaceful; stable and economically progressive, and you enjoyed the fruits of being brought up in that peaceful environment. Immigrant or refuges that come to Uganda or any country initially face hurdles in settling but normally overcome it as your family did.

2. Uganda Is a Sad Story

Recently most regions within Uganda have seen extensive rise in sophisticated political violence which you never saw or experienced during your youthful years. This deliberate violence has created huge mistrust between your regime and the citizens of Uganda. Frankly speaking there has not been a democratic government in Uganda since Dr. Milton Obote seized power in 1966. Uganda is still under an authoritarian regime in the guise of a big Government. Yet from the outset people would think that Uganda’s intelligence network is good enough and well-equipped to handle any violence in Uganda. There is the misconception that Uganda can go non stop for any war within the “East African Great Lakes Region”. This efficient and experienced intelligence agency has failed to handle and stabilize the ongoing politically orchestrated violence; the opposite is happening as we get continued political violence.

Many external observers now believe political mistrust between people and government is the main cause of the current crime wave that appears to be spreading from one region to another. There are daily cases of abductions and killings that are taking place across the country. For instance all around city suburbs women, young and old are being targeted abducted and raped and killed on day by day basis. One is forced to ask the compelling question; “where is the Uganda government attention to all this controllable misconduct”? Does the President reside in Uganda? What does the Speaker of Parliament; the Prime Minister and the Members of Parliament, especially the Lady representing Ruhaama North Constituency, have to say about these crimes? It does appear as if the whole regime if is off sick; there does not seem to be any accountability.

Your Excellency, you are a man who deserves the highest form of respect within the field of military intelligence, and you are one of the most experienced and intelligent Presidents that Uganda has ever had. From as early as 1960 and right up to the present day, you have been involved in military intelligence. Many Ugandans are now beginning to wonder whether this expertise is really beneficial as the government over which you preside cannot bring to a stop or prevent such crude crimes.

Mr. President, I would like to voice another question which is on the lips of most vulnerable Ugandans who no longer feel they are protected by your regime. Alarming numbers of young women from a distance of only five miles away from your Nakasero home have lost lives, at Kawempe and Nansana city suburbs. How would you respond if Joseph Kony turned up at one of these towns and raped and murdered the citizens as the situation now stands. Would you trust your National intelligence network to handle this pressing matter immediately? Would your so called Government not warn the poor citizens of the dangers in these localities? Or would you label your intelligence a failure? Or would you just promote them to higher positions of responsibility and spread them to Uganda embassies around the world as it so often happens?  Continued early morning abductions and the ritual killing children are taking place even now when I am writing to you!

You hear as everybody else does, that many citizens are “hit brutally on the head with heavy metal objects and left dead in many parts of the country”. That nature of crime is common place in every area of Uganda and it no longer makes national news. In fact it is business as usual in the eyes of your respective Ministers!  Is Honorable Kirunda Kivejinja still Minister for Internal Affairs, or is he on permanent leave from this post?  How about other security Ministers and what is their understanding of security matters?

What was witnessed in Luwero Triangle during the bush war, and in Acholi; Teso, Karamoja and Kasese, and Mbarara now has taken deep roots specifically in Buganda Kingdom.  I believe in one Nation, our Country Uganda, as you also do Mr. President, so let us forget tribal politics.

Tribal politics is a disease worse than cancer in that it destroys our people’s senses. It is a disease once again, killing Uganda citizens like in all the preceding regimes, of which you have at certain times taken part and of course as you preach to the world, prompted you to take arms and fight to restore “democracy in Uganda”. Which democracy if I may ask again? Tribal politics should have ceased with Dr. Milton Obote. You were around when this beautiful Country was torn apart by tribal violence, which you have bragged that by and large, was the prime reason for you to resort to arms to rescue Ugandans from anarchy and the love of gun power. One wonders what was your actual intention for waging the bush war. Was it sadism as you appear to like it when people die of poverty and brutality? Why does carnage follow wherever you intervene? I would be surprised if all you ever wanted was not just the chance to have a go.

‘Obote’s charismatic charm could not allow him to look beyond his nose’, and he died regretting the deadly acts he did to sections of Ugandan populace. I am afraid you are sailing in the same direction and your legacy will not be different from Obote’s total failure. Today you are viewed not only by Ugandans but worldwide, as a foresighted man simply because of the decision initially you took against Milton Obote and Idi Amin Dada. Mr. President, let me be the last one to raise my fears for you, for what many citizens observe as a precursor of your predecessor’s brutal regimes that dismantled traditional leadership in Uganda.

Cultural Institutions (for) Democracy 

Many Ugandans went to schools and were at one point or another had treatment in hospitals that once belonged to cultural leadership. It is lamentable that during your Presidency, all Ugandans particularly yourself should have refrained from this tribal danger and root ourselves into real democracy as one Nation, Uganda. The political situation under your leadership has reached a point where the vast majority Ugandan, especially the Traditional Leadership, are scared for their lives and you do not seem to notice or care what is going on across the country. Since you became the absolute ruler of Uganda, setting on fire of cultural institutions and private properties has gone out of control. Hence, intentionally, you have created depressed societies in Uganda. Political citizenship standing against tribe seems to be escalating political violence in a very systematic way with your sole backing.  That is total reverse to 1800 AD, tribal conflicts whereby, Baganda and Banyoro and Acholi, used not to have anything better to do so they engaged each other in tribal wars, which you definitely hear and enjoy watching wherever it unfolds every single day.

(That Is Dramatic Violence to Be Precise)

You may not deny having a strong motive in the whole tribal saga, because you are doing nothing apart from entertaining historic conflicts. Summing-up this disturbing matter, something is lacking here; effective responsible leadership!

Historic Conflicts

Many Ugandans have been completely unaware of the histrionic names such as (Bafuuriki).!! The waters you disturbed in Bunyoro region have not calm down yet, and, the victors from Bunyoro, Buluuli, Bugerere, Teso and Karamoja and Acholi and Teso, are yet to be seen.  For a quarter of a Century, you have clung on Ugandans heads it has made all the people of the regions of Uganda, become more curious of the need to return to; 

“Uganda Historical Provincial Block Leadership”

For instance:   Uganda government begun in hasty bankruptcy.  It has no properties to house and run all government work; therefore, it hired properties belonging to Buganda Kingdom.  Milton Obote 2nd president of Uganda after King Edward Muteesa II,  on realizing that he could not fulfill his government’s commitment to pay all due fees in rent arrears, he decided to abolish traditional leadership and confiscate all traditional institutions.

25 years ago, to-day, on  YK.Museveni, coming to power you promised to fulfill all earlier governments commitments by paying all due fees in rent arrears.  Have you yourself, fulfilled that commitment yet?   From, 1962-2011, it’s almost 5 decades, governments promising to hone our nation to betterment.  Is that how nations are built by sticking on telling lies to the citizens?

Mr. President, encourage all Uganda communities to develop their respective regions as Buganda region did before and stop using tribes and regions for personal selfish political interests and threats.  Bearing it deeply in your mind that, you do not own Uganda, as your personal asset!  But only rule it and for awhile. Uganda is free for all, so every region has got sole potential to develop and protect itself from your bred segregation.

Mr. President, can you honestly say that you can notice any difference between the atrocities caused by Joseph Kony, (LRA) and by the intelligence thugs that are leading to kill the innocent people ruthlessly across our country?

According to Uganda government news reports, 70, people were killed between February, 2009 and July, 2009, in Masaka, Rakai, Lyantonde, and Sembabule Districts, by hitting them on heads and necks with iron bars, while many are being found with necks cut off. Plus 80 innocent Karamajongo people killed in-front of cameras at Karamoja District, by a division of your armed forces so they can raid herds of their cattle, freely.  The number of those suffered injuries were not reported and their fate unknown. So, is it policy of your regime, to shoot and kill the citizens, without arrest? If, it is not you, to encourage it, who is behind and responsible for killing people so cheaply without state intervention, if at all there is a Government in Uganda?  Don’t you feel ashamed to tell every Mother and Father in Uganda that Joseph Kony is the one killing their loved ones, even in city areas? How many of those killers have been charged with murder cases, and already sentenced? If a state cannot protect her citizens, what is its viability? Is it not high time you accept like many other Ugandans have done that you are hanging on a failed state?

In a damning Justice report also released (August 2009) indicate 76.3% of cases that go to court, Nationwide, remain unresolved. But you can afford to fly utmost expensive Jets, by African standards!! Don’t you realize that lack of resources can hinder the quality of justices in Uganda, to-day? Why was it not like that in the 1960’s, when you were young?

Who Is Behind Cult Invasion 

The majority Uganda citizens, cannot help thinking this is a well planned long strategy by some of your army Generals who have grabbed the citizens lands recently. Before the new and old boy network of youthful army Generals turned into a wealthy class of generals and City tycoons, this systematic type of cult activities were not known around and it is linked to two sections of our society.

(1) The greedy people, are being encouraged by a section of  top wealthy people, who promise them hundred thousands of money to go and kill persons and supply them as body parts to a gang of criminals involved in cult activities and the one’s running human body parts business. Surprisingly, for a number of occasions you have been heard talking about this rotten matter, you do not oppose cult activities and the crimes it bears! This section is composed of gangs of people with military background. Some of whom were thrown out of the army and the one’s deserted it. Who have continued to live a dangerous life without psyche-care, whatsoever?

(2) There is a group of wealthy city tycoons who have obtained a lot of money that they do not know what to do with it. They got money through deception and hope to keep it by engaging in devilish cult activities. That section involves some foreign criminal gangs. How can you, an assumed modern man, tolerate devilish cult missions in Uganda, a business of the would be only illiterate.

You have informed Ugandans that during your Presidency, that a mere section of Ugandans have become so rich. While that section consists of city tycoons linked to the deadly cult centers reported to involve in brutal slaughter activities of the people you lead. Reference:  {Kanungu Inferno}  Your government did not take any trouble to know or totally ignored what was going inside Joseph Kibwetere’s cult, so are many others.  I, therefore, cannot help wondering if your office (has) got hands on the statistics of the total number of cults in Uganda and their permanent members.

Don’t you believe the whole saga need to be investigated in order to restore the people’s peace of mind?  You still remember very well that this cult danger dates back even before Joseph Kibwetere’s cult, set ablaze many unknown people in Western region.   Professor. Yusufu Kironde Lule, former President of Uganda died after had raised fears about it. For such deadly implications, you should be worried because this cult invasion is helping to spread so much brutality to the vulnerable people. Let us encourage our people to study more rather than supporting stupidity. Ugandans will not be safe until all cult activities are barred.  In public interest, if you are really serious man you would do one example for once;

(A) Hours of curfew should be imposed on all (Masabo) Imitated traditional healer’s Shrines and all traditional healers performing at night.

(B) Anyone caught disregarding the new order should face the firing squad as Idi Amin Dada, did to the city robbers.

It is common knowledge at every corner of the Country that every cult murder case of this nature involves money, a tycoon and a greedy person and foreigner business people. Evidence is prevalently available that thugs abduct children and sell them to murderers

for less than 100, Pounds!!   http://www.observer.news/uganda:  2,500 children go missing in Jan-April, 2009.   http://www.bukede newspaper:  Sut, 04/12/2010.  Further confirmed reports are in that a man. Joseph Ssegawa was advanced with Shs.100.000, in Uganda currency to hunt for his ex-girlfriend, Regina Nakayiza he slaughtered at a price, equivalent to, 30, Pounds starling worth, in order to get rich.

Newvision.co.ug/news:  21/12/2010.   Iron Bar Thugs Kill Six In  Mukono.  Among them is 20-year old student girl, Violet Nalubwama. A student of Kampala University, killed on

1st, December, 2010.

MS. Sylvia Namutebi (Maama Fiina) She was concerned that some of your ex-soldiers are among groups in the act of abducting and killing people to supply the human body parts business, a hot cake in Kampala City, today. http://www.Bukedd newspaper.  February, 26-2009-27/07/2010.   A Uganda Parliamentary committee, led by Gabriel Opio. Confirmed reports that some medical professionals in hospitals also involved in such develish acts. And MP. Isha Otto  (Oyama South)  agreed to such reports. http://www.bukedde newspaper. Tuesday 27, July 2010.

Now, you can realize how dangerous it is tribal segregation policies can induced a section of the public to own exorbitant sums of money while the rest of the citizen’s hands are tied up in abject poverty and brutality. Is it not absurd though, for a leader of a Country, to (gesture) at a Republic in fractions of people? What does Republican means to you? No doubt, poverty and stupidity are two important issues and major degrading element City tycoons have taken advantage of the poor to accelerate this situation. That section of wealthy class have a goal yet the majority poor does not have a clue what is going around them in secret.

The whole situation in Uganda, to be frank with you, does not need childish decisions, it is a serious national criminal war, and need only tough stance like the following:

 A court  of government of the Republic of Tanzania, it was reported, on 24,October 2008, by Allafrica.com/news:  A man Gets 60 Years for Rape and Robbery.  The Singida Resident Magistrate’s Court convicted Samson Samuel a 26-year old to 60 years in jail.  If the Tanzanian Court can do this, why can’t the Uganda Courts do it?  (Lack of govt  regulations fuels cult activities in Uganda:   By Denis Mutabazi.  http://www.monitor online/10/09/2008.

“Bw’ova Ku Byange Genda Ku Wa Ngatto!

Dead silent Complacency.  Surprisingly, out of the total number of Members of Parliament only one MP; Mathias Nsubuga [Bukoto South] has raised the abduction matter to the house of Parliament. Whereas MP. Mr. Latif Ssebaggala (Kawempe North) where a lot of abduction and raping and killing of women and children have taken our nation with overwhelming surprise, are dead quite on this danger. When will all Members of Parliament come out in open to defend the vulnerable people by securing maximum security to all the citizens within their constituencies?  If Parliament takes a lead, Government will act: 

Regional Security Commission of Inquiry

Parliament is supposed to debate National issues and policy and Parliament is also meant to decide on the best way of implementing these policies.  MP.  Mr.Elias Lukwaago, Kampala Central, pointed out a finger to the current Parliament and said that its a rubber stamp. For deadly acts that does not happen in Rwanda or Tanzania, are major topics at every breakfast table in our Country, Uganda.  However, Uganda Parliament is failing her citizens because the vast majority Member’s of Parliament, are currently not showing enough interest in defending the Country’s most vulnerable citizens. Yet all MP’s enjoy pocketing, Shs:14.5m, par month without sparing any minutes to listen to vulnerable people. I hope that all Members of Parliament including yourself, Mr. YK Museveni, President, of Uganda, that will find logic in setting-up an urgent regional public security commission of inquiry to loot out those most stupid crime acts.

To be able to fully understand the height of misery inflicted on parents in this Nation,Uganda, i suggest that you ask Honorable, MP. Mukono North, Mrs. Betty Nambooze Bakireeke to make a public announcement on all Radio/TV, stations, of Uganda and appeal to everyone that has lost a relative in the on-going crime waves to assemble at Mandela Nambole stadium, that is and i hope, when you will gain glimpse of understanding the pain parents and relatives are suffering. Suffering from the terrible loss of their loved ones, and personal trauma that compounds a lasting fear of losing what is left with them. Further reports spreading-out again show that this area, Mukono North Constituency, in the last four months has lost more than 20 citizens all in murder cases since Betty Nambooze Bakireeke, worn that seat. When one perishes to-day, there is little hope the next one will not fallow next day! Your negligence of security for individual lives created an impossible situation to live in Uganda.

Yourself, in conjunction with some of your tribal army generals you have sung louder one song , terrorists, rebels and bandits for now more than 25 years, since you became Uganda’s ruler. Again political observers point a finger at you that you do set-up certain bandit units to trap the fed-up citizens in case they utter a single word of criticism against your administration. Thus, prisons are full to capacity of people whom you are quite aware were caught up in your planned traps and the state can hardly produce any credible evidence in the Courts of law to convict them. Many assumed innocent prisoners are left to starve without food and hardly provided with medical-care.

Uganda High Court Judge. Benjamin Kabiito, denied bail to 23 Men, Buganda suspects after one year in jail.  http://www.monitor news.com/ 09-09-2010.  

To continue to torment the Monarchy of Buganda, you set-up the trap between,  10-12,  September, 2009,  and your security operatives shot and killed 30 persons and 70, totally innocent persons were sent to prison without any human feeling from the trapper, the State of Kampala. We argue you to reconsider government decision with regard to sending selected ethnic groups of people to prisons without trial is most likely to sparking more conflicts.

Conflicts Made Out Of Political Propaganda 

Do you think you will ever win the conflicts made out of political propaganda? Don’t you see, people get fed up to hear the same song every day that people get wiser and need change? Some people are aware, that for quite a long time, it has remained a prime task of your intelligence network, to create enmity among political parties leaders and their followers in order for you to weaken them and hang on power at all costs, like Mobutu Sese Seko,  did. Suppose you were on the opposition bench in Zimbabwean Parliament, could you tolerate  Mugabe’s political mode?  Then, why don’t you welcome politics of peace, vacuous and change and eliminate institutionalized corruption?

Institutionalized Corruption 

The Uganda Police force it is alleged is one of the most corrupt institutions in the Country. Police commanders and intelligence chiefs in areas where sophisticated killings are taking place are dominated by people from one tribal regime. You can see the jump in serious crimes, tribal tendencies have created!   Above all, is that not sectarian of his Presidency, to put only people of one region, Western region, in control of (the) entire security key jobs? Can’t you see, that this imbalance of responsibility that is a major factor to criminal negligence you uttered about when all,  20 young under age children at Budo Junior school girls perished in school fire. Have all the parent whose children were innocently set on fire, have had a fair trail? If the State police cannot handle criminal cases satisfactorily, where are you leading Uganda?

Once again, i will refer you to Mr. Vincent Nuwagaba’s recent report on Uganda tribal Police atrocities.  As if that was not enough to spread anxiety among the general public, on Sunday, 25/04/2010.  Daily Monitor newspaper, and the entire Uganda media reported promotion of 31 Police Officers which now leaves no doubt, whatsoever, once again, quite clear how you are totally determined to create: sole tribe Police force.   How many Police Officers from other regions were promoted on this long list? Can’t you see, that is another tribal crusade? And another big mistake!

The delightful job that tribal Police force does to certify you with regard to such wide ranging human rights violations and abuse, once they collect the dead bodies and issue recorded case numbers, that is the end of the matter, job accomplished!! The Nation can only blame this Police force, when you inform the public the main causes of institutionalized corruption stinking out in all Government Departments.

Security Advisers: 

Some of your security advisers are well known out spoken Military Generals. It sounds weird as the men make scandalous comments on people’s lands, and expect the victims of land evictions to gain interest from them to trust and protect the public with its properties already on tiptoes to be deprived of the only asset they own. A few names are among the listed Generals, implicated as land grabbers.   All in all, national security needs a committee of trustworthy individuals comprising all the regions in our Country to represent all Uganda communities.

To-day, the people of Uganda, have more doubts about your national security advisers, than at any other time before. Such as Major Kakooza Mutale and your press secretary. The behavior of such individuals are not professional at all, to represent public interests.

I was appointed to destroy newspapers, says  Nagenda  in News Headlines. 

http://www.daily monitor newspaper.   Saturday, 22/12/2007,  and i quote: Mr.Jonh Nagenda, senior presidential adviser on media and public relations said he was happy to do an assignment that required the closure of newspapers that the government considers critical. Speaking as chief guest at the 2nd annual Golden Pen Journalism Awards in Kampala, on Wednesday; Mr. John Nagenda, said he had fulfilled his job by closing down the Daily Monitor several times and getting some of its managers transferred. And senior presidential security adviser, Maj.Gen. Tinyefunza, has gone public calling upon  the poor to attack prominent land owners,. Immediate results indicates, your most senior advisers create confusion with intent. And blood is spilling over in the Country due to military’s interference in land matters. Whose fault that would be?  Is it not the Military ruler and his Generals?

 

Open Criticism Helps 

Mr. President. You have told all critics of yours on political violence and tumult that are retarded.  But you may note, among your strongest critics are some astute citizens of Uganda: Such as,  Mzee Boniface Byanyima one time your principle guardian and his family. Dr. Joseph Oloka Onyango, MP.Haji Hussein Kyanjo, Prof. Mahmood Mamdani, Prof. GW.Kanyeihamba and Fr. Gaetano Batanyenda and Rt. Rev. Edward Muhima and  Rv.Fr. Carlos Rodriguez so many others. Since all these names mentioned does not belong to one area block, you have to be more careful what you utter out in public.  I assure you, non of us, your strongest critics are mad.  Once again, look at these names above, and note that criticism of you comes from across all the regions of Uganda. And the utmost criticism of yours derived from Western region, your home area.  Does that offer you something to take in?

“Are their criticisms really not valid?”

(A) As you disregard your critics above, how about particularly, that respectful lady, needless to mention her name. MP, for Ruhaama County.  Note: The Ruhaama MP, accused some (NRM) leaders of using blackmail as a political weapon to undermine one another. (I am tired of ( NRM) intrigue) She observed: http://www.observer.ug/news/ Wednesday, 28 January, 2009. What do you make of this statement, is this bad criticism too?

(B) Fr. Batanyenda wrote;

Honorable Members, although you lost the inner voice [conscience] and all ethical ethos of patriotism and good leadership and got yourself entangled in the maze of political favor and gourmandism, i remind you that you have an ethical and constitutional obligation to protect lives of the people in Uganda and their property. Unless you become politically and socially philanthropic and public-spirited you will land our country into an abyss of disintegration, hatred and chaos. http://www.monitor.co.ug/ 20-07-2009. What more would you like to hear?

(C) Capt. Guma Gumisiriza (Ibanda North) In the same meeting said. Mr.President, you should reactivate the intelligence system, both military and civil. Instead of painting a rosy picture. We need to get reliable information from the ground. You should ensure reliable information reaches you!!

Again, can’t you see there is regional concern in this point? All formidable names quoted here represents vast views of people from the regions they belong to, areas worst affected. Relaying on false information does a lot of harm and damage to you and to your entire leadership, Mr. President.

(D) My Story:

Former, Buganda Kingdom: Katikkiro Joseph Ssemogerere, recently in an article, http://www.ugandaobserver newspaper: Dated: Sunday 12 July, 2009. Written by Ssemuju Ibrahim Nganda.

I told him that i was sorry for him because he probably did not have intelligence officers (to write home about) i told him that if they (intelligence officers) actually wrote the things he was telling me, then they were totally misleading him and might one day lead him into trouble because such things did not exist anywhere.

 

Intelligence Branders Causing Divisiveness in Political Elitism

Mr. President, i will not go for names here, but you know what lays in store for the Acholi political Elites. Have you now come across the intelligence branders which are simply causing huge gaps and more mistrust among Ugandans? For your information, further reports tell of the youth gangs based in England, USA and South Africa, that your regime spoils on a lot of Uganda tax payer’s money simply, to feed you with empty lies!!

”The empty tin that sounds most”.

Do you really believe the work done for you in those Nations is worthy a penny? The Observer newspaper.com/ug: 06/09/2007, referred to it as a clique of petty crooks.

Mulwanyammuli, disclosed someone invidious being isolated himself from the Country’s civil society that you know longer welcome counsel from the wise-people. Wise man’s counsel means people will always differ on certain issues. One person cannot be always right on all matters. You may, as well recall,  Mr. Mulwanyammuli Semogerere, he is not the first one to get worried for you. Justice. GW.Kanyeihamba, too, warned so, numberless times. Once again, you would borrow this new leaf and heed advice from your burning critics. Please do not take criticism for blame. Uganda, now have to change, so must your politics, you need to act upon your conscience, for a safe Uganda. Someone among the names mentioned here asked you, “What is partisan politics?” you did not respond to him!

Politics Of Common Sense 

What does Ugandans want to see from this change?  Uganda, citizens want politics based on common-sense. When Rv. Fr. Dr. Lawrence Kanyike, wrote that, (Develop Your Areas Like Buganda Did and NRM Govt has no conscience of guilt, 20/06/2008. http://www.monitor newspaper/ug: Ugandans felt lazy to ask him what it means individually?  Today, exactly the same massage Dr.Olara Otunnu, is preaching to all politicians who abandon their native regions and people and immigrate to Buganda region. Who is supposed to take care of their regions and to develop them? There is supposed to be work and money in every area of Uganda. Call it what may, development!

Currency Is A Wide Mirror 

Here i am not illustrating on political democracy. Its a simple hint on East African regional economic development. The looming East African federation.  Whereby, Rwanda and Tanzania economies appear to be more stable and fast developing than that of Uganda’s?  Stability of national currency is a wider mirror we look into every single day to weigh stability of the economy. Tanzania, currency has been stable since the last 25 years on, you have been ruling Uganda.!! You studied economics in Dar es Salaam, and you have failed our Country to apply the experience you acquired from there. In essence, you learned nothing to developing nations. Your ideology is awash apart from other East African great lakes region leaders who’s views suggest contrarily, that developing the people is the main ingredient to developing Nations. You have spent quarter a Century worth of development attacking and killing people, in this East African region.

Poor Planning And Concentration Of People 

There is unfair concentrations of so many Ugandans in Buganda region alone. That is cheap politics you offer, by supporting such moves to allow too many people to be dumped on too many heads already. Where do you think Buganda inhabitants should go?  Let us be positive on this matter. It is a long time failure, of all Uganda regimes to redress the proportional distribution of national resources and opportunities to every region. Uganda politicians repeat the same pitfalls at every Government. Northern region benefited less from Obote’s era. Obote was obsessed with Busenyi, Ankole, you very well remember it.

The Nubians had their day at Amin’s helm. Still got nothing out of his pockets. Instead of building a modern Town and beautiful residential area at Bombo, major interest was on army barracks only. Museveni, too, is fallowing into Milton Obote’s footsteps, with an edge to develope only a section of already wealthy Westerners. There is one important matter here, for Ugandans to rec-corn about. Time does not forget to arrive. Time will tell!

Proportional Opportunity And Responsibility  

All regional leaders need take charge of Regional Security and Development. That’s how it used to be, long ago.  In the old good days, there was no need for security intelligence to go to Rwakitura or from Entebe, President’s office, to arrest a person. You remember too, when you were young, nothing like that was allowed to happen. That was regional Police work” All our regions catered for security for local areas. There was no Government Minister, allowed to leave office to go and settle pieces of plots of land disputes, like it appears in your administration. On Tuesday 27 July, 2010:  All Uganda Medea: reported your government Minister.  Mr.Vincent Nyanzi, being involved in the land wrangles of, 5016, Acres of Land allowed by himself to be purchase at a throw away price of,  Sh.5.000.000/= of which case left 1000, poor local communities stranded with no where to go.  Next move will see government Ministers taking over traffic wardens off the streets!

For a long while, there has been silent complacency from all top government officials and the whole opposition parties about the on going evil crimes across our Country.

A government Minister, has demonstrated how life in Uganda, to-day, no longer have any value.  Even Ministers minds are keen on chasing only for wealth.  Mr. President, where were you then, during the so called old good days?  Now that you can hardly learn at all from history? All the episodes we witness with laughter to-day, could sum-up, as your total government failure.  Proportional Opportunity and Responsibility,  (POAR)  as suggested herein, is a secure strategy that can drive all Ugandans to fairness and Justice, and start respecting each other. The spirit, like removing the City of Kampala from Buganda region, is unthinkable a matter.   Buganda is an entity democracy that raised her own City, how can the state steal from the same State?  Once, Mbarara, becomes a City, tomorrow, would you allow it to belong to Buganda Kingdom?  This poor gesture alone confirms you look at Uganda, not as one Nation. Buganda and any other region is capable of electing a City bigger and better than Kampala itself. Stop standing in Buganda’s way, so that you look at Buganda and other regions progress alike.   I am afraid, your intentions are no more than raising castles in the air. First of all,   “You are Mr. Big Waste”   Museveni to stake 65bn/= for the general elections in 2011:  28/06/2009, The Oserver newspaper.com/Ug:   Ugandan leader to get second jet.  Uganda controversially spent $35m, on a private jet for Yoweri Museveni in 2000 while seeking debt relief from the international Monetary Fund (IMF)  Stop wasting national resources on a section of people of one region and redistribute the opportunities available squarely to all the regions and narrow the gap between rich and poor and learned and illiteracy?  This regime has totally failed to do anything to help the poor, and has broaden this gap. It will need somebody else, to remove this huge poverty gap.  Buganda region had the systematic developing structures before the British (Bazuungu), arrived here in Uganda. That system was dismantled by Milton Obote, without informing the nation what was wrong with it.

Re-introduce the system and it will make wonders for our nation again. Decentralization system has failed too, and will not work because the entire Uganda populous are not confident enough will eliminate poverty.  Of course, it has spread more poverty and hopefulness for the people your government found with land have been made destitute s by the same government claiming to make them better off.

Traditional Leaders Have Been In Existence Before Colonization:

Traditional leadership, developed the lives especially the poor poor than modern government, of to-day.  Therefore, they should be respected and their positions kept intact. Mr. President, when you listen to people now and focus at the reaction you received around the Country, following your muddy letter to the Monarchy, Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi ll, in public view, it was total reverse from what you ever expected. Let me quote for you only a single matter from your cherished subordinate and former Cabinet Member of national resistant movement,  NRM,  and Minister (on) different regimes.

Mr. J. Bidandi Ssali. He rather cautioned you on tribal politics while he wrote to you.

Bidandi: Cautioned Museveni on Tribalism:

It seems to me the emotion reflected in your reported statement about Buganda, the Kabaka and the Baganda as a tribal entity has subdued logic and objectivity thus blocking reflection and reason.

No one would like to remind you matters that put you off balance. Anyone who has lost a son or daughter, a relative or far away friend, from such intended crime waves. Have got constitutional responsibility to wake you up, from your cozy slumber. People will not forgive you if our people continue to die whilst on taking Oath, you vowed to safeguard all citizens of Uganda with their properties and assumed fullest responsibility for all their lives.

The King of Buganda as singled out by Mr. Bidandi Ssali’s letter, is now loosing thousands of his native people through tribal inflicted dangerous politics and Government segregation policies for instance, the massive land eviction of the poor communities from Buganda to enrich your tribal army generals. Killings fabricated through your love of political violence. Buganda’s political history is the basis of Uganda’s major political and economic progress you are enjoying even today.

Hence, the people of Buganda, have got friends in all parts of Uganda, therefore, they will not stand alone in segregation. Buganda, you remember was only until recently, the super Kingdom in whole, Uganda. No doubt, Buganda has got deep roots in all Provinces of Uganda. Mind you: your Government is slaying Buganda’s friends. If you ignored Bidandi Ssali’s letter, by the time he wrote it, please be wise, to revisit it again and again.

The letter of advice you ignore is a letter of a Wise-man and a highly valued a  politician. You can hardly get free and true advice from your tribal empire.   “Lubaale Wa Nnyoko”

Remember once again, the time you used to consent with Mr. Joseph Ssemogerere, in conjunction with local security and intelligence fabricated matters. Then you were able to solve the would be complicated situations with a single telephone call. Today, you confuse the citizens of Uganda. All the wonders, you aim at without public consent, have turned into more difficult situations for our Nation and your Presidency. Your initial approach towards tribal wars made you to fail totally, hence, failed to win Kony from confrontation. Once the public lose hope and trust in politicians, never will they trust again.

Late.  DR. Milton Obote, is a living example, peace loving Baganda never went back to him!! Even yourself could not trust Milton Obote, again after falling out with you? You will never restore political trust once it has split!!  It is very interesting to hear saying that,  NRM, unlike other political parties grooms the youth while (DPP) simply frays. Within hours,  Mr. Samuel Lubega, a democratic groomed by the Democratic People’s Party, (DPP) plus other members on his campaigning team were innocently attacked by your Militarized Police and thrown in Police custody three times, within one month. Why do you create panic when you are sure no one can defeat you, come National Presidential election, 2011.

Buganda Kingdom’s young promising politician are now seen as government targeted opponents. Because they are attacked more often than any other groups on the campaigning trails. Mr. Mathias Mpuuga a former Member of Buganda Kingdom, Lukiiko, was shot in the leg by a person known as a security operative. How will you interpret such actions before the eyes of  peace defenders to side with you when everyone competing with you in the presidential race becomes an evil beast before your eyes?

Mr. President, please take a moment again and examine the level and depth of national tragedies since you become President of this Country, Uganda. Many will agree with me, that there has been no difference between your regime and all previous regimes after 1966.  And by all odds, you will have to stay on power after the looming elections, 2011.  Many people will be forced to run away from Uganda, if the situation stays currently as it is where the vast majority citizens are antagonizing with inner heart tears.  But not everyone will leave this Country cowardly, i promise only one thing to you. I will do compile statics on every crime committed due to lousiness of your security personnel and present it before the next working government. Uganda citizens have slept on political violence now, for so long a time, are badly in need of peaceful but permanent solutions for ever.

National Tragedies:

1. Rose Namuludde, a Mandela college school student, was abducted on her way home, raped and left killed. http://www.bukedde/news\ 16-07-2009.

2.  Alice Namutebi 25, years old.  A Makerere University graduate, resident at Nansana suburb left home at 6.00.am to go to work in the city center, before she boarded a tax she was hit at her neck with an iron bar and died instantly on Thursday 02 July, 2009.

3.  Another University.  Kampala Uni, Sseeta Mukono area, lost  a 2nd year student while walking to study at 6 am. Within 6 minutes of leaving her home she was hit on head with a metal bar, and died instantly. Such crimes are daily occurrences across the Country.  Unfortunately, falls on deaf ears.

4.  Emmanuel Kironde, a 6 years old boy, of Nakibizzi, Jinja Road, was abducted on Thursday 16, July 2009, and found Friday with head cut off. How do we know that boy would not become Uganda President in Future?

http://www.bukedde.co.ug/news\ 19-07-2009. The list is longest, covering all regions in Uganda.

Record Breaking Acid Victims

On Tuesday 9th,September 2008, the recorded numbers of Acid victims totaled, 327.   I have particularly watched this situation two years, down the line, this type of crime has only exacerbated. Still Members of Parliament act as if they do not know this disfigurement danger to the public.

Why should the citizens of Uganda be exposed to such dangers, without any single word from the so called government and the entire opposition political parties?   New numbers to-day, must be in the legions of thousands!

(Brutal stories are powering in everyday).

 

Plea for International Assistance

Finally, Mr. President, now that there is fragile hopes from your (Regime) to provide even minimal security, locally. Some areas in Uganda need to be widely investigated and put under Biological control”  For more focus on this danger,  your government officer was caught in Great Britain, purchasing Bio-Chemical Agents and put behind bars.  For what principle purpose should the  Uganda government be compelled to look for lethal agents?  It does not only worry Ugandans, also all East African leaders near you.  However, I am obliged to start a campaign on behalf of all Ugandans to start looking for the international forensic crime experts to come and assist Uganda Police, until all mystery surrounding those atrocities are solved. Now that, Dr. Olara Otunnu, is back to Uganda, with his long experience in foreign relations hopefully, he might have a clue on finding assistance to solving the hard crimes now threatening many ares of our mother country, Uganda.

The British Mornach while openning the Commonwealth Summit {CHOGM}  in Uganda, November, 23, 2007,  called on the leaders of Commonwealth Community to focus on the challenges facing the youth.  Since, that day, President Y.K.Museveni, does not know the vast number of youth being killed during this short period of time.Queen opens the Chogm, calls for mutual respect.  http://www.monitor.com/Friday, November 23,2007.

Thank you so much, Mr. President.

Concerned Citizen Of Uganda.

cc:

1.  The British Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II.  Head Of The Commonwealth Of Nations.

2.  Pope Benedict XVI.

3.  King. Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II. Kabaka Of Buganda.

4.  King.Barnabas Dlamini Muswati III. King of Swaziland.

5.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

6.  Archbishop. Dr. John Sentamu. (Sentamu calls for war to topple Mugabe) Monitor online:Africa news. 08/12/2008.

7.  The President of the Republic of Tanzania.Dr.Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.

8.  Mr.Jerry Lanier, Washington Ambassador to Uganda.

9.  Mr. Michael Mansfield, QC.

10.  (SPUC)  email: political@spuc.org.uk

11.  Ingrid Turinawe. Chairperson of Women for Peace.Uganda.

12.  Dr.Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka.Under-Secretary-General. (UN)  Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT)

13.  Prof. Eric Kashambuzi.

14.  Secretary General of Amnesty International.

15.  UPC President. Dr.Orala Otunnu.

How do you deal with Museveni who thinks he owns Uganda?

In his heart and mind, Museveni is convinced that he fought a five year guerrilla war and captured power. He used that power to purchase Uganda, the people and developments on it. His behavior is likened to someone who works for five years, earns an income that he uses to purchase a piece of land with a free hold title. That land becomes his property permanently and he does what he wants with it and the people settled as well as developments on it. He consults when he wants but the final decision is his. Those members of the family and relatives that have different ideas are either marginalized or thrown out. Finally he decides who should succeed him.

Museveni’s conviction that he owns Uganda and everything on it can be deduced from his utterances such as he killed an animal and will not let someone else feast on the meat; he found oil (the oil exploration began during Obote II government in 1985) and none will benefit from it except him, his family, relatives and friends. He has also said that a revolutionary cannot be chased out of the house like a chicken thief.

When he came to power he decided that those in exile except a few relatives and friends should stay there, work hard and remit earnings to help in Uganda’s development. He has since encouraged those Ugandans at home that can compete on the international labor market to work outside Uganda. This decision has created a shortage of skills that has necessitated hiring very expensive (largely ignorant about Uganda’s history and culture) expatriates to fill the gap. Consequently, Uganda has become a destination of foreign workers from many parts of the world.

The hiring, promotions and assignment of Ugandans are done apparently on individual merit which has turned out to be a method for hiring Museveni’s family members, relatives, in-laws and friends or those that can advance Museveni’s personal interests – with very little, if at all, relevance to education and experience.

Museveni (who is government) unlike any other leader in the world – past and present – decided to privatize Uganda’s economy and hand it over to foreigners including British Asians who repossessed their assets acquired during colonial days. He de-nationalized enterprises and handed them back to former colonial owners turning Uganda into a British neo-colony. He rejected advice to undertake a comprehensive assessment of public enterprises before deciding which ones to privatize, eliminate or retain. This quotation summarizes the rush:

“It has been decided [by the country’s owner] to begin divestment immediately, and to deal with any problems as they arise, rather than to delay the privatization program until all the constraints have been resolved. Privatization in Uganda has come to stay”(V. V. Ramanadham 1993).

Museveni has decided he has no money for primary school lunch but he has enough funds to help with funeral expenses. What a way to set priorities! No wonder Ugandans think Museveni is a foreigner because a true Ugandan would not come up with an idea like this, at least not so directly.

Museveni has decided he wants to divide the country into districts beyond recognition. In 1967 Uganda had 18 districts. Amin increased them to 38. Museveni has so far created over one hundred and he is promising more after the election. He knows he will be re-elected at gun point if need be because none can take over his territory unless he says so.

Museveni is pushing Uganda into the East African economic integration and political federation because it will contribute to the realization of his Tutsi empire dream (ultimately to cover Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and DRC as he announced in 1997). Therefore he does not care how the rest of Ugandans feel. He is openly preparing his son to succeed him when he becomes head of the federation government planned for 2012.

He has built a powerful security system (defense, police and intelligence) to hunt down and crush any dissent. What is even more disturbing is that the donors are going along. They just make announcements of disapproval that have no enforcement mechanism.

During the preparation for this month’s presidential, parliamentary and local elections Museveni has used huge funds (the government has announced it is broke), state infrastructure and institutions including security forces to his advantage. We have a voter register with more registered voters in excess of those eligible to vote. The campaign is taking place in a playing field that has disproportionately advantaged Museveni and his NRM.

Clearly, the use of democratic means has not worked to unseat Museveni. When you consider a clean voter register and a level playing field as pillars of free and fair elections you can conclude that February 18, 2011 elections have already been rigged by Museveni and his team. According to reports, Museveni agents are busy buying voters. His electoral commission (Museveni refused an independent commission) compiled a voters’ register that has more voters than those eligible to vote.

We are appealing to the international observers to base their recommendations on the entire electoral process from voter registration, to campaigning to casting and counting ballots and to the announcement of results. The yardstick for assessing and announcing results should be ‘free and fair elections’ and not on such expressions as ‘given the prevailing circumstances’. Since the 1980 elections all international observer announcements have been based on ‘given the prevailing circumstances’ not on ‘free and fair elections’. This ‘prevailing circumstances’ yardstick has favored the party in power, undermining the credibility and impartiality of observers.

Appealing to the Supreme Court will be a waste of time given its record of reaching a decision on election results. If this election turns out to be another sham, Ugandans should think seriously about the value of holding elections every five years because they have legitimized illegal regimes.

ERIC KASHAMBUZI

Why I have clashed with Museveni

Some people –Ugandans and non-Ugandans – close and not so close to me have wondered – directly and indirectly – why I have decided to oppose Museveni when there is no chance of winning because he is powerful at home and abroad. Besides I or someone else could get hurt. Some have even questioned my motive.

This is the first time in Uganda’s political history that I have actively campaigned. I have chosen to participate in order to defeat Museveni in his re-election bid for another five years. He has been president for 25 years already. During this period, as outlined below, the welfare of the majority of Uganda citizens and the environment has deteriorated.

My education and profession were influenced greatly by the injustices of the colonial indirect rule system which was an extension of a repressive feudal system of lords and serfs (rich and poor) in Rujumbura county of Rukungiri district in southwest Uganda. The chiefs and their families lived very well at the expense of the poor who produced goods and services. Through tribute, taxes and free labor the poor peasants toiled for the comfort of the chiefs. Most of the nutritious food (goat meat, chicken, eggs, beans, fruits etc) was consumed by chiefs. Heads of households would disappear for months to work for tax money leaving their wives behind toiling to keep the family alive.

Children of chiefs were driven to and from school or had bicycles while those of the poor walked long distances. On Sundays, children of chiefs dressed elegantly. They had long trousers and shoes and girls wore well designed and colorful dresses while those from poor families wore the same school uniform of cotton fabric, washed on Saturdays and won on Sundays, dry or not. Often fellowships bypassed commoners with better grades and jobs went to those who were less qualified – all because they belonged to the families of chiefs.

While in grade seven, I complained to one of the teachers why there was so much injustice in our area. He explained that one of the reasons education – originally designed for children of chiefs – had been extended to all children was to ultimately eliminate social injustice through jobs, incomes and improved standard of living for everyone. He urged me to get good education and use it to help lift everyone out of the poverty trap.

Those who are familiar with my professional work and activities in my home district of Rukungiri will tell you how committed I have been to social justice, equal opportunity and respect for human rights. My philosophy is to give everyone equal opportunity – through quality education and health care, balanced and adequate food and nutrition security, adequate housing and clothing – to utilize their God-given talents to improve the quality of their lives and of their communities. I have been influenced by the ideas of John Locke who viewed nature as one of peace, good will, mutual assistance and preservation (of life and property). Locke also asserted that king and parliament were responsible to the people and ultimately the people determine the government making it servant of the people.

Uganda’s independence in 1962 based on democracy and majority rule ushered in a period of unprecedented opportunity for those who had suffered under colonial rule. Social services improved especially schools and health facilities in rural areas. The colonial status quo was jolted to the disappointment of those who had benefited under colonial rule and Museveni was one of them.

Museveni and I went to Ntare School. Prefects – and I was one of them at Ntare and Butobere Schools – had a responsibility to assess student behavior and potential for leadership. Although I did not have much time to observe Museveni closely because he was in a different dormitory, the impression I got was that he was not satisfied with Uganda’s independence.

Museveni and I come from the same region of southwest Uganda. He comes from Ntungamo district of former Ankole district and I come from Rukungiri district of former Kigezi district. These are districts where indirect rule benefited chiefs and their families and Museveni belongs to this group and disadvantaged commoners and I belong to this group.

With independence the commoners began to climb out of the poverty trap not at the expense of chiefs and their families because they continued to enjoy a better life. Obote’s UPC government extended opportunities to disadvantaged groups to advance in life. Within two years of independence the gap between the rich and the poor in southwest Uganda began to narrow. It was at that time – in 1965 and 1966 – that Museveni and his student friends became staunchly anti-Obote. Apparently, Museveni did not want Obote to help commoners whom chiefs had exploited to climb out of poverty.

Museveni began to develop his political ideas from that moment to reverse the independence developments that empowered commoners. His search for a philosophy to reverse what Obote was doing went as far back as the pre-colonial days as recounted by O. A. Amaza (1998). The pre-colonial period was defined by a feudal system of lords and serfs.

On March 15, 1992 Museveni convened and chaired a meeting at his Rwakitura home of Bahororo leaders (Museveni is a Muhororo by tribe) to map out how the Bahororo should dominate all other tribes in Uganda through quality education and healthcare, monopoly of security forces, civil service and the economy by marginalizing others. It was recorded that Bairu (the commoners in southwest Uganda) and other tribes of Uganda should never see this document otherwise the roadmap “would fail to take off”. Fortunately for other tribes of Uganda the report of the meeting was leaked and we have copies.

Structural adjustment based on balancing the budget, retrenching public servants, reducing budgets for education, healthcare, nutrition and agriculture etc gave Museveni the strategy he needed to implement his feudal system and reverse the gains of the 1960s under Obote’s government.

In its 1993 report the World Bank recorded Uganda’s economic and social achievements. It reported that between 1963 and 1970 Uganda maintained relative price stability and GDP grew at an average annual rate of 6 percent. The health sector developed into one of Africa’s best through low-cost health and nutrition programs. Although school enrolment remained low, the education system developed a reputation for very high quality.

Hiding behind reconstruction and structural adjustment programs – which in some cases went beyond expert advice (30 percent tax for converting old into new Uganda currency) – Museveni has re-launched a feudal system (of rich and poor) to benefit Bahororo as agreed at Rwakitura on March 15, 1992 and impoverish the rest of the country particularly rural areas where close to 90 percent (depending on how an urban area is defined) of Uganda’s population live and earn their livelihood.

Based on economic reform experience of Chile (1982-3 recession) and Ghana (1986 complaints of social hardship) before Uganda launched its economic reform program in 1987 and since then, I have warned – through discussion and writing including to the president, speaker, prime minister, minister of finance and leader of the opposition – that steps should be taken to minimize adverse impact on the people of Uganda. The government prepared excellent documents such as on nutrition, modernization of agriculture, poverty eradication and decentralization to bring resources and services closer to the people. These documents have by and large remained unimplemented although Uganda gets an annual average of $700 million for development from donors.

Consequently, 52 percent of Ugandans live in absolute poverty with 20 percent in the lowest income bracket poorer; income distribution is highly skewed in favor of the rich 20 percent that own over 50 percent of the economy. Uganda’s economy is concentrated in the capital city of Kampala accounting for 70 percent of GDP with less than 2 million of Uganda’s total population of 33 million; over 30 percent of Ugandans go to bed hungry every night; 40 percent of children under five are undernourished; neurological abnormalities have increased and insanity stands at over 33 percent because of poor eating dominated by cassava and maize and stress; maternal mortality has increased from 527 in 1995 to 920 per 100,000 live births in 2005; over 80 percent of primary school children are dropping out of school in large part because of lack of school lunch which Museveni has denied against a decision by NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development); and over 80 percent of youth (15-24) are unemployed with 60 percent of them university graduates. The families of the rich have not been affected by these adverse outcomes.

Environmental degradation in rural and urban areas has reached catastrophic levels. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that if steps are not taken urgently to stop and reverse degradation Uganda will turn into a desert within 100 years. Forests and wetlands are disappearing, rivers are drying, lakes are shrinking, water tables are dropping and droughts are becoming longer, more intense and frequent alternating with floods.

The level of corruption and mismanagement has reached alarming proportions and the minister of finance announced recently that the government is broke while the NRM ruling party is dishing out billions of shillings to tilt elections in favor of Museveni and his NRM.

Because of my philosophy regarding freedom, social justice, equal opportunity and respect for human rights and my decades of support for poor, vulnerable, voiceless and powerless people, I have clashed with Museveni’s leadership over this state of affairs. I am convinced Museveni is deliberately pushing the majority of Ugandans into the “Dark Ages” in order to weaken them and control them politically through a dynastic arrangement.

It is for this reason that I have campaigned for Museveni’s defeat on February 18, 2011. We need a new government with a totally different philosophy that puts people at the center of development, fosters participation and equal opportunity.

I will support such a government.

Eric Kashambuzi

January 31, 2011.

Is today’s Uganda better or worse-off?

Before Ugandans head for the polls on February 18, 2011 to elect a president, members of parliament, district councilors and mayors, it might be helpful to consider the following developments.

1. The general standard of living of Ugandans has not reached the level attained in 1970.

2. Fifty two percent of Ugandans live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day (HDR 2010).

3. Some twenty percent of Ugandans in the lowest income bracket have become poorer.

4. Economic growth has fallen short of 7 or 8 percent required as a minimum to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

5. Seventy percent of Uganda’s GDP is generated in Kampala and its vicinity with a population of some two million. The remaining 31 million Ugandans contribute a mere 30 percent of GDP.

6. Household income distribution is highly skewed with 20 percent in the highest income bracket taking over 50 percent while 40 percent in the lowest income bracket taking 15 percent. Urban areas have performed relatively better than rural areas and southern has performed relatively better than northern Uganda.

7. Low economic and jobless growth, skewed income distribution, export-oriented growth with a high component of foodstuffs, economic liberalization, high interest rates and reduced expenditures on social sectors and infrastructure have created serious social, infrastructural (poor roads for example) and environmental challenges.

8. Youth unemployment stands at over 80 percent and some sixty percent of them are university graduates.

9. Over 80 percent of primary school children drop out of school before grade seven in large part because they are hungry. Despite NEPAD decision that African governments should provide lunches, Uganda government has refused to comply with serious damage to human capital formation and prospects for reduction in population growth as drop out children marry and begin families in their teens.

10. Twenty percent of children are underweight with permanent physical and mental handicaps.

11. Infant mortality which is an indicator of economic health has increased from 81 to 88 per 1000 live births.

12. Maternal mortality has increased from 527 to 920 per 100,000 live births.

13. Ten million Ugandans go to bed hungry while Uganda exports mountains of food to neighboring countries and beyond to earn foreign currency to meet the needs of few rich families.

14. Over thirty per cent of Ugandans suffer from neurological disorders including insanity. The main cause is poor diet (eating too much cassava and maize without nutrient supplements) plus stress.

15. Forty percent of children are undernourished with serious abnormalities.

16. High interest rates have discouraged borrowing and investment in labor-intensive activities by small and medium scale enterprises that are the main source of employment. This policy has resulted in low economic growth and exploding unemployment especially of youth.

17. Export diversification into fish, beans, and maize etc has deprived Ugandans of adequate and balanced diet. Traditionally fish and beans have been major sources of protein. Their reduction in the domestic market has resulted in high prices and acute under-nutrition. Undernourished mothers produce underweight children with permanent disabilities. Brain development that takes place during the first three years of human life from conception is being stunted in Uganda because of inadequate and unbalanced diet.

18. Uganda’s economic liberal policy has resulted in domestic industries outcompeted by cheap imports including used items like second hand clothes (Uganda’s promising textile industry is being suffocated). Uganda is therefore de-industrializing. Some factories have closed down, others have relocated to other countries and the rest are performing below installed capacity. Massive devaluation of Uganda currency has made imports (consumer and intermediate goods) very expensive. Businesses that depend on imported inputs (intermediate goods) are finding it difficult especially small and medium scale enterprises and have either closed or scaled down and retrenched workers. De-industrialization has kept Uganda a raw material producer and exporter and has not benefited from value addition. Without value addition Uganda will remain handicapped (earning inadequate level of foreign currency) and forced to depend on aid with stiff conditionality including directing the development of Uganda’s economy and society as has been the case so far. Oil is not a panacea because it too is a raw material. There are many cases in Africa to confirm that.

19. Poor policies and sheer neglect of the environment have resulted in massive rural degradation with serious hydrological and thermal changes characterized by frequent and destructive droughts and floods. FAO has estimated that if drastic corrective measures are not taken Uganda could become a desert within 100 years (that is three generations from now – this is a short time!). Urban development has been dualistic: modern houses for the rich occupied mostly by foreigners and sprawling slums that harbor all sorts of problems. Poor urban planning has resulted in chocking drainage channels that colonial authorities had carefully designed and protected against encroachment. NRM government thinks this is a waste of space and a luxury it cannot afford. It has been built up and the result is frequent urban flooding especially in the nation’s capital city of Kampala.

20. Makerere University which was once described as the “Harvard of Sub-Saharan Africa” has lost its glory and is being compared to a two-year community college. V. S. Naipul (2010) first visited Makerere in 1966 and returned in 2008. He has graphically described the appalling conditions in his book titled “The Masque of Africa: Glimpses of African Belief”. His message regarding the second visit is compressed as follows: Makerere was not recognizable. It had become part of the crowded dusty town. University fences had been knocked down and not fixed. Garbage was not regularly collected and had attracted many marabout storks. Students are crowded together in mildewed halls and dormitories hung with sagging lines of laundry. Students lived helplessly among garbage. Sanitation was a thing of the past. The student body had increased from four thousand to thirty thousand. Not least, incidents of murder had also occurred at Makerere University.

21. In this environment of food, education, health and environmental insecurity; slow economic and jobless growth and skewed income distribution, raw material exports, focus on Kampala as the growth centre (as if Uganda was a city state like Singapore) and on labor-saving service sector, Uganda has no chance (if it continues on this trajectory) of generating the required human and non-human capacity to compete in a globalized and knowledge-driven economy. Massive brain drain has made matters worse. Liberalization and structural adjustment development model adopted in 1987 turned out to be a disaster and was abandoned in 2009. For purposes of elections, NRM came up with a five-year development plan which in essence is not different from the structural adjustment model recently scrapped. Mobile phones that have been presented as a success story have become more of a consumer than a producer of goods and services driving many into rather than out of poverty. In sum, this is the product of NRM government that has been in power for 25 years and is seeking re-election for another five year term on the same manifesto (except sending some Ugandans to the moon!).

22. Voters have a choice on February 18, 2011: (1) to return Museveni and NRM to power or (2) to try someone else. The choice is yours – and yours only. But you need to remember that whatever choice you make you will either be part of the solution or the problem. Therefore think carefully and objectively before you decide to vote for a particular candidate – not because the candidate is your relative or friend or because he/she gave you a kilo of salt or a match box – but because that candidate can make a positive impact on you, your family and your country.

Eric Kashambuzi

Museveni wasn’t born to rule, but to destroy

People who know Museveni well will tell you that during his secondary education life he exhibited restless rather than leadership behavior. Two developments appear to have disoriented him fundamentally in the late 1950s and early 1960s. First, during negotiations for Uganda’s independence, Bahororo (Museveni is a Muhororo) of Ankole demanded a separate district to recover part of former Mpororo kingdom. Bahima refused. It is believed that in retaliation, Museveni, as president, has refused restoration of Ankole kingdom. Second, Bairu’s political ascendancy in Ankole kingdom as independence approached was disturbing. Until then Bairu had been treated like slaves by Bahima and Bahororo. Bairu – a term coined by Bahima according to Speke (1863, 2006) – means slaves.

Realizing that numerically, Bahororo are insignificant and could not change Bairu’s political trajectory democratically, Museveni opted for a military solution: to stop Bairu’s political advance and restore Bahororo’s lost glory. His military participation in the overthrow of Amin was supposed to catapult him to Uganda’s presidency in 1980 election which he lost. He used the excuse of rigged 1980 elections which had been certified by the Commonwealth Observer team (which he has used to certify his rigged elections since 1996) to start a devastating guerrilla war. Museveni was aware that he would not win the next elections – hence the military option.

The return to power of Obote considered a socialist leader of UPC disturbed western capitalist interests that decided he had to go as in January 1971. Museveni was chosen as their surrogate in Uganda and the rest of the Great Lakes region (Peter Phillips 2006). He received open backing from Britain during and after the war. Supporters have included Linda Chalker, William Pike, Paul Collier and Tiny Rowlands. He became president in January 1986 with three principal missions: (1) rapid promotion of Bahororo dominance; (2) imperial expansion in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region that would result in a Tutsi Empire; (3) major damage to the rest of Uganda through military, economic and other instruments to forestall resistance to Bahororo dominance.

Let us start with Bahororo dominance. Museveni convened a meeting of Bahororo leaders from Ntungamo and Rukungiri districts at his Rwakitura residence on March 15, 1992. After prayers led by former Anglican Bishop of Rukungiri (North Kigezi) Diocese, Bahororo discussed a wide range of things which can be compressed into one point: Bahororo dominance of Uganda for at least 50 years through education, economic, political and military empowerment at the expense of others based on a zero-sum game. Bahororo would attend the best schools and get the best health services in Uganda and/or abroad, dominate the private sector, strategic public institutions especially those connected with security, finance, foreign affairs and recently oil. Quality health and education services would be provided through private facilities since Bahororo would be rich enough to pay for those services. The report of the meeting has been circulated widely.

Museveni’s second mission is to establish a Tutsi Empire with himself as the first emperor. On April 4, 1997, Museveni stated that his “Mission is to see that Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Zaire/DRC become federal [imperial] states under one nation [and one leader]” (EIR Special Report 1997). Somalia may be added on with Museveni’s military involvement there.

The third mission which he does not mention openly but can be deduced from his actions is weakening and marginalizing the rest of the population by destroying institutions and means of livelihood through military and a wide range of other tools. The balance of the article will focus on this unspoken mission.

By conducting his destructive guerrilla war in the most developed southern part of Uganda (Luwero Triangle), and not providing adequate resources for reconstruction and full recovery, Buganda’s advancement has been dealt a severe blow. Months of demonstrations at parliament by Luwero people seeking assistance to rehabilitate their area ended up in failure.

The more than twenty years of rebel war in northern and eastern Uganda gave Museveni an opportunity to cripple the two regions. Many people have died and others herded into camps. The economic base including livestock was destroyed and many years of education lost. The war ended in 2008 only after the international community forced Museveni who wanted it to continue until total military victory regardless of how long it would take and at what cost. It will take these areas decades to regain what they have lost.

In western Uganda which did not experience much military destruction, Museveni has used other means. Exploiting structural adjustment conditionality – inflation control at the expense of employment; high interest rates to control the quantity of money in circulation at the expense of borrowing and investing in labor-saving enterprises; currency devaluation that raised the price of imports including farming and industrial inputs; privatization of public enterprises that resulted in massive retrenchment of workers; export diversification that included foodstuffs traditionally for domestic consumption; and balanced budget that resulted in retrenchment of civil servants, elimination of subsidies and introduction of user charges especially in education and health – Museveni began the destruction of the area that is home to Bairu and other Bantu people.

Many schools were closed and others downgraded from secondary to primary level and school fees and health charges were introduced that drove many children out of school and patients away from hospitals and dispensaries. Museveni has refused to provide school lunches when he full well knows that they keep children in school and improve performance especially of girls. A parent who refuses to feed his children and chooses to sell food to others so they can feed their children is not normal. Museveni as father of the nation has failed the children of Uganda. Consequently 80 percent of primary school children drop out of school every year while Museveni continues to boast that he has given Uganda children free education at primary which he has extended to secondary level. This is not only an insult to Uganda’s children but to their parents as well. Conditions and terms of service for teachers at all levels have deteriorated forcing many to quit teaching. Instructional materials have been scarce everywhere made worse by corruption which Museveni has tolerated. At the same time many teaching colleges were closed. Consequently, the majority of graduates are functionally illiterate and unemployable. Over 80 percent of Uganda youth are unemployed. Those who are working are earning at or below subsistence level. Thus schools have become institutions that graduate functionally illiterate people. Hospitals have largely become hospices (where sick people go to die) as reported vividly by a nurse in the children’s ward at Mulago Hospital. Rt. Rev. Edward Muhima, Bishop of North Kigezi Diocese (Rukungiri district) recently (December 2010) spoke eloquently on institutional decay with reference to Mulago hospital and Makerere University.

Museveni knows that beans and fish are the main source of protein for low income families. The British colonial administration must be commended for developing Uganda fisheries for providing an affordable source of protein for low income households. Museveni has deliberately targeted beans and fish for export thus depriving many Ugandans a source of protein which has resulted in eating too much cassava and maize/corn without adequate nutrient supplements. The outcome has been a significant increase in neurological abnormalities and insanity. Stress has added to insanity which is reported to be increasing in Uganda. Bahororo derive their proteins from dairy products including meat and milk available in sufficient quantities but beyond the means of poor consumers.

Those of you that have followed economic development processes will have realized that Museveni is good at commissioning policy studies and programs such as the modernization of agriculture, poverty reduction action plan, industrial policy and national plan of action for nutrition etc. While these documents have been applauded for their quality, their implementation has remained very low, if at all. Some of them have been revised and updated regularly but never implemented. Agriculture and rural development that cater to some 90 percent of Ugandans receive about three to four percent of national budget instead of ten percent as agreed at the AU Summit in 1993 in Maputo, Mozambique. Peasant farmers are being enticed to sell their land and drift into towns where they won’t find jobs given their functional illiteracy. Cooperatives that served peasants relatively well were eliminated while road maintenance was neglected to the extent that private transport companies are unwilling to go to remote areas. Mobile phones alone which Museveni mentions all the time as a major achievement in economic and social development cannot force trucks to collect agricultural produce in impassable areas. Besides, mobile phones are so costly that they have become a drain on meager resources of many users.

All in all, after 25 years in power, Museveni’s Uganda is experiencing high levels of poverty: over 50 percent live below the poverty line of $1.25 while 20 percent in the lowest income bracket have become poorer (those 20 percent in the top income bracket including majority of Bahororo have become so rich that they talk in millions of USA dollars. Sam Njuba described Bahororo greed graphically in a recent interview in one of the local newspapers. Major General Jim Muhwezi’s (former police officer) exceptionally huge country home is a glaring example of Bahororo greed and insensitivity!).

The diseases of poverty are increasing including those that had disappeared like jiggers and scabies (European experts are in Uganda to help deal with jiggers! This shows how desperate Uganda has become under Museveni’s misrule!). Lack of water and soap has resulted in reduced bathing and increased repellent body odors. Moral standards have broken down as families try to make ends meet. Some wives are engaging in sex work with full knowledge of husbands and some parents are marrying off their teenage daughters to put food on the table. Human sacrifice has increased in part as Ugandans try to get out of the poverty trap. Some have sold so much land that they do not have a place to construct a latrine! Theft of food in gardens, coffee cherries and livestock at night has become a serious investment deterrent. Domestic workers cannot be trusted. Infant mortality (a measure of a country’s progress) and maternal mortality have increased. The standard of sanitation is appalling. Environmental degradation has alarmed FAO and other interested parties yet Museveni does not seem to take the warning seriously.

With poor feeding mothers are producing underweight children with permanent physical and mental disabilities, brain development which takes place during the first three years of human life from conception is being impaired due to inadequate nutrition, child malnutrition under five years of age is at an alarming level of 40 percent (under-nourished children become stunted and cannot learn well) while some ten out of 33 million Ugandans go to bed hungry every night. The sad part is that Museveni is fully aware of these adverse developments but that is part of his strategy to strangle Ugandans so that Bahororo have an easy ride over the next fifty years as rulers of Uganda. Museveni has explained these challenges as the fault of Ugandans who are basically lazy.

Everyone at home and abroad is in agreement that at this rate of retrogression, Uganda is fast approaching a steep cliff. To stop the country from going down there is only one solution: defeating Museveni in 2011 elections. Ugandans must muster courage for the sake of their children led by all Uganda Faith leaders and have another occupant of State House. While prayers and complaints are necessary, they are not a sufficient condition to remove Museveni from power. The courage of the Rt. Rev. Edward Muhima, Bishop of North Kigezi (Rukungiri district where poverty is rampant and where Major General Jim Muhwezi’s immense house is located and he is an MP of Rujumbura constituency) should be emulated throughout the country. By his courage Bishop Muhima has earned a place for himself and his descendants in the history of Uganda and indeed of the world for openly challenging a military dictator.

Those leaders at home and abroad who will sustain Museveni in power to continue the suffering of the people of Uganda beyond February 2011 will be held accountable on earth and prevented from entering the Kingdom of Heaven!

Eric kashambuzi

Assessment of Museveni’s accomplishments in 25 years

To undertake a proper assessment of Museveni’s record one has to fully understand his overall goal. Museveni wants to be remembered as a great and bold leader at the regional, continental, commonwealth and global levels. He made this clear in early interviews after he became president. In one of them he said he would quit Uganda politics for pan-Africanism as soon as peace returned to Uganda. Thus, he has used Uganda and Ugandans as a spring board in pursuit of that larger goal. In short, leading Uganda and promoting Uganda interests were not his main reason for waging the devastating guerrilla war. Neither was it in sympathy with Baganda nor Catholics that felt had suffered under Obote leadership. Rather Museveni wanted a starting point – using Baganda and Catholic frustrations – which he failed to get in 1980 elections. The ten-point program and broad-based government at the start of his presidency were designed to consolidate his support among all Ugandans because he captured power in 1986 with a very narrow base.

Once the spring board was secured, Museveni’s mind turned to the external forces. He knew that his ambitions would be realized only if he associated himself with world leaders especially in UK and USA and international organizations such as Bretton Woods Institutions (the World Bank and IMF). He knew that structural adjustment based on capitalist ideology was the order of the day and would conflict with the ten-point program based on socialist ideology. Museveni also knew that structural adjustment or Washington Consensus had two strategies: the gradual and sequenced approach with less pain, and the quick version (shock therapy) with severe pain favored by leaders in the USA, UK and BWIs. He knew that the shock therapy version had failed in Ghana with severe social and environmental outcomes and had been rejected by Rawlings. But Museveni opted for it nonetheless because that is what Linda Chalker a trusted minister in Thatcher’s government wanted in developing countries (her statements clearly show that orientation). Thatcher was totally opposed to any program that had elements of socialism and state intervention in national economies. That is why after a year and half of pondering, Museveni abandoned the ten-point program, dismissed the minister of finance and governor of central bank that are reported to have favored a gradual approach. So Museveni had two alternatives and made a conscious choice!

At the political level Museveni positioned himself to serve as dean of a new breed of African leaders in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regions. At the continental level he wanted to be the undisputed leader through the AU and global leader through the United Nations including Security Council. These efforts for Museveni’s personal recognition drained Uganda’s financial and human resources. Let us begin with the economic part of his policies since 1987 by comparing successes and failures and drawing net conclusions.

Since 1987, Museveni has stressed that to tolerate high inflation is indiscipline. He worked hard and brought inflation down from triple to single digits. That is the positive part. The purpose of low and stable inflation was to create an enabling environment for foreign and domestic investment that would serve as the engine of economic growth and job creation. To control inflation, Museveni had to reduce the quantity of money in circulation by raising interest rates. So what has happened? Foreign direct investment has remained dismal – far below expectation. Foreign direct investment in Uganda as percentage of GDP has increased from 2.9 in 2000 to 5.0 in 2008 (UN Report A/65/80-E/2010/77). The overall unsettling atmosphere has driven some businesses out of the country and discouraged others from entering.

High interest rates and expensive imported intermediate goods (currency devaluation has made imports very expensive) have discouraged small and medium enterprises that create jobs particularly for young workers from borrowing and starting new businesses or expanding existing ones. In fact many of them have retrenched workers and are operating far below installed capacity. Thus, on balance, controlling inflation to such a low level of 5 percent per annum has had a detrimental effect on investment and job creation through high interest rates. Studies have confirmed that there is little evidence to indicate that moderate rates of inflation say above ten percent damage growth in developing countries (W. K. Tabb 2002).

Museveni focused on economic growth hoping that the benefits would be distributed by a trickle down mechanism driven by invisible hand of market forces. Museveni has not succeeded in both areas. He had targeted a growth rate of 7 percent per annum. So far the rate has averaged at 6 percent according to official figures which are disputed. Some think the average rate is much lower than 6 percent, say three or four percent. The benefits of economic growth have disproportionately gone to the richest 20 percent who own over 50 percent of GDP. Some 20 percent in the lowest income bracket have actually got poorer and Uganda has not reached the overall welfare level attained in 1970 when Obote was in power.

Like in colonial days, Uganda’s economic growth has been of the ‘enclave’ type focusing on Kampala and the corridor between Kampala and Entebbe that contributes 70 percent of GDP bypassing over thirty million Ugandans that live outside this area. Overall, inflation control and concentration of economic growth activities in a few areas based on a service sector that is largely capital intensive have had a net negative impact on the majority of Ugandans.

Beginning in the 1990s, Museveni focused on exports particularly non-traditional exports (NTEs) as the engine of Uganda’s economic growth. While NTEs have increased export earnings, they have focused on foodstuffs traditionally consumed by low income households. Beans, fish and maize/corn have constituted a large portion of NTEs. They have reduced supply of these foodstuffs in the domestic market and increased prices beyond the means of the majority of Uganda consumers. The result is that some ten million Ugandans go to bed hungry every night and those who have a meal of some sort it is largely cassava or maize which have contributed to severe under-nutrition especially among women and children and neurological abnormalities including insanity.

On the other hand, the rich who smoke, drink and eat too much of the wrong food (meat, eggs, white rice, etc) are developing a different type of malnutrition (malnutrition is bad eating – too much or too little of the wrong food) connected with diseases of affluence (diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular) which are increasing in Uganda.

Export earnings mostly from peasant and poor workers’ efforts have been used to meet the needs of the rich. Poor peasants continue to labor with a hand hoe and wear second hand clothes. Growing export crops has resulted in extensive environmental damage. For example, the vegetation around Kampala and between it and Entebbe has been cleared to grow cut flowers. Overall, export-oriented growth has benefited the few rich families and harmed the majority of Ugandans and the environment in 25 years of Museveni presidency.

Thatcher’s model which Museveni adopted excluded state intervention in the economy. Accordingly, all parastatals (public enterprises) whether making profit or not were privatized or eliminated. These actions resulted in retrenchment of many workers and abandonment of vital services as those provided by cooperatives. The latter, notwithstanding some difficulties, served peasants pretty well especially those in remote rural areas. The revenue from sale of public enterprises was to be used to build infrastructure and institutions. This has not happened and Ugandans do not know how the revenue was utilized. Overall, privatization has had adverse impact on the majority of Ugandans through retrenchment and failure to create sufficient jobs. Consequently over 80 percent of Uganda youth are unemployed.

On liberalization of Uganda’s economy, Museveni went too far. Uganda’s markets have been widely open to all sorts of imports with detrimental consequences. Uganda’s industries have been knocked out of business (Uganda is among countries with the highest rate of business failure) while others are operating far below installed capacity. WTO rules allow countries to impose restrictions on imports when there is unfair competition. Second hand clothes constitute such unfair competition. Museveni has not utilized this provision. Uganda is therefore unable to industrialize, create jobs and add value. Consequently, under Museveni, Uganda has continued comparative advantage that has condemned the country to produce raw materials that do not earn enough foreign currency to meet Uganda’s development needs. Uganda has thus continued to depend on donations with stiff conditionality including overall supervision of Uganda’s economy by World Bank and IMF staff.

Balanced budget has harmed productive and social sectors. Retrenchment of public servants has created a class of ‘new poor’ of former civil servants. Removal of subsidies and reduced budget for agriculture have undermined productivity and reduced its contribution to GDP. Education and health care have been starved of funds and are on the verge of collapse. Lack of adequate funds for education has forced the government to deny school lunches which promote attendance and performance especially of girls. Lunches are provided in schools in developed and developing countries because they work. While Museveni should be congratulated for finally agreeing to provide lunch to Karamoja children, hunger affects all children from poor families. Therefore school lunches should be extended to all primary schools. School lunch is a human right. It is not a privilege to be dispensed by a head of state.

The overall sad assessment of Museveni’s economic performance was captured in the following quotation by Gerry Helleiner. “One senior (and informed) World Bank official has remarked to me privately that, despite all the favorable press on Uganda, Tanzania is actually about four years or more ahead of it [Uganda] in terms of truly nationally-owned (and thus sustainable) economic policy for overall development. Tanzania may seem to move more slowly he noted, and I agree, but it does so on a firmer and more stable base” (D. A. McDonald and E. Njeri Sahle 2002). Tanzania has fared better than Uganda because it opted for a more gradual and sequenced approach over the shock therapy one which Uganda adopted. This and other assessments forced Museveni to drop structural adjustment in 2009 as a failed experiment which caused too much suffering like it did in Ghana before it was dropped after official complaints became public in 1986, a year and half before Museveni adopted the same failed version of the Washington Consensus. Abandonment of structural adjustment has been followed by loss of Museveni’s two titles of ‘star performer’ and ‘darling of the west’ especially when they learned that he was actively pursuing a Tutsi Empire in Eastern and Central Africa. Overall, in the economic field the gains have been outweighed by the losses.

At the political level, his status as regional leader in the great lakes region has been outweighed by negative developments including his alleged involvement in Burundi coup of 1993. Linda de Hoyos writes “Museveni also had a hand in the Oct. 23, 1993 coup against Burundi President Melchior Ndadaye, whose election had ended 31 years of Tutsi military rule in Burundi. According to some sources, Museveni planned the coup in a meeting in Entebbe which included the RPF’s Paul Kagame. Two coup ringleaders, Major Bucokoza and Lt. Paul Kamana, were in Kampala, openly carousing with Ugandan officials … and according to Burundi sources, they are both now with the RPF”(EIR November 1994). The looting of DRC resources and arming militias, participation in the invasion of Rwanda from 1990 to 1994 and the alleged genocide of Hutu in DRC by Uganda troops have irreparably damaged Museveni’s image as a regional peace maker.

At the continental level, Museveni’s confrontation with Qaddafi over the political future of Africa has not earned him the pan-Africanist image he had hoped for.

At the global level, his star began to fade when the G8 most developed countries decided not to invite him again because of his deteriorating performance in governance and economic areas made worse by rampant corruption including GAVI and CHOGM funds, broad daylight sectarianism and dividing the country into economically unviable units called districts almost along tribal lines.

Uganda’s failure to present a report at the MDG Summit in September 2010 covering ten years of implementation and Museveni’s failure to address the MDG Summit at the United Nations when his name was on the list of speakers and he did not show up, his failure to meet with key delegations together with Ugandans’ demonstrations against his rule in 2009 and again in 2010 outside the United Nations General Assembly Hall in full view of reporters and their cameras from around the world and reports that Museveni had ordered shooting of unarmed demonstrators (more than 70 died) while he was chairman of the Commonwealth drove the message home that Museveni should have retired a few years earlier.

All these overwhelming negative developments have completely overshadowed Uganda’s two-year membership in the Security Council which ends on December 31, 2010. It is not even clear what Ugandans have gained by having Uganda sit in the Security Council Chamber for two years, a position that was very expensive to campaign for. Even with AU endorsement of Uganda candidature, Madagascar campaigned until the day of the election forcing Uganda to spend even more!

All in all, Museveni’s 25-year record clearly demonstrates triumph of failure over success. Staying in power longer if elected in February 2011 will only make matters worse. Museveni has reached a point of no return (he won’t abandon corruption and sectarianism. He will use oil money to entrench himself and cause hell on earth for poor Ugandan!). Those – at home and abroad – who continue to invest in Museveni will incur very heavy losses when time comes.

ERIC KASHAMBUZI

Nina Mbabazi defends his father’s Oil Involvement

I am not sure whether this debate is making sense but from my perspective; The chronology of events were as follows;

• Tullow oil entered Ugandan oil scene and is represented by Elly Karuhanga
• Heritage oil entered Ugandan oil scene and I have no clue who their Ugandan representive is.
• Heritage signed a contract with Tullow to give Tullow first option to buy their oil fields if they had problems which they eventually had having failed to raise the money to continue past oil exploration.
• Heritage offers their oil fields to Tullow who give a very low bid according to them.
• Heritage oil offered their oil fields to many buyers of which two of them where Quaddafi and ENI
• M7 directly negotiated with ENI to come to Uganda to continue where Heritage left off.
• ENI offered Heritage a higher bid than Tullow and Heritage asked Tullow to match.
• ENI is Italian but their procurement manager at that time was Jeff Kamuntu.
• Tullow went to London and tried to get British newspapers to write about  corruption in oil because of the entry of ENI. Some papers did oblige.
• ENI came to Uganda and M7 hosted them and they had discussions at State House which I am not privy to but Amama Mbabazi was in the meeting. He makes mention of it in his press release
• Tullow through Elly Karuhanga flew to CHOGM in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009 and secured an appointment with assistance from Hon Kutesa to meet the President and present their case.
• Elly Karuhanga ranted about Mbabazi having recieved a bribe from ENI and was trying to secure the oil fields for himself to which the President responded, that Mbabazi had nothing to do with ENI. It was he who had invited them.
• Elly Karuhanga having failed to get rid of ENI then embarked on a donor campaign with Tullow to discredit Amama Mbabazi and blackmail the donors on oil. Through all of this, Hillary Onek is being harrassed by many people to sign deals which he refuses. One of the people allegedly pressuring him is his own PS Kabagambe. Onek has a degree in this field and so knows his stuff.
• Enter a fourth company (Nigerian) which URA absolutely had no interest in even doing a background check. The Nigerians allege that they had connections high up but it didn’t work.
• ENI is called by the Tullow Ugandan shareholders and asked to offer them a stake if they are to work.
• ENI refuses as they felt that they needed nobody since they were invited by the President and therefore need not bribe anyone.
• ENI weighs the political risk of working in Uganda and opts out.
• Uganda government embarks on finding serious people who want to refine oil in Uganda not in Kenya as Tullow was suggesting
• President meets CNOOC the Chinese oil and gas company and invites them to Uganda.
• Tullow is given a tax schedule by URA which they refuse to pay
• M7 says he has had enough of people who don’t pay and insists that if they don’t pay they can leave.
• CNOOC pays the guarantee that government requires to the Ministry of Finance
• Tullow, CNOOC and Total enter into partnership

Nina Mbabazi

NRM supporter at UAH

Britain put Museveni into power, it must take him out

Britain through its citizens put Museveni into power. Tiny Rowlands funded the guerrilla war and facilitated Museveni’s travel. William Pike has led the media and publicity work for Museveni since the guerrilla war days. Linda Chalker a trusted former minister in Thatcher’s government was the first foreign dignitary to meet Museveni as president and has remained a very close adviser since then. Paul Collier has been the chief foreign macroeconomist that constructed structural adjustment program (SAP) based on Thatcherism – get socialism and state out of Uganda’s economy; focus on inflation at the expense of employment; discipline trade unions and facilitate labor flexibility to hire and fire at will and pay low wages; and privatize all public enterprises so that laissez faire capitalism and invisible hand of market forces drive Uganda’s economy and society. Structural adjustment program has been implemented by British economists in the powerful ministry of finance and central Bank. The Department for International Development (DFID) has also been active in Uganda’s economy.

Museveni came into power during the Conservative government. The Labor government extended support. “The new British Labor government has decided that it ‘will not press for multiparty reform in Uganda’”(Journal of Democracy April 1998). With this blessing, Museveni ruled the country his corrupt and sectarian ways and destroyed opposition parties so that by the time multiparty politics was allowed he had consolidated his hold on power militarily, economically and politically.

Museveni was imposed on Ugandans by western powers led by British interests during the Conservative government in Britain. Ugandans have never liked Museveni and that is why he has rigged every election since 1996. The Conservative government in Britain should take Museveni out of power in order to maintain good relations between the two countries and the two peoples. Museveni has turned out to be the worst leader in Uganda since 1894 for the following illustrative reasons.

1. Museveni has destroyed the good work that British colonial government left behind at independence in 1962. Britain decided – thanks to the tireless work of S. Simpson, Director of Agriculture from 1911 to 1929 – to keep Uganda land for Uganda peasants and native agriculture. Museveni is dishing out Uganda land to foreigners and enticing peasants to abandon agriculture and drift into urban areas where they will get worse off. British authorities developed fisheries for the sole purpose of providing affordable source of protein to low income Uganda families. Museveni has turned fisheries into an export commodity to earn foreign currency for the rich thereby depriving Ugandans a valuable source of protein which has resulted in serious under-nutrition. Britain started industries to transform Uganda’s economic structure; add value to Uganda commodities and provide jobs. Museveni through a reckless policy of trade liberalization is killing the industries. For example cheap imports including used clothes and powdered milk have destroyed textile and dairy industries as well as forward and backward economic and social linkages. British colonial policies protected the environment in rural and urban areas. Wetlands/swamps, steep slopes and water catchment areas were protected to minimize soil erosion and water runoff and to keep local climates from getting warmer, among other things. Nobody was allowed to build in drainage channels in urban area to avoid floods. Museveni has changed all these arrangements. Wetlands have been drained and steep slopes opened up to development. The result is urban flooding especially in Kampala and environmental degradation throughout the country. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that if corrective measures are not taken immediately, Uganda could become a desert within 100 years. No concrete action has been taken yet. And construction has continued in Kampala’s drainage channels as if Museveni has not seen the floods.

2. In the mistaken belief that if you divide up the country into tiny units (so-called decentralization) you will automatically improve delivery of services Museveni has divided the country into over 100 economically unviable districts along almost tribal lines. As a result Uganda is more divided than at any time in its history and economically the districts are regressing because they lack adequate funds and qualified human capacity.

3. The quality of education and healthcare built during the 1960s has been destroyed by Museveni government. Consequently, Uganda has produced mostly functionally illiterate graduates at all levels that are unemployable. As a result, skilled jobs are being taken by foreigners. Poor health care has resulted in rising infant mortality (a measure of a country’s standard of living) and maternal mortality.

4. Reckless encouragement of food exports at the expense of food for domestic consumption has resulted in some 10 million Ugandans going to bed hungry or eating non-nutritious cassava and maize/corn. Eating too much cassava and corn without adequate nutrient supplements has resulted in mental abnormalities including insanity. Under-nourished women are producing many underweight infants with permanent physical and mental disabilities. Children are dropping out of school in large part because they are hungry in a country that produces surplus food that is sold on international markets to earn foreign currency to cater to the needs of the rich.

5. Focusing on inflation control has resulted in high interest rates (to reduce money in circulation) that have discouraged borrowing and investment in labor intensive activities by small and medium enterprises. Consequently over 80 percent of Uganda’s youth are unemployed.

6. The economic growth and trickle down mechanism model has failed to distribute the benefits of economic growth averaging 6 percent per annum. Accordingly 20 percent in the top income bracket earn over 50 percent of Uganda’s income while 20 percent of Ugandans have got poorer. Consequently Uganda has not attained the general standard of living enjoyed in 1970. The diseases of poverty such as jiggers, scabies, trachoma, pneumonia, malaria and under-nutrition are spreading rapidly to all parts of the country. Because of these adverse developments, Uganda was not able to present a national MDGs report at the MDGs Summit of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2010 and President Museveni skipped the MDGs Summit.

7. Museveni has increasingly become autocratic governing Uganda at gun point and presiding over a failed state. These conclusions have been arrived at through careful assessment of Uganda’s political economy since 1986 when Museveni became president with a helping hand from Britain. Museveni has been described in a credible international magazine as one of the worst dictators.

For these reasons, Museveni must go and Britain should help him exit Uganda’s presidency in early 2011 since it helped him enter into it.

Eric Kashambuzi

UAH forumist in New York

Principal characteristics of Bahororo people

A teacher determines the popularity of a topic by the number of questions asked, comments made and clarifications sought during and after the class. I have written over four hundred articles on Uganda and other states in the Great Lakes region. The article on Bahororo has been the most popular in terms of questions asked, clarifications sought and comments made. Some readers including Ahmed Katerega have asked me to write more on the subject. My focus has been and hopefully will continue to be about the behavior and not the individuals as such. Since Bahororo have been in power for 25 years try and compare what I am writing with what you are observing on the ground and let us compare notes as and when appropriate. I come from Rujumbura where Bantu/Bairu people have interacted with Nilotic Bahororo people for 210 years – since 1800.

Let me make one clarification at this juncture. Not all people of Rujumbura County are Bahororo. This Bahororo designation was a colonial administrative convenience as there were many tribal designations. Since the chief at that time was a Muhororo (Makobore), he just told British officials that all his subjects were Bahororo. This designation has remained in force since independence because Bahororo have remained in charge and are not keen to change it. On the contrary they are keen to retain it as restoration of Mpororo kingdom has resurfaced. Accordingly even Bakiga people who arrived in Rujumbura since the 1950s are officially referred to as Bahororo {The Report of the Uganda Constitutional Commission: Analysis and Recommendations on page 72 1993} which has caused a lot of confusion. In Bufumbira the colonial designation of Banyarwanda was changed to Bafumbira). Here are some principal characteristics of Bahororo people.

1. Bahororo people are Nilotic Batutsi from Rwanda who fled to Rujumbura about 90 years after the short-lived Mpororo kingdom (covering northern Rwanda and southwest Uganda mostly in present-day Ntungamo district) had collapsed and Bahima under Bahinda ruling clan drove them out. The people in the areas occupied by Bahima became Bairu (not Bahororo as some people have continued to claim {Jean-Pierre Chretien 2006}). Thus, Bahororo behavior is similar to that of Batutsi in Rwanda which was feudal, based on lords and serfs (masters and servants).

2. Bahororo people stick together wherever they are in Rwanda or Uganda etc. Kagame (rumored to be a Muhororo) and other Bahororo refugees (when Mpororo kingdom disintegrated some Bahororo returned to Rwanda) supported Museveni during the guerrilla war. Museveni in turn supported Bahororo refugees and other Rwandese to return to Rwanda by force in 1994.

3. Bahororo have maintained their Nilotic ethnic identity (their ancestors who were Nilotic Luo-speakers entered Uganda from southern Sudan) by men marrying only in their ethnic group because they do not want to be penetrated and their secrets about dominating others revealed. However, they let their women largely from lower social classes marry prominent non-Bahororo men. The main purpose of such marriages is political (disguised as love) to penetrate these men and discover what they are plotting against Bahororo domination. To achieve this goal any non-Muhororo man who marries a Muhororo woman must forsake his ancestral roots and become ‘tutsified’ while at the same time he is not allowed in the inner circles of Bahororo. The in-laws are there basically to do work that Bahororo men do not like to do but take credit when good results are realized.

4. With help of historians, Museveni has identified all Bahororo wherever they are located – in or outside Uganda. Because Bahororo adopt local names and local languages it is difficult to know them. When Museveni makes appointments from say eastern, northern or Buganda regions he may actually be appointing Bahororo or Batutsi who register as Baganda, Itesot, Banyankole or Langi. That is why it is important in the interest of national security to know the history of Ugandans holding important jobs especially in strategic or sensitive ministries, other public institutions and private sector.

5. Bahororo believe very strongly in the use of political and military force in collaboration with foreign powers. In Rujumbura Makobore collaborated with Arab slave traders who used European weapons to defeat Makobore’s enemies. In return Makobore captured defeated people and sold them into slavery ( Bethwell A. Ogot 1976). In Ankole Nuwa Mbaguta collaborated with British colonial officials who in turn appointed him the first Enganzi (prime minister) over the objections of Omugabe (king) Kahaya. Prince Igumira of Bahinda clan who was the leader but considered not as collaborative as Mbaguta was exiled to Kisumu in Kenya to remove trouble for Mbaguta. As we all know, Museveni has worked closely with western powers since the guerrilla war.

6. Bahororo will be your ‘friends’ provided you remain subservient and do their dirty work. The moment you challenge them for leadership positions at any level you will be destroyed in no time if you are slow to react. They believe in solving a problem first and deal with consequences later. When Bahororo bring you back after you have gone on your knees and begged them, then you must clearly understand your subservient position in relation to them. Bahororo do not have a ‘win-win’ concept, theirs is a zero-sum game. Museveni formed a government of national unity at the start of his presidency because he did not have a good base. Once he consolidated, he disbanded the unity government.

7. Bahororo are extremely good at making promises but equally extremely good at breaking them or twisting them that they lose the original meaning. Baganda and Catholics that negotiated with Museveni during the bush war should let us know whether or not Museveni has implemented in full what was promised.

8. Bahororo are very good at dividing up people and planting spies at family, tribe and ethnic levels etc. When Bahororo have a grievance against you, they will never attack you directly. Instead they will find a brother or in-law or neighbor to do a thorough job for them. They can create outrageous accusations to discredit you and sell them to their representatives who will hound you until you submit, leave the area or fight back like all brave people do.

9. Bahororo still believe they have the power to punish you even for the simplest human mistake you make when they feel like it. Thus canning workers or abusing them in public is common.

10. Therefore, people like Bahororo who use fire have to be fought with fire. Bahororo have figured it out that Ugandans are generally peace-loving people and do not like conflicts. That is why Bahororo have perfected the instruments of intimidation, repression and torture. That is why whenever Museveni senses a challenge he wears his military uniform and make his eyes protrude to scare the audience because he knows that Ugandans are afraid of soldiers. To beat Museveni you have to put on some form of military uniform (not these democratic elections!) then he will know that he is confronting someone who can actually defeat him. We have to learn to sacrifice in order to be respected by Bahororo – men and women! If we are not prepared for that, then we should not complain when Museveni declares Uganda a kingdom with himself as the first hereditary Muhororo king or when he incorporates Uganda into a Tutsi Empire he is vigorously pursuing or when he forces us into the East African political federation and Uganda is flooded by East Africans mostly from Rwanda taking land at our children’s expense. Now that you know the choice is yours!

ERIC KASHAMBUZI

UAH Forumist

Museveni has failed, he must go

One of the tasks of teachers is to identify students with potential leadership qualities and prepare them accordingly. A student who is always punctual is made a time keeper. A student who likes reading is made a librarian. A student who is the best soccer/football player is made captain. A student who does well among scouts is made troop leader, and student who has overall leadership qualities is made prefect etc. These student leaders observe the behavior of their fellow students and identify those that could succeed them and on some occasions recommend them to the headmaster who finally takes the decision.

People who know Museveni very well as a student are in general agreement that he did not exhibit leadership qualities. During the interim period between the fall of Amin in 1979 and the elections of 1980, Museveni did not impress Ugandans as a national or constituency leader. He lost an election for Member of Parliament in 1980, yet he had been one of those who fought and defeated Amin.

Museveni chose a very destructive guerrilla war instead of waiting for the next general election because he concluded he would not be elected in a free and fair election. With foreign backing, he managed to become president of Uganda in 1986. In 25 years as president Museveni has proved not to be a good leader. Here are a few examples.

1. A leader who thinks he is more intelligent than his fellow country men and women and is born to rule and when time comes hands over to his son or daughter or brother is not a good leader.

2. A leader who thinks that members of his tribe, close relatives and in-laws are the only ones that should get good education, good healthcare, good nutrition and good jobs in government and security forces and own most lucrative businesses in the country is not a good leader.

3. A leader who sees opponents as enemies who must be destroyed politically, economically, socially and culturally is not a good leader.

4. A leader who denies other citizens good education, food security and healthcare to weaken and marginalize them in order to dominate them in a hereditary fashion is not a good leader.

5. A leader who advises citizens to produce food for cash rather than for the stomach is not a good leader.

6. A leader who refuses to provide or subsidize school lunch for primary school children when it has worked in developed and developing countries especially for girls and has been endorsed by African leaders is not a good leader.

7. A leader who tells his fellow leaders at the UN General Assembly – that met to discuss the adverse impact of rising food prices on citizens – that rising prices in his country is a good thing because farmers like himself are making good money is not a good leader.

8. A leader who refuses to help unemployed youth during economic hard times through public works while other leaders are helping their citizens in developed and developing countries is not a good leader.

9. A leader who tells his fellow leaders at the UN General Assembly that the unemployed in his country are the lazy ones is not a good leader.

10. A leader who exports food to earn foreign currency for the needs of the rich when millions of citizens are going to bed hungry is not a good leader.

11. A leader who targets a particular group of people for deprivation (as was done in Rukungiri district while demarcating municipal boundaries without consulting the people affected) is not a good leader.

12. A leader who privatizes national economy and hands over the bulk of it to foreigners is not a good leader.

13. A leader who prefers young and inexperienced foreign experts over well qualified and experienced citizens is not a good leader.

14. A leader who regards advice he does not like bankrupt from empty and noisy tins is not a good leader.

15. A leader who introduces birth control (deliberately or not) without informing the nation is not a good leader.

16. A leader who divides the country into so many economically unviable districts almost along tribal lines is not a good leader

17. A leader who corrupts church leaders for political support while preaching that religion should stay out of politics is not a good leader.

18. A leader who uses public property to serve private purposes is not a good leader.

19. A leader who allows domestic industries to be destroyed by cheap imports like used clothes and powdered milk because foreigners advised him so is not a good leader.

20. A leader who spends vast sums of money to host international conferences for personal gain while development programs are starved of funds is not a good leader. I could go on.

To repeat, the leader I am referring to is President Museveni of the Republic of Uganda. He has failed Uganda and her people. The time has come for him to leave. Ugandans and friends of Uganda should make sure that it happens in February 2011.

Eric Kashambuzi

How Museveni has used structural adjustment to strangle opponents

People close to Museveni will tell you (on condition you do not quote them) that he believes very strongly in dominating others. Deep in his heart he thinks God created him specifically for that role which he must bequeath to a member of his family. Some Ugandans who want Museveni to favor them call him God send to save Uganda! Museveni has a mission much larger than Uganda. On April 4, 1997 he disclosed that “My mission is to see that Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire [DRC] become federal states under one nation [and one leader]” (EIR Special Report 1997). He might add on Somalia at a later stage if his troops perform well there.

Earlier Museveni had revealed that as a pan-Africanist he had larger ambitions and would quit Uganda politics as soon as security had been restored. His dream of Tutsi Empire and political and military involvement in Burundi, Rwanda and DRC as part of that dream is well known. In fact Mugabe joined the DRC war in 1998/99 principally to stop Museveni from creating a Tutsi Empire in Middle Africa (Joseph N. Weatherby 2003).

To realize his ambition, he needed a solid base in Uganda. During the interim period of 1979/80, Museveni tested his popularity in his constituency and at national level and he found he was not popular. That is why he chose the guerrilla war path to power instead of waiting for the next elections. Since then he has chosen to rule Uganda by systematically squeezing opponents out of his path. And that is why he does not care much about the suffering of Ugandans because that is an inevitable outcome of his pursuit of power and domination. He has used a wide range of instruments: military, intelligence, collaboration with foreign powers, and structural adjustment program (SAP).

Before describing how he has used the SAP instrument, let us review briefly for easy reference the genesis and pillars of structural adjustment also known as economic recovery program or Washington Consensus.

From the end of WWII to around 1970, the global economy was dominated by the Keynesian model which had been developed during the economic depression of the 1930s. Keynes reasoned that during economic recessions, market forces and laissez faire capitalism fail to maintain full employment and economic growth. He recommended that the state must intervene and pump borrowed money into the economy to create demand for goods and services and create jobs while maintaining a tolerable level of inflation. The Keynesian model or revolution worked very well and the standard of living improved.

Then something went wrong during the 1970s and Keynesian model came under attack for causing stagflation (slow or stagnant economic growth, rising unemployment and rising inflation). Thinking that these hard times were temporary and the situation would return to post war golden era, governments around the world borrowed heavily from petrodollar funds at low but variable interest rates. Unfortunately the situation never returned to the golden days, instead it got worse. Critics of Keynes led by Hayek and Friedman argued that the Keynesian model had collapsed because of excessive state intervention (socialism) in the economy and too much money in circulation in pursuit of full employment. They advocated significant reduction of state intervention, control of money in circulation (monetarism) to lower inflation, promotion of private sector as the engine of economic growth and job creation under the full force of the invisible hand of market forces.

In 1979 and 1980 Thatcher and Reagan disciples of Hayek and Friedman were elected prime minister and president of United Kingdom and USA respectively. They adopted monetary policy which formed the basis of structural adjustment that was adopted in 1980 to address external debts, balance of payments difficulties and budget deficits etc.

Conservative governments in UK and USA together with IMF and the World Bank led by Thatcher called upon developing countries to “allow market forces to determine pattern of resource allocation; remove state intervention in both external and internal markets; provide incentives to foreign capital for investment and job creation; accept outward-oriented growth according to principles of comparative advantage as the basic engine of development; and rely heavily on foreign experts to guide development and ensure efficient project [program] selection” (John Brohman 1996). In short, SAP included stabilization, liberalization and privatization of national economies. Margaret Thatcher championed monetary policy (monetarism) an economic doctrine that emphasized the role of money in the nation’s economy.

Thatcher’s basic position was that government intervention in the economy should be limited to managing money supply (the rest to an invisible hand of market forces) which when too much causes inflation. To keep inflation low, interest rates have to be kept high (blocking investment and job creation opportunities). Consequently unemployment has become a major problem in countries undergoing economic reforms. Thatcher’s monetarism was emulated in many countries (including in Uganda through the central bank).

In 1986 Museveni inherited an economy in bad shape: an inflation rate in triple digits and external debt of over $1 billion; budget deficit and bloated public service sector. With an eye on dominating Ugandans by squeezing out opponents and boosting political, economic, education and health fortunes of Bahororo (Batutsi from Rwanda) and their Bahima and Batutsi cousins and in-laws, Museveni carefully studied structural adjustment model for a year and half to see how he could use it to achieve his larger goal.

He opted for the extreme ‘shock therapy’ version that implemented all elements of the model simultaneously and quickly so he could achieve his goal before opposition forces blocked his program. Without understanding his hidden sectarian agenda, Museveni received full backing of western powers, IMF, World Bank and development economists for the shock therapy version.

Museveni selectively retrenched staff he did not like and then privatized public enterprises giving some to his relatives and friends. Then he descended on the public service and removed many unwanted staff for tribal or political reasons. Many were retrenched to settle age old scores. He created space in privatized enterprises and civil service for his guerrilla fighters most of them his inexperienced (and possibly poorly educated) relatives, cousins and in-laws. Those who were retrenched were supposed to be absorbed by the private sector which was in shambles and was itself shedding staff due to outside competition and expensive intermediate imports.

Most of the retrenched staff ended up in the informal sector as under-employed or became unemployed altogether and took to drinking alcohol. Thus, a class of ‘new’ poor was created. People in this poverty trap situation who had been senior civil servants were more worried about where to get the next meal for their children than who was going to contest a parliamentary seat. Museveni took advantage and pushed his men and women into politics in all parts of the country and funded their campaigns. They got into parliament and rubber stamped his decisions including removing presidential term limits from the constitution so he becomes president for life!

Museveni introduced school fees and closed many schools and downgraded others, reasoning that the capacity exceeded students. Teachers’ housing and other benefits were dropped and many left the teaching profession. They were replaced by licensed unqualified teachers. Many children from poor families dropped out and those who continued graduated without learning anything and became functionally illiterate and unemployable and easy to control.

To cater for interests of his people, Museveni promoted establishment of private schools with all instructional materials provided, modern buildings constructed, qualified teachers hired and paid decent salaries. A dual system of education was thus created in Uganda for the poor and the rich. UPE which has turned out to be a disaster is designed for children from poor families. It is the impoverished youth that are now campaigning for Museveni’s re-election after he gave each unemployed youth a yellow shirt. Now you can see why Museveni refused to help them find employment through public works.

As in education, user charges were introduced in health. Working conditions deteriorated and many health personnel quit their profession. Many patients stayed away from health facilities because the service was expensive, or staff was away moonlighting or medicines were not available. Sick people cannot work and therefore sink deeper into poverty and powerlessness. In areas where jiggers have become an epidemic, feet and hands have been attacked making the victim helpless – can neither walk nor hold a hand hoe to grow food.

Museveni promoted the establishment of private healthcare facilities for the rich mostly from his group. Or in case of complications, patients from wealthy families are flown abroad for treatment.

Major changes were introduced in agriculture where the bulk of Ugandans earn their livelihood. Museveni removed subsidies, eliminated cooperatives that provided indispensable services including in very remote areas. Agriculture and rural development budget was drastically reduced to around four percent per annum instead of ten percent as agreed by NEPAD. Agriculture and livestock inputs have become very expensive forcing many farmers to resort to subsistence agriculture. Food insecurity is on the rise and around ten million out of a total of 33 million go to bed hungry every night.

Museveni who wants to develop Uganda like the city state of Singapore has promoted the service industries sector with a concentration in and around the capital city of Kampala now contributing some 70 percent of Uganda’s GDP. Most of these are foreign-owned and are highly capital-intensive whereas Uganda is a labor surplus country.

Although Uganda’s economy has experienced a commendable average growth rate of 6 percent per annum, the benefits of growth have been highly skewed in favor of the rich most of them members of Museveni tribe and cousins and in-laws. Thus 20 percent in the top income bracket earn over 50 percent of national economy while 20 percent in the lowest income bracket have become poorer. Uganda has not yet reached the standard of living enjoyed in 1970. Obote’s record still stands.

According to Museveni, job creation is the responsibility of private sector. Yet private sector especially small and medium enterprises that create jobs are unable to borrow and start business or expand existing ones because of very high interest rates and expensive imported inputs due to currency devaluation. In Uganda there has been a triumph of low inflation over high unemployment. Recently Museveni thanked staff of the central bank for a job well including keeping interest rates very high to keep inflation low. The price: over 80 percent of Uganda youth from poor families are unemployed. Many of those who are employed earn subsistence or below subsistence level wages under labor flexibility principles that empower employers to hire and fire at will and fix wages with individual employees. Trade unions were weakened to the extent that they no longer engage in collective bargaining with employers.

With concurrence of donors Museveni has invested heavily in sophisticated intelligence networks, police and military forces and prisons to preempt dissent. Intimidation and abuse of human rights including torture are on the rise. In September 2009 there was a demonstration by unarmed people mostly unemployed youth. Museveni authorized disproportionate use of force that resulted in over 70 people dead and over 100 wounded. To the best of my knowledge, the international community including the Security Council did not protest but when a similar incident took place in Guinea, the world was in shock and the Security Council acted appropriately.

Museveni has been applauded by the donor community for macroeconomic stability, economic liberalization and privatization of Uganda’s economy now firmly in foreign hands working in partnership with Museveni Bahororo relatives and cousins and in-laws who are becoming filthy rich by the day. On the other hand, the majority of Ugandans are sinking deeper into poverty with over fifty percent absolutely poor. Museveni who has been described as a dictator governing Ugandans through the barrel of the gun continues to enjoy unprecedented donor support despite his blatant sectarianism, corruption and dictatorship. It is mind boggling why the entire international community continues to praise Museveni sky high as a regional leader and visionary even in the presence of spreading diseases of poverty and environmental decay. Sending Uganda troops to Somalia is not a sufficient condition to earn Museveni that much donor applause. May be there is something else Museveni is doing for the donor community that Ugandans do not know yet. If the rate of impoverishment and frustration continues, the unexpected might happen from anywhere. Let us see what happened in Ethiopia and Zaire.

In the early 1970s, we were told that Emperor Haile Selassie was in full control of his empire. When troops of young officers from remote barracks in southern region reached the outskirts of Addis Ababa in 1974 looking for the emperor, the donor community panicked turned against the emperor and accused him of an autocratic style that made him a flawed leader. He was whisked away from the palace in a beetle Volkswagen vehicle (Haile Selassie was used to riding in Rolls Royce) while the imperial guard and army generals watched!

Mobutu the darling of the west was almost killed by his trusted troops at Kinshasa airport and his reliable guards at Gbadolite airport as he flew out into exile in a cargo plane borrowed from UNITA. Mobute was used to flying in Concorde!

With cover from the international community Museveni has built an infrastructure of repression and autocratic rule that even those abroad are living in fear of getting harmed. Consequently, Museveni has total domination of Uganda (in the civil service, business sector and security forces). He has managed to do this using structural adjustment model, among others, to strangle his real or imaginary opponents. He is steadily extending his influence in eastern and central Africa where his mission is to create federal states under one nation and one ruler who is himself. In these circumstances, it is the view of many Ugandans that the donor community cannot escape blame for the suffering of the majority of Ugandans.

Eric Kashambuzi

How educating girls can contribute to Uganda’s demographic transition

Authorities and development partners are worried that Uganda’s population ‘explosion’ (which has been exaggerated as one of the highest in the world which is not true because there are countries with over four percent versus Uganda’s 3.2 percent growth rate which has remained stable for decades) will constrain economic growth, social progress and aggravate environmental degradation. If Uganda’s economy is growing at an average annual rate of 6 percent and projected to increase and population at 3 percent and projected to decline albeit slowly then population growth will not fundamentally undermine economic growth. Poverty is high because of skewed income distribution in favor of a few rich families connected with the first family and in-laws. Rural environment has been damaged largely by reckless extensive agriculture and draining wetlands that leads to clearance of large swathes of vegetation and commercial ranches owned by few rich families as in Kabale and Nyabushoz districts. Urban decay has been caused basically by mismanagement, corruption and lack of planning.

Uganda officials have recorded fertility rate at 7 children per woman (this figure appears to be for rural areas only) when it is now about 6.5. It would have been useful to indicate on page four of the 2010 population report the number of children per woman that survive to adulthood – the figure would help to determine whether there is sufficient incentive or not for family planning. They have also reported contraceptive prevalence rate of 23 percent without indicating that it has increased from 15 percent. They have added that dependency ratio is 115 percent (2009) without indicating the age groups of children and the elderly as well as the economically active adults included in the calculation to give an idea how the figure of 115 percent which appears to be too high was arrived at (the glossary section in the 2010 population report omitted the definition of dependency ratio).

It appears the information was presented to make a case for urgent birth control. Birth control is presented in Uganda news papers as the only solution in the short, medium and long term. Population is a complex matter and large numbers are still needed for family, cultural (sons vs. daughters), ethnic, religious and political considerations. Individuals or couples will lower fertility when it suits them – and they do so! So Ugandans are not going to jump to birth control because the government has said so unless the Chinese type approach is applied which would be sad. The government indirectly set a limit of four children per family for free primary education which is a form of birth control for poor families especially when accompanied by provision of contraceptives as has happened in Uganda.

There will always be suspicions which get heightened when governments like Museveni’s with its sectarian preferences steps in. Catholics would want Protestants to do it first and vice versa. Northerners would want southerners to it first and vice versa. Muslims won’t even think about it because they are few and politically insignificant – they want more power through large numbers. These issues need to be understood first and preferably left to local people and their champions – not foreigners from abroad or Kampala. It is a slow and incremental process that needs careful and sometimes indirect handling!

Population growth in Uganda is a function of the difference between birth rate and death rate plus the difference between in-migrants and out-migrants including refugees. Uganda has gone through terrible times of Amin regime, guerrilla war and wars in northern and eastern Uganda with so many deaths plus deaths due to AIDS pandemic and endemic diseases. When you add all these tragedies Uganda’s natural population growth must have declined or at least increased slowly – not exploded! But historically when a country emerges from tragic times, as Uganda has, survivors increase fertility to make up for the loss of loved ones. May be that is what is happening and birth control won’t have an impact in the short to medium term.

Since the growth rate has remained constant at 3.2 per cent per annum for decades, there must be a compensating factor. And this factor could be the difference between in-migrants and out-migrants (Uganda has been a magnet attracting migrants and refugees most of whom stay on) for which we are told there are no statistics. Unless this figure is made available (because the information is available in the ministries of Labor and Internal Affairs, UNHCR and Statistics department) the growth rate and total population will be difficult to disaggregate leading to faulty policy design. Maps showing geographic concentration of fertility rates are also needed for a targeted and cost-effective response.

Implementation of the contraception option is problematic. Religious and cultural beliefs regarding large families are still very strong. Male partners have not been integrated into birth control programs. Health-care facilities mostly in rural areas where fertility is high are few and far between, there is an acute shortage of skilled staff including at the primary-health care level, while costs remain high. Besides, negative side effects have been reported to be severe including loss of sexual interest which can be a very serious deterrent. You cannot have an effective birth control program in an environment like this!

Demographic transition (from high death and high birth rates to low death and low birth rates) is a function of many factors. Economic empowerment of women and especially girls’ education have been singled out as crucial factors in the transition. Yet young girls in Uganda continue to drop out of school at a high rate and are married off early. Dropout is high due in part to lack of school meals. Despite a resolution by NEPAD urging African governments to provide school meals using locally produced food that puts money into peasants’ pockets, the Uganda government has been unable or unwilling to help. Asking the World Bank to do a study and recommend the way forward on school meals is unnecessary because the benefits of school feeding are very well known in developed and developing countries.

This is how an educated woman reduces fertility. Because she stays at school longer, she marries late. She seeks medical care for herself and her children sooner and houses and feeds herself and children better than an uneducated woman, so her children have a good chance of surviving to adulthood. Also because she has pension she does not depend on children in her old age. Therefore she produces fewer children that are more evenly spaced. Her fertility rate drops and she contributes to the country’s demographic transition (Workshop report {July 28 2005} on Women’s Economic Empowerment UNFPA). The government is urged to reconsider favorably the provision of lunches to keep girls in school longer because there are demographic dividends.

ERIC KASHAMBUZI

Museveni lost Uganda’s sovereignty in 1987

When you examine closely what Museveni – and senior officials – says and does you find there are glaring contradictions most of the time. This is because Museveni is torn between two forces – the people of Uganda on the one hand and donors on the other whose interests are different. Museveni speaks a socialist language which is popular with Ugandans but acts in capitalist terms favored by donors and foreign business community that control Uganda mostly through British experts and the business community (most Asians are British citizens). In his speeches Museveni uses socialist/populist language based on the defunct ten-point program (which had been designed to end colonial economic structures of producing and exporting raw materials in exchange for manufactured products) which was replaced in 1987 by structural adjustment program based on capitalist principles borrowed largely from Thatcher’s ideology. At the rhetorical level Ugandans like what they hear only to be disappointed by what Museveni then implements that disproportionately benefits foreigners and Uganda surrogates mostly connected with the first family.

While the majority of Ugandans have long wanted Museveni to disappear from the political scene, they do not have the power and means to do so yet. On the other hand, foreigners that want Museveni to stay have done all they could to keep him in power. They turned a blind eye and deaf ear when the presidential term limits were being removed from the constitution, they have not condemned him for the atrocities his troops have caused in neighboring countries including allegations of genocide against Hutus in DRC, murdering of unarmed demonstrators in Kampala in September 2009 or refusal to appoint an independent electoral commission for 2011 elections, signaling that the elections will be rigged again as in the past. Some foreign commentators have condoned the use of disproportionate force and abuse of human rights by Museveni to keep the country stable for business. The implementation of harsh structural adjustment program had foreign endorsement. It has resulted in too much suffering for the majority of Ugandans witness the mushrooming diseases of poverty including bodies disfigured by jiggers and under-nutrition. The following are illustrations to show that what Museveni says is contradicted by what he does because Uganda lost its sovereignty with the signing of structural adjustment agreement with IMF in 1987.

1. While addressing the OAU Summit on July 9, 1990, Museveni correctly stated that Uganda’s (and Africa in general) principal problem is that it lacks an integrated and self-sustaining economy. Consequently, there are serious problems of debt, high (functionally) illiteracy rates, poor health, poor housing, dirty water and poor nutrition. Museveni has not made a dent in solving these problems because Uganda continues to export raw materials, according to the imposed classical comparative advantage, that do not earn enough foreign currency to pay off the debt, structural adjustment denied funds to social sectors especially of education, housing and healthcare. Export of food under non-traditional exports (NTEs) regime has resulted in Ugandans eating too little and of non-nutrient value. Consequently some 10 million Ugandans go to bed hungry every night and forty per cent of Uganda children under the age of five are under-nourished. And because women are under-nourished they are producing many babies that are underweight with permanent physical and mental abnormalities or die early. Brain develops during the first three years of human life from conception. This is the time nutrition should be perfect but in Uganda’s cased that is when feeding is at its worst. Poor housing has contributed significantly to the spread of jiggers that have killed Ugandans, disfigured their bodies and reduced their productivity.

2. During the 26^th Assembly of Heads of State and Government on July 9, 1990, Museveni again correctly stated that deliberate government intervention in the economy is necessary to address imperfections of market forces (and laissez faire capitalism). Since Uganda adopted structural adjustment in 1987 based on the invisible hand of market forces, private sector as an engine of growth with a trickle down mechanism to distribute the benefits of economic growth, many things have gone wrong such as skewed income distribution in favor of the rich, unemployment which stands at over 80 percent among the youth and poverty which has increased for 20 percent of Ugandans. Yet Museveni and his government are unable to take corrective intervention for fear that they would be interpreted as introducing socialism through the back door.

3. On many occasions including in his OAU statement on July 9, 1990, Museveni has talked passionately about processing Uganda commodities to add value, eliminate losses and improve length of the product. Yet Uganda continues to export raw materials based on static comparative advantage that has been imposed on her by foreign powers. Besides, Uganda is de-industrializing because of cheap and subsidized or used imports. While addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 16, 2005, Museveni reported to his fellow Heads of State and Government that “Some external advisers have argued that Uganda is better off by allowing second hand clothes from outside to suffocate our resurgent textile industry! Incredible but true. Where aid is available, it should not be accompanied by excessive meddling by the aid providers”. Here Museveni was clear about who is determining what to import and produce in Uganda. With Uganda textiles unable to compete, jobs are lost and forward and backward linkages are cut off with adverse outcomes. In her article on privatization of Uganda’s public enterprises, Kesaasi demonstrated how Margaret Thatcher’s ideology was imposed on Uganda resulting in massive privatization of enterprises including those that needed improved management rather than outright privatization. In his statement of September 25, 1997, Kategaya reported to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City that Uganda was implementing far-reaching (externally imposed) policy of liberalization, privatization and investment promotion which had led to several challenges. “Now we are grappling with the dimension of ensuring that economic progress benefits the people, particularly the poorest”, Kategaya noted. Government has not been able to address this challenge because the operation of market forces and private sector as the engine of economic growth and distribution of benefits through trickledown mechanism still reign supreme. Consequently state intervention including in providing employment to the unemployed youth has been kept out of the economy by external capitalist forces.

4. During the 56^th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Nsibambi spoke at a discussion panel on November 2, 2001. He observed that globalization has facilitated labor movements that have aggravated the problem of brain drain. Yet Uganda continues to encourage well qualified and experienced citizens that easily find jobs on the international labor market to leave and are replaced by very expensive and mostly junior foreign experts with no or little knowledge of Uganda’s history and cultural configuration. Studies conducted in the 1990s have shown that 70 percent of Sub-Saharan trained people emigrate abroad “and it often receives more bad advice per capita than any other continent in the world” (Development 1996:2). Clearly inexperienced NRM cadres together with junior foreign experts particularly in the powerful ministry of finance and central bank have done a lot of harm to the nation and people of Uganda. Kanyeihamba (2002) eloquently expressed the disadvantages of inexperience in trade negotiations. Yet there are Ugandans abroad and at home with experience but cannot be hired for various reasons including that they did not participate in the guerrilla war or are not close to the center of power.

5. Uganda officials have talked favorably about the benefits of school feeding programs that improve attendance and performance especially of girls and have been endorsed by NEPAD, calling on all African government to facilitate or provide school meals. While addressing a High-Level Plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Permanent Representative Butagira reported that Uganda supports school meals using home-grown foodstuffs. Yet implementation has remained a problem and the president has asked the World Bank (believed not to favor school lunch) to make a study with recommendations (this is just to remove pressure from Museveni during the campaign because opposition candidates favor school lunch programs). The study is unnecessary because the benefits of school meals in developed and developing countries are very well known.

Clearly Uganda under Museveni has lost independence to determine priorities and execute them in favor of Ugandans. Museveni who relies on foreign support to stay in power will protect foreign interests over those of Uganda citizens. To do otherwise would be risking being abandoned. And that Museveni can’t do! Consequently Ugandans have paid a heavy price so that Museveni stays in power.

ERIC KASHAMBUZI

Museveni imposed birth control without informing the nation

Museveni’s long term vision is to make Bahororo dominate Uganda permanently. But Museveni knows that Bahororo as a group are numerically insignificant that even if their women bear children to the limit of their reproductive capacity they will never attain a critical mass for political domination. Museveni also knows that the military he has used so far has inherent weaknesses that it cannot be relied upon as an instrument of domination by Bahororo in the long term. Further, Museveni has realized that poor and hungry people he has created produce more children than wealthy ones he has also created through skewed distribution of income in favor of Bahororo (Museveni is a Muhororo). He has therefore come up with a silent strategy of increasing the number of those immigrants (particularly Somalis and Tutsis) likely to permanently support Bahororo who will also be encouraged to produce as many children as they can while reducing the number of majority Ugandans through birth control, among other measures. To those not familiar with subtle developments in Uganda this observation may sound mean but that is the truth in Museveni’s country.

Since poor people send their children to public schools, Museveni announced around 1996 that the government would provide free primary education to four children per family. Ipso facto parents would be responsible for education of extra children. In order to eliminate this burden, the population secretariat and other stakeholders began to preach the virtues of family planning and to provide free contraceptives to prevent conception among poor people. Consciously or otherwise Museveni launched a birth control program for the poor without ever mentioning it as such.

To accelerate birth control among the poor who form the majority of Ugandans (over fifty percent of Ugandans live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day), the 2010 report on Uganda’s population was prepared in such a way as to make a case for urgent birth control. It is reported that total fertility rate (the number of children a woman can bear during her reproductive period) has remained at 7 children when in fact it has declined to 6.5. It also recorded that the contraceptive prevalence rate is still at a low level of 23 percent without indicating that it has increased from 15 percent. It also mentioned a dependency ratio of 115 percent (one of the highest in the world) without indicating the age groups in the young and old categories that depend on economically active adults.

All this is happening when Museveni is still preaching large family size presumably for the rich mostly Bahororo and their cousins who can afford many children while the population secretariat and other interested groups are urging the poor to practice birth control because they cannot afford a large family. This is penalizing the victim because the poor have been impoverished through exploitation and neglect by Museveni’s government. If poverty declines, girls stay in school beyond primary level and women are empowered, which the government has been unable or unwilling to do, women would take appropriate steps to manage their reproductive behavior, determine the number of children they want and how to space them freely.

I have since 1997 written a lot about development challenges including population facing Uganda particularly since 1987 following the launch of structural adjustment which has done greatdeal of damage to the livelihoods of Ugandans twenty percent of whom are believed to have become poorer and the general welfare has not reached the level attained in 1970.

The purpose of writing has been to share with a wider readership what I have learned at school, at work and in spare time. My approach is dialectical. I look for those issues that are accidentally or deliberately left out of development discourse because that is where the truth is mostly found.

I trust that through open, substantive and civil debates Ugandans can confront the challenges and find solutions. The purpose of debates is not to pick winners and losers; gain or lose credibility but to find common solutions. Most of the challenges and solutions are known. Uganda has lacked leadership at the executive and legislative branches of government to act. This has been particularly the case since 1986 despite the fact that Ugandans and the international community created an enabling environment for NRM which has had different priorities. The NRM government has let the majority of Ugandans down. The evidence of failure is everywhere for all to see in town and rural areas. As a result, Uganda has quietly dropped off the international list of high economic, social and ecological performers. This observation is no longer debatable.

Eric Kashambuzi

UAH forumist working with United Nations in New York

Unprecedented Recruitment, Training and Deployment of Militias in the Country

For Immediate Release

 

IPC would like the draw the attention of Ugandans and the entire world to the continued unprecedented, unlawful recruitment, training and deployment of militia in different places in the country. In the recent past the police amalgamated Mobile Police Patrol Unit (MPPU) and Anti Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) to form a Field Force Unit (FFU) which in African Perspective is known for Fanya Fujo Uwone! This was created to fight anticipated demonstrations against electoral malpractice. (the FFU is a dreadful force against citizens) the question is why such a force should be created and against who?

 

Secondly, IPC is concerned about training and deployment of the so called ‘Village Crime Fighter’; 30 NRM leaning youth were recruited per village in Ntungamo district. So far, about 29,000 youth have been recruited in this one district. If the entire police force is 38,000 men and women, how can a single district have such a large force? This force is certainly created to give mileage to the First lady in terms of votes but also intimidate the opposition in the area. The fighting of crime should be   structured where by youth are recruited without party discrimination. Moreover, IPC is concerned that the creation of these Village Crime Fighters will be a source of insecurity to Ugandans especially during and/or after elections.

 

Then the IGP announced that he is to recruit 18,000 polling constable to provide security at polling centers.  According to the electoral guidelines, provision of security to polling centers is supposed to be the responsibility of the EC.  Can the IGP confirm to the stakeholders (opposition parties) if the EC asked him to recruit the said polling constables and why other stake holders were not consulted? We want the public to know that recruitment of the said polling constables has nothing to do with provision of security but just a ploy to aid vote rigging for the NRM government. The public should remember that the IGP, Gen Tinyefunza and other Senior Military, Police and Prison officers were part of the audience during the launch of President Museveni’s Manifesto which was not the case with other opposition political parties.

 

It is further established that 5000 police recruits and 500 Police Officer Cadets are under going training in Masindi to beef up the 38,000 in existence. There is training of 8000 recruits in Kapeka under the command of Gen. Tumwine yet he is not structured in charge of training in the UPDF. Other 1500 recruits are being trained in Singo Military Barracks under the command of Brig. Mugisha In-Charge of air Defence and Intelligence. These forces are being trained for vote rigging and intimidation of the opposition.

 

We also know that in Gomba district, there is training of local militia in Kibibi and Kanoni and Kabulasoke sub counties; 30 people were recruited from each sub county.

 

We therefore call upon the EC, all Ugandans and the international community especially those following Uganda’s political dimensions to concern themselves with these developments.

 

Margaret Wokuri

 

Director Publicity and Communication

IPC Campaign Bureau

PRESS RELEASE FROM CENTRE FOR DEMOCRACY AND DEVT ON IVORY COAST ELECTIONS

 4th December 2010
Press Release
Coup d’état in Cote d’Ivoire
Jibrin Ibrahim PhD
Director
Centre for Democracy and Development
Today, 4th December 2010, the spectre of renewed bloody conflict emerged in Cote d’Ivoire following the illegal swearing of Mr Laurent Gbagbo as President of the country. This followed the closure of the country’s borders by the army and the declaration of a curfew the night before the November 28th second round presidential elections. Gbagbo supporters have also jammed all foreign radio broadcasts to stop citizens listening to the condemnation of the Coup d’état.

The Electoral Commission had declared Alassane Quattara winner of the polls with 54.1% of the popular vote in last Sunday’s elections. During the initial public presentation of the results, a supporter of Mr Gbagbo had seized and torn the result sheets to shreds as if to announce to the whole world that they would not accept the verdict of the ballot box. Subsequently, Mr Gbagbo got his cronies in the Constitutional Council to annual Quattara’s votes before the Electoral Commission had even transmitted the tally to them and declared Gbagbo elected.

The United Nations, which closely followed the collation of the votes, has however affirmed that the Electoral Commission is right; Mr Quattara won the presidential elections. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union in a press release today has clearly “condemned the usurpation of the popular will of the people in Cote d’Ivoire.”

At the same time, ECOWAS which deployed a major Observer Team for the elections for the elections has reaffirmed its commitment “to ensure peaceful and democratic election in line with the ECOWAS Declaration on Political Principles and the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.” In addition, it very clearly “strongly condemns any attempt to usurp the popular will of the people of Côte d’Ivoire and appeals to all stakeholders to accept the results declared by the electoral commission.”

In pursuit of this objective, ECOWAS has convened the Authority of Heads of State and Government to an Extraordinary Summit in Abuja, Nigeria on Tuesday, 7th December, 2010 with the sole objective of examining the situation and deciding on subsequent action on the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire in accordance with the ECOWAS relevant texts.          

The Centre for Democracy and Development calls on ECOWAS under Nigeria’s presidency to act decisively:

1.      In affirming the victory of Alassane Quattara as the duly elected President of Cote d’Ivoire.
2. In taking immediate steps condemning the coup d’état and suspending Cote d’Ivoire from ECOWAS until there is a return to the constitutional order.
3.    To take proactive steps to immediately remove Laurent Gbagbo from power and install Alassane Quattara who the International Contact Group as well as the Ivorian Electoral Commission have declared as the duly elected president of the country.

It is important to recall that the elections in Cote d’Ivoire are part of the long and pain staking attempts to save the country from the ravages of civil war following Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to hold elections for five successive years after his last electoral mandate expired in 2005. Cote d’Ivoire is a country that was not too long ago one of the shining stars of stability and prosperity in the West African region. This history was shattered when war broke out between the between the government-controlled Southern army and the Forces Nouvelles (New Forces) controlled by the Northerners. The human carnage and heavy collateral damage associated with the conflict was unprecedented. West Africa cannot afford a return to civil war.

The coup which brought General Robert Guei to power in December 1999 erupted just before the general elections slated for 2000. General Guei who had promised to stay in power only to “sweep the house clean” took all by surprise when he indicated his interest to run in the elections. He disqualified Quattara from standing in the October 2000 elections, via a politically manipulated Supreme Court judgment, on the grounds that the latter’s mother was from Burkina Faso. The exclusion prompted Quattara’s RDR to call for a boycott of the elections. General Guei’s attempt to stop the elections in which early results indicated Gbagbo was winning led to widespread protests and violent demonstrations by Gbagbo’s FPI against him. Guei was assassinated and Gbagbo emerged as President who maintained the exclusion policy. The result was civil war. A second exclusion of Quattara in a context in which he had already won a free and fair election would definitely precipitate civil war if pro-active measures are not taken to restore the sovereignty of the Ivorian people.

Jibrin Ibrahim PhD
Director

http://www.cddwestafrica.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=121:cote&catid=1:latest-news

How Museveni sold Uganda to UK in exchange for protection

Eric Kashambuzi

During the interim period between the fall of Amin in 1979 and the 1980 elections which he lost, Museveni realized that he was unpopular at the national level and in his home area. He concluded that his ambition of becoming president would be achieved through the barrel of the gun and close collaboration with and guidance by foreign powers especially Britain.

Museveni planned and executed the guerrilla war with British support. Much financing was provided by Tiny Rowland, chairman of Ronrho, publicity was directed by William Pike of BBC while political backing was led by Linda Chalker. One commentator observed that “Museveni is not acting on his own. His links to the British royal family run through two interlinked personages: Lady Lynda Chalker, Minister of Overseas Development and a favorite of Lady Margaret Thatcher, and Tiny Rowland, chairman of Lonrho, who reportedly introduced Chalker to the higher echelons of London society. The on-the-ground British case officer for Museveni is reportedly one William Pike (Mike) Pike, editor of New Vision, a daily financed by Rowland. Pike is believed to report directly to Chalker.

Chalker was the first foreigner to meet Museveni once he took power in Kampala. Museveni and Chalker have been ‘very luvvie-duvvie’, as one British source put it” (EIR November 1994).

During the first twelve months or so of NRM government, Museveni resisted structural adjustment ideology. It is reported he feared it would have been hypocritical if he accepted the ideology so soon after he had viciously attacked it under Obote II regime between 1981 and 1984. It was Lynda Chalker who forced Museveni to toe the line after donors denied him aid money and experts.

“Linda Chalker, Britain’s Minister for State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, visited Uganda in December [1986] and echoed the opinion of most major creditors that the solution to Uganda’s problems depended on reaching an agreement with IMF” (New African Year Book 1987-88). IMF represented western capitalist interests championed by Margaret Thatcher, a staunch supporter of structural adjustment. Accordingly, Museveni adopted – through IMF and Linda Chalker – Britain’s (Thatcher’s) version of structural adjustment.

Thatcher believed strongly that macroeconomic policy should focus on controlling inflation, leaving economic growth and employment matters to the private sector without government intervention. However, government should intervene in monetary policy through interest rates to lower inflation by reducing money supply in the economy. Apart from monetary policy, Thatcher believed that the rest of the economy should be directed by an invisible hand of market forces and laissez faire (leave alone) capitalism. Economic deregulation and privatization were stressed as the engine of growth and job creation. Finally, Thatcher believed that the share of public spending in GDP should be gradually reduced.

Margaret Thatcher’s macroeconomic ideology was echoed by Linda Chalker in her address to a conference on Africa. She spoke about “The Proper Role of Government”, noting that government should provide stable and predictable conditions in which the private sector can do business. She emphasized that governments must do less but efficiently, which would reduce public expenditure and money in circulation and ultimately bring down inflation. Rapid economic growth would generate revenue through taxation.

Regarding foreign assistance, Chalker observed that donors needed to refocus emphasis from projects to policy and institutional reforms. “Projects cannot be considered in isolation: they need to be part of a coherent, sustainable strategy for the sector as a whole” Chalker advised.

On private sector, Chalker acknowledged that its motive is profit which would ultimately stimulate economic growth and development in Africa – hence Africa should understand how best to enable the business sector to do its work.

Finally, Chalker stressed that political and economic reforms reinforce each other. She decried corruption and mismanagement. She underscored that liberal economic reforms are most likely to be sustained when there are parallel developments on the political front.

Those who have followed Uganda’s macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation will not fail to detect a resemblance to Thatcher’s economic ideology. Museveni and his government since 1987 have stressed inflation control to and stability at 5 percent per annum. Through a monetary policy, interest rates have been set so high to discourage borrowing and thus reduce money in circulation. Economic growth and job creation have been left to the private sector that would be guided by the invisible hand of market forces, hence Museveni’s refusal to provide public works to ease youth unemployment. Public enterprises were privatized en masse. British Asians and corporations were invited back and repossessed their properties, making Britain the number one investor in Uganda’s economy.

In line with Thatcher’s ideology to reduce public spending as a share of GDP, Uganda undertook a selective (some call it sectarian) but massive retrenchment exercise and introduced value added tax (VAT) to raise government revenue. The first economic recovery program adopted in 1987 reflected some ideas that Thatcher and Chalker emphasized. The recovery program emphasized export-oriented economic growth and liberalization of exchange rate; liberalized agriculture by abolishing price control and parastatal marketing monopolies; encouraged foreign investment and return of British Asians and their properties; and reform of budget procedures to increase revenue, improve expenditure control and reduce inflation by curbing monetary expansion in the economy. Those interested in learning more about a comparison between Britain’s and Uganda’s structural adjustment programs (SAPs) should read chapter three of my book titled “Uganda’s Development Agenda in the 21^st Century” available at www.jonesharvest.com.

Political reforms as urged by Chalker in her address at the conference on Africa resulted in Museveni’s reluctant opening up of political space and conducting regular presidential and parliamentary elections since 1996 which he has rigged ever since. Since NRM came to power Chalker has closely advised Museveni in the formulation of economic policies along Thatcher’s ideology much of which was continued under Tony Blair.

Thus, the formulation of economic policy and management of Uganda’s economy have been dominated by British money through private investment, aid and experts.

Under the terms of structural adjustment, it is required that developing countries undergoing structural adjustment “… rely heavily on foreign experts to guide development and ensure efficient project [program] selection” (John Brohman 1996). Uganda chose to hire British experts and advisers over others. Accordingly, Paul Collier, among other British experts, has played a crucial role in Uganda’s macroeconomic policy formulation. Like Chalker, Collier has continued to guide Uganda’s economy to this moment in 2010.

The ministry of finance, planning and economic development and central bank that have primary responsibility for macroeconomic policy formulation and resource allocation have been run by British experts. According to Sebastian Mallaby (2004), the ministry of finance is filled with a team of young British experts that run Uganda’s economy while Ugandans in the ministry have been sidelined and complained bitterly.

To make room for British experts, Museveni refused to invite back highly educated and experienced Ugandans in the diaspora. Instead he advised them to stay there, earn foreign currency and remit some of it to Uganda as their contribution to economic reconstruction and development. At the same time many experienced Ugandans that served under Obote were retrenched or marginalized leaving Uganda in the hands of inexperienced NRM cadres and young British economists. The difficulties of inexperience were ably described by Justice Kanyeihamba.

Thus, in exchange for keeping Museveni in power Britain has directed Uganda’s economy through policy formulation and private sector as the engine of growth. Journalists, economists and ministers mostly from Britain have described Museveni as indispensable for Uganda in part because he has maintained macroeconomic and political stability by trampling the rights of Ugandans. Tony Blair rewarded Museveni with hosting the Commonwealth Summit that has turned out a disaster for Britain and Uganda governments due to the embezzlement of funds.

British or foreign ownership of Uganda was captured in an article comparing Uganda and Tanzania. One commentator observed that “One (and informed) World Bank official has remarked to me privately that, despite all the favorable press on Uganda, Tanzania is actually about four years or more ahead of it [Uganda] in terms of truly nationally-owned (and thus sustainable) economic policy for overall development. Tanzania may seem to move more slowly he noted, and I agree, but it does so on a firmer and more stable base” (McDonald & Sahle 2002). This is a World Bank reporting!

Having given them almost all the service sectors and industries, Museveni has unilaterally begun to dish out land to foreigners while Ugandans and their so-called representatives in parliament just watch. Museveni mistakenly thinks that public land is his as president to dish out as he likes. Public land belongs to the people of Uganda! Museveni is giving land to foreigners not because he wants to develop Uganda but because he wants to secure foreign and in particular British protection and continued support as president. Ugandans are therefore paying a heavy price. Thus, those foreign powers that have kept Museveni in power have contributed to the suffering of Ugandans!

Museveni has been guided by foreigners especially Britain since the early 1980s. Paul Collier, William Pike and Linda Chalker in particular have been constant advisers. When you see Museveni and Chalker driving alone on Museveni ranches, this is not recreation. People have reasoned that during the ride Museveni receives instructions on how to run Uganda in the interest of Britain in return for his protection. Museveni then announces those instructions as his ideas which are then developed into policy by British economists in the ministry of finance and central bank and popularized by William Pike through the New Vision funded by Ronrho. Some commentators have – fairly or unfairly – described Museveni as an employee of Britain.

Let me end on a separate note. The purpose of articles I have been writing is to inform and begin a civil debate on how to turn Uganda around morally, economically, socially and ecologically. Britain and other foreigners operating in Uganda must realize that by keeping Museveni in power they are pushing Uganda towards a cliff – and we are almost there. The rising level of moral decay, human sacrifice, alcohol consumption, domestic violence, criminal activities in urban and rural areas, pornographic movies, bible prayer the whole night, ecological deterioration and diseases of poverty (jiggers, scabies and terrible body odor for lack of bathing soap) is an indisputable sign that Uganda is a failed state presided over by a dictator as recently described in a credible international magazine. Uganda needs a change of regime. Museveni has run his course. Museveni has not only become a liability to Uganda but to development partners especially to Britain that have sustained him in power. We must draw lessons from Ethiopia under Haile Selassie and Zaire under Mobutu Sese Seko that when unjust status quo is maintained too long, the outcomes are devastating when the regime finally crumbles. Museveni regime will crumble for sure, what is needed is to do it sooner to minimize the damage.

Those who did not know that Museveni must go now you know and the choice is yours! Those who are benefiting from Museveni now must think about what will happen when the regime collapses – please think about that for the sake of your children.

Eric Kashambuzi

UAH forumist working with UN in New York

Press Release From FDC-IPC on 04/12/12

FORUM FOR DEMOCRTATIC CHANGE – INTER PARTY COOPERATION PRESS RELEASE

 

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE KIZZA BESIGYE LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN THEME, SLOGAN AND STRATEGY

For Immediate Release

My fellow Ugandans, just over a month ago, I was honoured to be nominated a Presidential Candidate on behalf of the FDC and the IPC. Since that time, I have addressed hundreds of rallies in dozens of districts in the central, western and eastern regions. I have seen yet again, the appalling conditions in which most of Uganda’s citizens live. I have seen countless examples of the gross mismanagement of our country.

Uganda has got massive problems, which will take a long time and vast resources to solve. There is deep poverty across the country and the provision of public services has almost totally collapsed under the NRM government. Be it roads, medical services, quality of education, support to agriculture – name it – almost nothing that is supposed to be done by government is working properly in Uganda! The NRM government is drowning in massive corruption from the top to the bottom and has taken theft and incompetence to the level where a change of government is an urgent priority for our country.

The February 18 elections provide Ugandans with this opportunity and we are more determined than ever to win the election and bring positive change to this country. It is time for change and the time is now.

To strengthen our campaign for change – and to focus our supporters and our IPC-FDC candidates for various political offices on what we need to do to win this election, I am today launching a new campaign theme, a new campaign slogan and a new campaign strategy, which I request all IPC and FDC candidates to implement.

Campaign Theme

The new IPC-FDC campaign theme is: “Change is Coming.”

Campaign Slogan

Our new campaign slogan will be: “A New Beginning; A Bright Future; In Your Hands.”

Our New Campaign Strategy: “The Power of Five.”

What do we mean by the Power of Five?

5 ISSUES:

First, from our 13-point Manifesto, we have selected 5 priority issues that almost uniformly affect the whole country. Our Manifesto has several other issues that the IPC Government is committed to tackling. But we ask that all our supporters and candidates first mobilise support for change around these 5 priorities, which ordinary people can relate to, across Uganda. These are:

• Jobs and Economic Empowerment
• Quality of Education
• A Functional Healthcare System
• Roads and Infrastructure
• Support to Farmers and Agriculture

 

5 CANDIDATES TO VOTE FOR:

Our supporters should not only vote for me as the Presidential Candidate. We ask you all to identify and vote for IPC-FDC candidates at these 5 levels of leadership:

• Presidential
• Parliamentary
• LC5
• LC3
• LC1

Support for our candidates at all 5 levels should be driven by our focus on the 5 key issues and I appeal to all our candidates to focus on the issues.

5 x 5 RECRUITS

The challenge of achieving the victory does not belong to Kizza Besigye alone. Nor is it a challenge only for me and our various candidates. If we want to secure a new beginning and a brighter future for our country, let us all put in an effort to help make it happen. FDC and IPC have millions of supporters. I appeal to each of our supporters to internalise our 5 key issues, know our candidates at the 5 levels of leadership and to go out and recruit 5 new supporters, who are registered as voters. Each of those new supporters should in turn be kindly requested to go out and recruit another 5 new supporters.

Our support base will then start growing at “The Power of 5!” This is the biggest request I am making to our supporters. Every 5 new supporters should go out and recruit 5 new supporters.   Once you have confirmed your set of 5 recruits, keep in touch with them until voting day and ensure they turn out to vote. Then guard our votes and you will have done your duty to your country.

500 SHILLINGS

Managing a national election campaign requires a lot of resources. We use most of the money on travel and marketing. This time, we are doing some new and exciting things to strengthen the campaign. We have styled up and modernised our campaign. Starting today, we are going to do a huge amount of advertising. We have produced many different messages, focusing on the 5 key issues and what our new Government will do to solve them.

To successfully implement this new strategy, we are appealing to our millions of supporters to make a contribution to the cause for change. We are appealing to each of you to contribute only Shs 500/= every week, or every month, or as frequently as you can afford. A supporter who makes a financial contribution will not be easily bought off or intimidated. You will have become an investor in the struggle for change. Ask each of your 5 new recruits to join you in contributing Shs 500/= as often as they can.

 

SEND IT BY MOBILE MONEY TRANSFER, TO OUR MOBILE NUMBERS

 

Three of the mobile telephone networks, MTN, UTL and Airtel, have made it much easier for Ugandans to transfer money to each other. All you have to do is to visit one of their Mobile Money outlets and tell them you want to send money using your mobile phone. Ask the Mobile Money shop operators to assist you in sending us your Shs 500/= to MTN 077-6-433-555; Airtel 075-6-755-555; or Utl 071-8- 932-055;   confirm that we have received it.

Our campaign office will be regularly announcing how much we have received from you and what we are using the money for. This money your commitment and a sacrifice to the change we desire, it will be used to deliver our message of change. 

For those who have been saying that there is nothing new and exciting in this campaign, that we having nothing new in our strategy, go and tell Ugandans that we have put the power of five into this campaign:

5 key issues to change our country

5 candidate levels for FDC and the IPC

5 recruits per supporter

5 new recruits per each new supporter

500 shillings regular support

***

I thank you.

 Margaret Madanda

IPC spokes person

What happened to Besigye made me give up on Uganda Politics

Well

Uganda’s politics sucks. You read all the nonsense and utter nonsense and you really wonder if you should respond to it  or to focus on other things. I was embarassed by what happened to Kiiza Besigye in Uganda. Worst of all, I was embrassed and hurt by what I read on UAH forum as people were responding to what was going on.

I realised that Uganda and Ugandans are simillar. Uganda as a country is backward and its people are backward. Not even education can change the way Ugandans think and act. The only thing that will change Uganda and the people of Uganda into developed, well informed, respectiful, caring  and  an admirable ecology is EVOLUTION.

Ugandans have not evolved so much from the stage of Early Man. That is why you see people like Mulindwa and Isaac thanking M7 for killing protesters and beating up Kiiza Besigye. The state of their brains is still very much  like the early man.

Have you ever wondered why  almost the country thinks and acts like its  president? Atleast the Germans showed a different perspective  from that of Hitler after the 2nd world war. They introduced democracy, good government, accountability, reconcilliation, etc. They even hosted the Summer Olympics in 1972 which were successful apart from the terrorist attacks against the Isrealie sportsment by the Palestinian fighters in Barlin.

But look at Uganda, almost  more than  47 after independence and people are extremely blinkard, bitter, naive, angry, hateful, barbaric, spiteful, uncaring, corrupt and irresponsible.

Now, sometimes I question myself if it is worth debating with them or sit there and read their writings whenever I get the time.

HARBERT BUHANGA