On 7th October 2021, a day to our 49^th  Independence, two events happened in relation to Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye Kifefe (Besigye) and Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert (Kyagulanyi), who are both former Presidential candidates in Museveni Rogue elections.

At LDC Court, His Worship Alule Augustine Koma was presiding over a case of OBTAINING REGISTRATION (into Makerere University) BY FALSE PRETENCE where the accused, KYAGULANYI had skipped Court leading to a finding that “Counsel for the accused submitted that the absence of the accused is because he was not served…I find this ridiculous and not true…” So, KYAGULANYI was found to be a dishonest man. At Mengo, BESIGYE was ‘elected’ Chairman of People’s Front for Transition (PFT) but no one knows how these ‘elections’ were organized, who competed with who, among others. This is no different from the way KYAGULANYI was named President of his ‘acquired’ National Unity Platform Political Party. They both preach democracy but rise to opposition powers through means which do not amount to democracy.

Daily Monitor of November 11 2013 carried a headline ”Besigye: I won’t contest in 2016” in which he told Herbert Zziwa that ”First of all, as a person, I will not offer myself in an election organised by the dictatorship”. Just like KYAGULANYI promised not to make a political party but later ‘acquired’ one, BESIGYE indeed stood in 2016 elections, was ‘sworn-in’ and formed a ‘People’s Government’. You therefore rely on what they both say at your own risk.

They both have a background of working with the dictator for several reasons: In his youthful age, BESIGYE chose a violent route of challenging the then rogue OBOTE regime in 1981 through participating at the High Level in the Museveni war that ended in 1986 killing close to a million Ugandans. Until 1999, he worked tirelessly to entrench Museveni fascism through building a country-wide network of public servants serving individual Musevni interests and making them to be part of Museveni political outfit of ‘Movement System’. These are now the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs). On the other hand, in his search for wealth, KYAGULANYI closely worked with the dictator ranging from meeting his close family, ministers and servants including making a U-turn on Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) illegalities perpetuated by Executive Director Jennifer Musisi by attending a highly billed Carnival despite his song against them. He recently said that ”I met Saleh to invite him to my concert. On that same day, I met Dr. Kizza Besigye and he came through”. In turn, he got rich, became untouchable despite being the biggest drug addict Uganda has ever had spoiling many young people through false hopes that abusing drugs will make them shine like KYAGULANYI leading them into insanity and lunacy.

A big question lingering in my mind is whether any of these two beneficiaries of the regime can successfully lead to its complete dismantling as we, the majority, who are opposed to it and have never benefited from it, aspire. A greater part of my mind says no.

Those are the two people whose teams have been exchanging sharp words, abuses, name it for the past 10 days yet indeed they are both similar in character and action. But as the Luganda saying says ”Enjovu ebbiri wezirwanira obusubi bwebubonabona” (where two elephants fight, it is the grass which suffers), many young people, most of whom have never benefited from the regime are fighting tooth and nail on either side of these elephants. This fight is making it clearer that, may be, formal opposition under Museveni is profitable going by the energy and resources injected in by each side.

Fellow citizens, it does not take a politician to dislodge a dictatorship. The men and women who dislodged the French monarchy in 1789 were not politicians. In Zanzibar, it took a non-citizen, OKELLO, a casual labourer, to dislodge the dictatorship. Let each one of us concentrate on doing what is possible to overcome the junta as opposed to taking sides with those fighting for ‘opposition’ supremacy. The real opposition is the people of Uganda.

MALE H. MABIRIZI K. KIWANUKA

malehmkk@gmail.com 0701881231

The Writer is Lawyer & a Civically Active Ugandan

The officer in charge Kigo prisons has been directed to produce embattled Kawempe North legislator Muhammad Ssegirinya in Court over charges related to inciting violence and genocide.

In a production warrant signed by Buganda Road Grade one magistrate Doreen Karungi, the prison authorities have been told to produce Ssegirinya on 15th of October 2020 at 9:00am.

According to the charge sheet sanctioned by Jane Frances Abodo, the Director Public Prosecution (DPP), the state alleges that between the months of August and September 2020 in Kampala district, the accused through his Facebook page in the names of Ssegirinya Muhammad Fans Page incited the public to participate in violence against some of Ugandan population.

“I am warning those who are trying to assassinate Hon Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, what will happen will be forty times worse than the 1994 Rwanda genocide,” the charge sheet reads in part quoting one of Ssegirinya’s Facebook posts.

Ssegirinya was remanded to Kigo prison on charges of murder, attempted murder, terrorism and abetting terrorism.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

Some members of the opposition in the shadow cabinet have called for fresh investigations into human rights violations that happened during 2021 general elections.

Led by Makindye East legislator Derrick Nyeko, who is also the shadow Minister for security, the MPs told journalists on Wednesday, that opposition supporters continue to be arrested even after elections.

“We shall move a motion on the floor for fresh investigations into various forms of human rights abuses including murders, abductions and torture of our people who are held by different security units,” Nyeko said.

“In the absence of a conclusive investigation report on violations that characterised the 2021 general election, the opposition leadership have resolved to lobby Parliament to institute a select committee to investigate the abuses,” he added.

The alarm was caused after the Speaker of parliament Jacob Oulanyah put to rest the question of lapsed businesses of previous Parliaments, ruling that they cannot be retrieved by subsequent Houses.

Oulanyah’s ruling ended uncertainties surrounding legislations that were either not assented to by President Museveni as required under article 91 of the Constitution or not passed into law by the 10th Parliament before its end.

“Business of the 10th Parliament that remained incomplete lapsed with the end of the 10th Parliament; any Member or indeed the government who is desirous of having the business of the 10th Parliament revived…should have the business reintroduced to the House and the business shall begin afresh,” he said.

This affected the report that was compiled by the Human rights Committee that investigated human rights abuses that were witnessed 2021 General election.

“We want to ask the state to respect the rule of law and constitutionalism,” Nyeko noted.

By Hope Kalamira