Opinion: Bebe Cool isn’t that special…

The Police on Sunday, June 19, confirmed armed rogue security officers had on Saturday night raided Ntinda Police Station and freed a suspect who had been booked in after he reportedly pulled out his pistol at musician Moses Ssali popularly known as Bebe Cool. Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire admitted the incident happened and promised to get back with full details, but had not done so by press time. We are yet to get full details of what happened, but we will brief the media on Monday (June 20),” Owoyesigyire said. He, however, confirmed they had the suspect’s gun” (Charles Etukuri – ‘Armed men raid Ntinda Police Station, free alleged Bebe Cool assailant – Kampala Sun’ 19.06.2022).

The first family entertainer and who has directly campaigned for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) for years. Certainly, a man like that and who has earned fortunes on the campaign trail. A man that has been a voice for the NRM and President Museveni.

He has acted like a big-man… at one point he might felt untouchable. The likes of Bebe Cool should know that everyone can be touched and yesterday his rent was due. He has played around with the upper echelons, but now he felt the bitter fruit of the reality for so many.

Yes, no one should be forced or be held at gun-point. That is something I don’t wish one my worst enemy. Still, the VIP and NRM apologist haven’t helped or cared for all the ones who has lost their lives, been tortured and arrested for their political belief in the Republic. Bebe Cool has accepted this with his silence and continues to entertain the regime.

It is not like Bebe Cool doesn’t know what the authorities and the security organizations have been doing for years. Yesterday, he just saw what sort of unites and officers that is around. Where impunity and injustice is served on a daily.

Bebe Cool must have heard about the drones, the extra judicial killings and people detained for months upon end… just for their political belief and who they are associated with. The musician just felt a pinch of what adversaries has been through. Being touched by rogue agents of the state, which is used to get away with murder. Now he felt that too and should respect what other people has gone through.

Still, Bebe Cool will live another day. It’s not like Bebe Cool has gotten treated like activists or opposition leaders. If Bebe Cool had been tear-gassed and felt the anti-riot police, heck the Special Forces Command on his tail. He would have been another breed by now.

No one should be what Bebe Cool was yesterday, but hard to feel sorry for him. Since, he has promoted the regime and they have built up this machinery. Now he felt a little bit of this viciousness and the sinister side of the state. Which we have spoken up about for years, but he has dismissed or disregarded, because the likes of him never gets to feel that pain.

Bebe Cool should await further investigation and expect this fall cold. Because, high profiled murders have never been solved either. Heck, the magical stone of Arua haven’t been answered yet either.

The musician should continue to sing the psalms of the state and hope this thing never happens again. However, he shouldn’t expect this to be resolved anytime soon, Bebe Cool needs to chill and prepare his next show. Because… his supposed to be one of them and now he felt a little touch of the harsh reality. Peace.

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A salute to the steadfastness and valor of the detainees, who are now behind bars. The executioner is tightening his hold on them, taking away their freedom, which is a right, not a privilege, believing that he would silence the revolutionaries’ songs of peace and justice.

The violations that detainees are facing now go beyond all prevailing and recognized norms and laws. They are now living in harsh circumstances due to the fabrication of accusations, torture, enforced disappearance, and delays in the resolution of their cases.

And according to the movements of Al-Kalaklat emergency lawyers, the revolutionaries in the Al-Kalaklat region in particular are subjected to violations by the police department heads, with direct instructions and directives from the Cheif Officer, the head of the security committee in the locality. These violations come in several forms and circumvent the law as follows:

  • The round heel policy (transferring the detainees to different police stations following their release.)
  • Intimidation and torture of revolutionaries inside the departments
  • Not releasing the revolutionaries after ratification of the bail by the Public Prosecution
  • Arresting children and minors and imprisoning them with prisoners of major crimes and repeat offenders
  • Violation of international laws and children’s law

Accordingly, we in South Khartoum & Al-Kalakla Resistance Committees Coordination condemn all forms of violence and unprofessional and immoral practices perpetrated by the coup authorities and its agents against all honorable revolutionaries and we will stand as an impenetrable dam against these violations and we will oppose and resist them with all our tried and innovative peaceful means.

Media Office

June 18, 2022

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Kibalama trying to revive the lost…

The former President the former president of National Unity Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP), Moses Kibalama is trying to make himself relevant again. This after losing in the courts, which dismissed his petition in October 21 2020. As he sought to regain the lost party called NURP, which was rebranded to the National Unity Platform (NUP), the political party of the People Power Movement and run under a new leadership of Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.

It reminds of a quotation from the judgement in the High Court from 2020, which says this:

The applicant in this case ought to have applied for judicial review within 3 months after the change of name of the party from NURP to NUP i.e by 6th June2019 but instead the applicants filed this application on 24th August 2020 after over one year. This application was made with a view of making some money during the election season and the applicants have no genuine grievance but rather want to be relevant and make some quick cash” (High Court, 21.10.2020).

So, seeing Kibalama building and rebranding a “new” headquarter in Lubaga is just nonsense at best. That’s just toying around with a ship that has sailed. The deal and agreement is sealed. Even the courts didn’t entertain him. Therefore, this gig is over and the show is over.

Kibalama wants to be in the spotlight and his party, which he founded back in the day became relevant. Heck, it became viable because the People Power Movement and Bobi Wine infused enthusiasm and a red wave, which Kibalama never would have achieved or dreamed off.

This is a Moses that never got enter Canaan and Joshua came into it instead. That’s why Kibalama is acting like this. He know he lost and has no real ownership of it anymore. It is really tragic that he does this… but he has no leverage or option to recover ownership of it either. That’s why he lost and was dismissed.

Certainly, no one should ever take this man serious again. He even made up and had talks after the case with Bobi Wine. So, this man knows the gist.

Well, just to show how quickly the man changes his mind. Only in February this year. Bobi Wine visited him and wrote this: “We spent part of today visiting mzee Moses Nkonge Kibalama, the former NUP President. Despite the challenges we had in the past, we have continued to be in touch with him and to offer support to him and his colleagues in their different endeavours. We are glad to see that his health has greatly improved.” (Bobi Wine, 22.02.2022).

Now, the same man is now trying revive himself and become the leader of the lost. However, the party he founded isn’t the same as the one running now. It is another machine and with another Party President, which is more successful. Bobi Wine has achieved something Kibalama never could or had the ability too.

That’s why he wants it back now. Because the NUP matters now is in Kamwokya and has a seat at the table. The NUP that means someone has MPs and a leader who faces off with the ones in charge. Maybe he wants another additional 5 million shillings or whatnot. Since the money-pit dried up and his not getting serviced like in the past.

Kibalama is a just a tragic figure. The “new” HQ is just a proof of that. He should rest and retire. This man will not be resurrected on the third day. The NUP he once knew is long gone and no way he can return to it. The only thing he can is to talk and have moments of nostalgia. Peace.

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Opinion: “Team Thorough” forgot to get blessed by the “high above”

A strategy meeting of ruling NRM coordinators under their pressure group “NRM team thorough” turned rowdy right before a walkout. This was after the angry supporters claimed they had not been recognized and compensated for mobilizing support for President Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 Presidential Election. The NRM Secretariat has disowned the group, saying the previous elections were scientific and it never had a covenant with anyone” (NBS Television, 18.06.2022).

A sub-group outside the official National Resistance Movement “umbrella” organizations has convened today and felt dissatisfied, because they haven’t been acknowledged for their work or compensated for it. However, there is digital records dating back to August 2019, which shows the existence of the “NRM Team Thorough YKM 2021” with the chief coordinator Eng.Idiri Kiiza Kamuntu.

Today isn’t only a sad day that the NRM Team Thorough YKM 2021 isn’t recognized or acknowledge by the NRM Secretariat or the NRM CEC for that matter, which is that the former Chief Coordinator Idiri Kiiza Kamuntu has only been deceased for two weeks; because he lack funds and couldn’t afford treatment. Therefore, even the hard-working political activists like him and his demise can easily happen. A man of the party and for the President who still isn’t helped or gotten any sort of direct support from the state. He died at Mulago Hospital for the lack of medicine. So, when that happened to the big-man and coordinator of the organization. Who thought the Organization itself would be supported?

It has happened before that parts of the NRM Team Thorough YKM 2021 have resorted to renegade against the organization and the party itself. In November 2020 Deus Mwebaze reported: “A group of NRM youths hailing from Eastern Uganda have vowed not to canvass support for the ruling party in case they are not paid their allowances. The youths under their umbrella organization Team Thorough for Yoweri Kaguta Museveni” (Mwebaze, November 2020).

That this NRM sub-group or organization thought it was special or could get any favours is just funny. In hindsight, anyone who is not vouched for or been blessed by the NRM Central Executive Committee, if not been invited to the State House and heard a lecture from the President there. Than you know your swimming against the tide. There will be no direct help or monetary gains from it.

The NRM Team Thorough YKM 2021 clearly haven’t followed what happened to NRM Poor Youth or any sort of NRM based organization. If it doesn’t have clearance or a sponsor from the high ranking officials of the state. There will be no will or heart in it. They will be left alone and will swim among the sharks.

These sorts of upstarts needs to petition the State House ahead of the elections and try to get a NRM Historical or a Stalwart in the NRM to vouch for them. If not it’s totally useless and nobody will care. This election was all about launching counter-productive measures towards People Power and the NUP. That’s why the likes of “Team Thorough” didn’t mean diddly squat to the NRM Secretariat.

This sort of story should be a warning. You can work and mobilize for months upon end. You can invest and spend all your time for the party. However, if you do it for organizations or sub-groups, which is not directly associated or vouched for. It is directly pointless, because they will acknowledge or respect your work. They will downplay it or openly disregard it. Peace.

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