My honest letter to the newfound peacemaker President Museveni!

Dear Sir, His Excellency (H.E.) President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni!

Though I am surely not so dear to you, I am sure if you we’re ever to read one of my pieces. I would end up in Luzira or even Nalufenya, in a dungeon not seeing daylight before my mind was weaken and my thirst for liberty and justice was all over. That is what would be my ending, if you got your will. As many others who has questioned your rule and your power. They have lost their days and their lives, they have been detained and been tortured. This is something you know and done your orders. That is well-known.

So the last week has boggled me, how you at the time taking the Chairmanship of the East African Community, which goes between the Member States. Therefore, your place there after the Tanzanian President Joseph Pombe Magufuli isn’t shocking. What is more important, is the stages of your concern of the nations around you. How you suddenly want to invest your time and urges to change and give hope the republic’s around you.

That you travel on credit to London to talk on AMISOM and possible peace in Somalia, than later you travel to Tanzania and discuss the sanctions and say the EAC should be able to solve what is in-house, and today you are in South Sudan, giving advice on National Dialogue there. You are certainly occupied with other nations troubles.

In London, United Kingdom on the 12th May you said: “However, our strongly held view is that it is not enough to check Al-Shabaab. Somalia must heal completely and stand on its own feet. In our view, there are a number of bottlenecks that stop the complete healing of Somalia” (Museveni, 12.05.2017). In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on the 20th May you said: “Burundi is our member and no action should be taken against it without our input. Our house is our house” (Museveni, 20.05.2017). Today in Juba, South Sudan you said: “Within the party, speak frankly to each other. Reach decisions by voting or consensus. Raise issues by having regular meetings in the party. Insist on having meetings in party organs. Never use force. Violence should be a means of last resort” (Museveni, 22.05.2017).

That you suddenly are the grand peacemaker is weird, the man who done his thing civil-war and coup d’etat in Uganda, you have been involved in two wars inside the Democratic Republic of Congo, you ushered the rebellion and ruling party of Rwanda Patriotic Front/Army in Rwanda. You have sent your army without mandate into South Sudan. The other mandated forces has been operations against Lord Resistance Army in Central African Republic and the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Also, being hired security agents without consent of parliament in the Equatorial Guinea. I am sure you have used them differently, like lately the UPDF helping mission for the SPLA in Bieh State in South Sudan in April 2017. So the use of army for your own gain and the foreign exchange is also well-known.

Therefore, that you suddenly speaks of peace, negotiations and of consensus, it must be a lingo you dislike. As you yourself want to get rid of opposition in Uganda and want only the one who agree with you. Therefore, that you advice President Salva Kiir Mayardit to talk consensus, while in Buyengo Sub-County on the 9th May you said: “I am tired of wars. I want you to vote for pro-NRM members of parliament like our party flag-bearer, Mr Moses Walyomu.” (…) “I don’t want to go back to the bush to fight again. Don’t send me people who will disagree with me in parliament. I fought in 1986 and I am tired.”(Kirunda, Nakato & Katabulawo, 2017). So it is not like you believe the words you said in Juba today, aye? It seems more like a ploy and pigment of imagination, since you need to say this to look wise for the world. But we know that this isn’t the real you, you don’t believe in consensus, you believe in your vision and doesn’t trust anyone else, but yourself.

That you speak of violence as last resort, what about all the tear-gas as the opposition? What about all the harassment of them? What about all the ones detained for their political affiliation? Than, I also have to ask, why did all of the innocent had to die in violence in November 2016 in Kasese? There are so many questions, you should also answer for detaining all the kids of suspects in the killing of AIGP Andrew Kaweesi? If you doesn’t want to resolve with violence, why is the Flying Squad and the UPDF so quick to spread fear every-time there is ballots and elections. Why did you send the fighter airplanes to fly over Kampala on the days after the Presidential Election in 2016? I ask these questions since you tell people not to use violence, but speaking frankly; which I am doing to you now.

So with your history of violence, your love of guns and militarized government. I have little or to be honest. No faith in your mediation. Mr. President you have no character of trying to make peace. You have only made war and stifled your opposition. Therefore, very few of your adversaries are still alive. Most of them is gone, as well as the UNLA mates are gone and others who has stood in you way.

President Museveni, a leader and Commander-in-Chief since 1986, what sort of history and guidance can you bring from you experience and reasoning inside the Ugandan Republic, to build bridges in Burundi and South Sudan? Other than, bring the Special Forces Command and blow the possible enemies to pieces, Mr. President is that avoiding violence? Or throw tear-gas at consultation meetings of Opposition parties, is that mediation and consensus, Mr. President?

I am just asking because this is your advice… your own advice to the fellow brother in South Sudan, Somalia and in Burundi. Kinda hard to follow where you reside and run the nation, aye?

With

Best Regards

The Writer of MinBane!

Reference:

Kirunda, Abubaker; Nakato, Tausi & Katabulawo, Andrew – ‘I don’t want opposition in parliament, says President Museveni’ (09.05.2017) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/I-don-t-want-opposition-in-parliament–says-President-Museveni/688334-3919496-71atniz/index.html

RDC: Sud-Kivu – “Quote Part du Gouvernorat sur les Frais Remuneratoires percus per SAESSCAM” (19.05.2017)

State House Supplementary Budget for FY 2017/2018 is practically a watered-down cocktail!

The original budget for the State House in Uganda in the budget year of 2017/2018 was the stunning Shs. 245.567 billion shillings. That should have been more than sufficient, even should cover for more than utilities and all the Presidential Advisors hired by the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Still, this week, they needed to add the bill and use more monies in the State House. The 245 billion shillings was not enough for one-year, they need more!

So in Parliament yesterday:

“Parliament’s budget committee has raised concern over the Shs 23.1 billion supplementary budget request from State House – less than two months to the end of 2016/2017” (Radiocity 97FM, 18.05.2017). That means that the State House plans to use Shs. 268,667 billion shillings. This now is for other than usual staff and for the bloated arrogance of a state organization like the Entebbe State House. Certainly, Presidential Spokesperson Don Wanyama and Director of Uganda Media Centre Ofwono Opondo will defend this. Since they are eating their envelopes from these budget posts.

However, the use of the supplementary budget should get under question, as the levels of futile spending should be under the loop and not just accepted. Just as the NBS Television reported: “State House asks for supplementary budget of UGX23bn; UGX365m for water bills i.e. at least UGX1m is spent on water bills day” (NBS Television, 17.05.2017).

That a county and a republic where most struggle to feed themselves, the President and his court has the audacity to spend Shs. 1 million a day! The ordinary Ugandans cannot nearly afford sugar that has hit the skyrocketed prices of Shs. 7,500 shillings; t. As their misuse of funds goes into the insane.

That the 30 years of ruling and the National Resistance Movement (NRM), proves that the old man with the hat, is too used to sponge of the state reserves and use it as his own pocket. The clear evident is in the budget and supplementary budget for the State House. Which entails all sort of ministerial works, which is ironic, in the sense that bloated cabinet should have ministries and agencies to fix the other outlaying issues and government work. Instead, it all is spend to through the roof of Entebbe State and the Okello House.

It surely must be genuine and special water in the faucets of the State House. Since the prices and the budget proves the massive spending on it. It must be the clearest and most luxurious water installation in the whole republic. Surely, the water is not bleak; it is like party coming into the taps. It must be so clean, that the WASH agents in other parts of Uganda, so they could wish they had it for the ones in need.

President Museveni, hope you enjoy your expensive water and do not buy any brew. Since the shs. 1 million water per day must really be the best! The smartest would be to tap, bottled and sold nationwide as Okello House water; therefore, you could spread the news about the fantastic State House water. This is why it cost so much. That is just one part of the puzzle, which is the meagre Shs. 365 million, the rest is Shs. 268 billion shillings. This is spend on all the other parts of the State House! That shows the disregard for state institutions, as one of the key beneficiary budget posts, are the State House, where the services comes directly from. Peace.

Debatt: Hva hadde skjedd i Norge om en leiesoldat eller fremmedkriger hadde tatt liv?

Idag er Joshua French tilbake i Norge, på selveste 17. Mai etter 8 år i fengel i Kongolesiske fengler. I en fremmed republikk der han reiste inn uten lovlig våpen, sammen med en kollega (Tjolstov Moland) som var innvolvert i mulig drap av deres sjåfør. Dette etter å vært en del av ulisensiert selskap i Kampala, Uganda. Der våpentrening og ammunisjon ble brukt i Uganda. Alt dette har skjedd, det er definitivt at de var en del av ulisensiert sikkerhetsselkap som reiste på oppdrag inn i Kongo. Det er akkurat som dette er glemt. Til og med Politisjef eller Politidirektør Edward Kale Kayihura kjente ikke til den virksomheten eller hadde registrert selskapet som French jobbet for. Alt dette burde sees som skeptisk på de motiv og de jobber de hadde i Øst-Afrika.

Derfor er ikke jeg helt sjarmert eller synes det er helt greit at han kommer hjem. Ville vi latt det samme skjedd om mennesker kom med ulovlig våpen, med ulisensiert sikkerhetsselskap og vært involvert i drapssak. Ville vi latt disse menneskene bare forlate landet og ikke respektere det livet som har gått tapt. At den kongolesiske rettstat og suverenitet ikke virker respektert. Den flatterende holdningen fra nrodmenn. Som ser ned på beskriver rettsaken som brutalt og nedverdigende. Vi burde kanskje passe oss selv, vi har selv et rettsvesen som ikke er perfekt der vi sender mindreårige asylsøkere til konfliktsoner og krigssoner, uten å tenke konsekvenser. Der vi bryter med internasjon rett og justis.

Jeg er ikk stolt av den norske regjering idag og det de har fått til. De har satt dobbelt-moral i spill, der en nordmann kan komme hjem, som en fri person etter drap i utland. Der ja, personen har sonet i fengsel og moren har fulgt etter. Likevel, det er en familie og lite en rettstat verdig. Jeg er ikke stolt. Heller fortvilet. Alle sprer gleden, men burde vi være det? Hva om lignende hadde skjedd i Norge?

Hva om et drap hadde skjedd på Lund i Kristiansand. Der det var to utlandsk statsborger uten opphold eller våpentillatelse hadde drept en norsk taxi-sjåfør. De begge jobbet for et utlandsk sikkerhetsselskap som ikke lisensert i Norge, ei heller i Sverige hvor de opererte fra. Der de hadde hatt våpentrening i Uppsala. Der de planla oppdrag og jobbet samme med andre. Hadde vi godtatt denne holdnigen og hatt denne reaksjonen. Om vi visste at to personer med utlandsk statsborgerskap hadde drept en norsk taxi-sjåfør på Lund i Kristiansand. Ville vi latt personene forlate landet og uten benådning? Ville vi godtatt at personene fikk gått fri og uten noen tvist med landet som de kommer fra?

Dette er dobbelt-moral og hvorfor det er irriterende. At vi oppter så hyklerisk. Det er ubeskrivelig og forkastelig. At en person som har vært med på lyssky virksomhet i Uganda og Demokratisk Republikken i Kongo (DRC). Ville vi har latt en person eller flere, hvis de drev med virksomhet som leiesoldater eller fremmedkrigere, ulovlige sikkerhetsvakter- og sikkerhetsselskap i Norge. Ville vi latt disse gått fri etter drap her i Norge/Kristiansand?


Jeg tror ikke det, det ville overgått vår rettsforståelse, våre tanker rundt det tapte livet og vår forståelse hva som rett. Vi kunne ikke godta at noen tok liv her og for så å kunne forlate kongeriket etter få år sonet her. Der de da ville være fri menn i landet de er statsborger i. Hvis ikke du ser hvor krenkende dette er på kongolesiske myndigheter og deres rettvesen, så vet ikke jeg hvor blind du på den falske frihetssfølelsen som man innhar.

Da lever i fortsatt i en kolonialistiske tankegang, der vi er mer verdt or vår rettstat betyr mer den kongolesiske. Noe denne saken viser at mange gjør. Til å med Statsminister Erna Solberg, gir krass kritikk av den Kongolesisk stat og dens rettstat, nå som French returnernte til Norge. Vi burde også ha gitt kritikk til nordmann som drev lyssky virksomhet og som burde under alle omstendigheter vært under soning i Norge. Ikke fri, eller er det greit at nordmenn i utlandet dreper? For slik kan vi også tolke denne dagen, at drapsmenn fra utlandet vil vi gjerne ha tilbake igjen?

Vi vil bare ikke ha fremmedkrigere som ikke er etnisk Norske tilbake igjen, de som drar til Syria og dreper for grupperinger der. De kan sone fengselsstraffer, men om en «ekte» nordmann er med på drap i Kongo. Så er det fest- og glede. Lenge leve dobbelt-moralen og kongeriket Norge. Der vi frigjør lykkejegere og drapsmennen på det Afrikanske kontinent, men har problem med andre. Peace.

Bukedea district: NRM Government neglect to another level, they are stealing from their starving citizens!

Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.”Harry Truman (Special Message to the Congress on the Internal Security of the United States, August 8, 1950).

Certainly, the National Resistance Movement and their government doesn’t seem to care how they look. None of their pledges or even written letters to the Local Government matters. Not even in the midst of famine and starvation. You would think that a government and their agencies had sense of keeping their promises to the ones who needs the most basic in life – as their plates are empty after droughts and bad governance. Therefore, the NRM has no sense, when the Bukedea district are reacting that their promised food relief is less; than promised from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Dr. Ruhakana Ruganda and his department. Certainly, this is disrespecting the people and the citizens of Bukedea. Take a look!

Mike Okwii, the district secretary for health and social services wants the matter investigated expeditiously before they can distribute what they have received. “According to the letter signed by the commissioner of disaster and preparedness, Bukedea was supposed to get 800 bags of posho and 400 bags of beans. But the district has received only 400 bags of posho and 50 bags of beans, which is shocking. So for us at the district leadership, we have decided not to distribute this food. Not until when OPM delivers all the food items”, he said. Okwii confirmed that as of now, nobody has given them any response as to why the Office of the Prime Minister delivered consignments that have fewer supplies that what was declared. “Nobody has given us the right answer why they delivered less food compared to what is on the delivery note. The minister for Teso Affairs is going to follow the matter because you can imagine the minister came to Bukedea to allocate food to the sub-counties. Little did she know that she allocated food which is not even there”, he added (URN, 2017).

The reason for the disrespect is staggering as the reports of termites and insects to survive, proves the lacking governance and upkeep of institutions. Also, the agricultural sector has been left behind, as the irrigation and thinking of how use water in farming. Certainly, the food relief is a way of making sure the people eat while they wait for next season and possible time to start farming again. These in regions that has been hard hit and the government had been warned by FAO and FEWSNET, so these reports should have forewarned them.

Food is required besides the medication. If someone is sick, the first treatment is food; medicine works well on a well fed body,” said Dr. Chebitai” (New Vision, 2017). Therefore, with the knowledge that the state still has the capacity to not deliver what so needed and necessary is not only a theft, but taken food of the plates of those who starve. That the NRM has the audacity to this proves how they can easily neglect their citizens. Even taking away their first treatment, that is the level of disappointment, the ruling regime can to do their own. Peace.

Reference:

New Vision – ‘Parliament staff donate food items to Teso’ (07.05.2017) link:http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1453187/parliament-staff-donate-food-items-teso

Opinion: President Kabila appoints new Cabinet, but he is 141 days on overtime! (Time to leave for Togo?)

On the 19th December 2016 the last term of President Joseph Kabila went out. The Democratic Republic of Congo we’re the opposition negotiation through Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Congo (CENCO) agreement on the 31st December 2016. Still, the President hasn’t left any sign of leaving. As the Army are fighting on different front, are trying to avoid more problems, but having civil war situation in Kasai-Oriental, where the province has rebels killing and the army doing the same.

There are not been any visible signs that he is stepping down or giving way. Neither any clear signs of up-coming elections. Like there are just figment of imagination that his term went out in December 19th 2016. That is 4 months and 20 days that he is on overtime, without any consideration of the violation of the Third Republic. The Democratic Republic of Congo deserves better and should have legitimate President. Also, if you count days he has already spent total 141 days, which he shouldn’t be the Commander-in-Chief and President.

Therefore, 141 days on overtime, the news that he has unleashed a new cabinet and new set of ministers. Proves the violation and the rights of the Republic is being misused and misguided. I don’t care to look into the men and woman appointed, because that isn’t fair to the citizens of the DRC. They deserve a legit President and a regime they have elected. Not someone using the army and the resources as their personal business.

Even if on this date that the President appointed 47 Ministers and 11 Vice-Ministers. They are surely all loyal to Kabila, as they doesn’t care about the constitution, nor the laws that the Third Republic are supposed to have.

The Constitution of 2005 says clearly:

Article 70: The President of the Republic is elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of five years which is renewable only once. At the end of his term, the President stays in office until the President-Elect effectively assumes his functions” (Democratic Republic of Congo – The Constitution of 2005).

So he has had two terms, plus the waiting term after the assassination of his father, who also was President. Therefore, because of that, he has already had three terms in that respect, but only elected in two. Now he is on his fourth without any consent or ballots. That because cannot be elected as long as the Constitution is written like this. The thing that he didn’t do, like many other totalitarian leaders, they change the laws to fit their paradigm and continues “legally”. He is functioning as President while waiting to President-Elect assumes his functions. But with no election and no plan of doing so, there is no evidence of him leaving.

That is even more evident as he changes and appoint a new Cabinet, with lots of ministers loyal to him. It is within the law that he appoint ministers. Still, it is 141 days since he had legitimate powers and was the President. Right now, he shouldn’t be preoccupied with who leads Communications or where Lambert Mende is working. President Kabila, should be come a civilian or join Yayah Jammeh in Equatorial Guinea, even go to Togo like Mobotu!

After a weekend of confusing reports on Mobutu’s whereabouts, CNN confirmed on Monday that he was in Togo, escaping there early Sunday just ahead of rebels advancing on his home in the northern Zairian village of Gbadolite” (…) “Mobutu — who fled Kinshasa on Friday, the day before rebels entered the capital in force — was resting in a residence belonging to his old friend, Togolese dictator Gnassingbe Eyadema, government officials in the West African nation said” (Arnett, 1997).

So if he would do the 3rd Republic a favor, he would leave the Presidency and leave the Nation. It doesn’t seem to be possible at this point. President Kabila has not conceded or tried to give way. Therefore, the trust of him leaving power, seems day-by-day unlikely. President Kabila shows that he uses his power and capacity, as the army are loyal to him. This proves that the elections seems far-fetched, since he has not showed anything feasible or even tried to even get tenders for ballots.

That President Kabila will say elections are expensive, the are to many rebellions, that the M23 are in the Kivu’s, that FDLR are doing their thing, that ADF-NALU still existing, that the Kamunia Nsapu and other groups killing in different provinces. This will all be used as tactics to postpone the elections and make sure there are no official date for elections, nor ordering ballots or securing funds for the Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI). They will all be left behind, since there are no plans or wish of the President to get a successor. That means he will leave all his power behind!

This new government is just a disgrace… and not respecting the Constitution of the 3rd Republic. Neither, it is clear disrespect of the people and republic. President Kabila doesn’t own the nation and the public doesn’t owe him anything, they deserves some who legitimate rule them. Time for Kabila to follow the fleeing President and leave for Togo! Peace.

Reference:

Arnett, Peter – ‘Mobutu in Togo as Zaire rebels assume leadership’ (19.05.1997) link:http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9705/19/zaire/index.html?eref=sitesearch

In the Teso Region they are eating termites to survive the famine!

There are something deeply wrong, so sincerely wrong when the citizens doesn’t get needed food relief and have to eat termites and insects to survive. This is the state of the famine now in Teso Region, in Katakwi, Amuria, Bukedea and Kaberamaido district.

Mr Robert Okitoi, the Amuria District council chairperson, said “The situation is bad, people are now eating termites. I think the government should just declare a state of emergency for the regions of Teso, Karamoja and Lango.” (NTV Uganda, 01.06.2017). On the 26th April 2017 the Parliament has passed a motion to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Uganda, but the President and the State House has not done anything about it.

Still, a local farmer wrote a piece to the Chimp Reports that has some valuable assessments:

The current hunger in Teso has largely been attributed to drought, while this assertion may hold some truths; there is increasingly evidence that the Ministry of Teso Affairs has not done its part. Hunger in Teso is as a result of both internal and external factors. For many years, the region has been experiencing declining productivity and this was recently worsened by drought. For districts like Ngora, Bukedia and Kumi, land fragmentation has heavily affected productivity” (…) “Clearly besides drought, Teso food systems are in a crisis and our expectation was that the Ministry of Teso affairs working with other stakeholders would work to address this problem. Our view is that hunger should be among the ‘affairs’ that Ministry of Teso Affairs should be engaged in.Agriculture remains a major livelihood for our people in Teso and therefore we require urgent response from Ministry of Teso Affairs on its plans to help our people get out of the current hunger crisis”(Akorikin, 2017).

This here proves that the drought is just the last piece of the straw in a bigger problem, that even the State Ministry has not been in-charge and had the oversight of the Teso Region. There are lacking the support they need. Still, the government still have done something now and then. Like this one relief to Kaberamaido district: “Kaberamaido district has finally received 12, 000 kilograms of relief food from government valued at Shillings 33 million. Kaberamaido is among the districts battling a severe food crisis resulting from crop failure due to prolonged drought. The most affected areas in the district are Ochero, Bululu, Kobulubulu, Kaberamaido, and Apapai sub counties. With over 5,000 households facing starvation representing about half of the total population in the district, the 12,000 kilograms of flour delivered is far from solving the food crisis” (Odongo, 2017). That means on the 30th April 2017, the government delivered 12.000kgs of flour that is estimated to be 231,000 citizens in the district alone. Therefore, you don’t have to be rocket scientist to know that this food relief to the one district isn’t enough…

The minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Hilary Onek, has offered a bit of advice to the hunger-stricken; stop selling the little food you have left. Onek said the weather has become so unreliable for Ugandans to hold on to the little hope for better yields. “They should consider family needs first before selling all the food. Districts like Lira had a lot of food but it [food] was sold to traders from Kenya, South Sudan and even Rwanda because people want money,” he said in an interview. Asked whether government would consider banning the sale of food to outsiders, Onek said they wouldn’t, in the spirit of the East African Community. “That is not an option we will consider; we only want people to behave responsibly to take care of their family needs before they sell all the food,” he said” (UMDF, 2017).

So now the Minister Onek gives advice to the impoverished citizens, so that they are careful with their food stocks, as the relief of the districts are not up-to par. Therefore, that they didn’t stock the extra foods and now they tell the families to take of it. The government could have used their resources and built food-stocks, instead of living hand to mouth. The small-time farmers in the Teso-Region certainly, needs more than fear of selling what they don’t have, they need support and food relief.

The state also has to facilitate the farmers, not in Operation Wealth Creation or Jerry-Can irrigation, but real projects, storage of food-stocks and recreate farmers Co-Ops in the districts and sub-counties to collectively earn and work together to get better yields and also productivity in general. But that isn’t a scheme and way the National Resistance Movement can corrupt or thieve the funds from. Therefore, that will not happen and is the reason why the similar institutions are gone during the decades of President Museveni.

The Teso Region and these district needs help, the man-made famine together with the drought that has worsen it. So the Government has to charge and actually make a difference, not just thieve monies away from Kampala. Peace.

Reference:

Akorikin, Francis – ‘OPINION: Government Should Review the Relevance of Ministry of Teso Affairs’ (05.05.2017) link: https://www.chimpreports.com/opinion-government-should-review-the-relevance-of-ministry-of-teso-affairs/

Odongo, Ronald – ‘Kaberamaido Receives 12,000 KGs of Food Relief’ (30.04.2017) link: https://ugandaradionetwork.com/story/govt-delivers-12000-kilograms-of-posho-worth-ugx-33m-to-famine-hit-residents

Uganda Media Development Foundation (UMDF) – ‘HILARY ONEK TO HUNGER VICTIMS: DON’T SELL FOOD’ (01.05.2017) link: https://www.umdf.or.ug/?q=content/hilary-onek-hunger-victims-don%E2%80%99t-sell-food

The Wonderful Dictator Museveni says to his starving citizens: “that they are eating their state services!”

A dictator who is elected 5 times. That must be a wonderful dictator. That must be a special one” – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (Al Jazeera Interview on the Talk to Al Jazeera, 29.04.2017).

First of President Museveni isn’t in his 5th Term, rewriting the history as they have deleted the coup d’etat in 1986 as well, as the period into the first election of 1996. Therefore, he has decade most people tries to forget, where he was “unelected” and power-grabbing. If you then count on the time and such, the right amount of terms would be that he is currently in his 7th !

Well, enough of the sadness of how many terms the 31 year long ruling and wonderful dictator has, today he had to cast his spell on the Labor Day and show his fury of his lazy citizens. Not that he is that hardworking himself, as he eats of the plate himself and empty the state reserves to buy private planes. But that is another discussion!

Therefore, here is the key parts of the speech that is important for me to discuss!

On the issue of the shortage of food in some areas that hit us last season, my advice is to use relief very carefully for two reasons. The first reason is that relief can kuremaza (disorient) our people away from production to, instead, get in the habit of waiting for relief. Secondly, Ugandans should know that when we are eating relief food, we should know that we are chewing a road, a school or a health centre. Therefore, relief should only be for the really unavoidable situations. It should not be used by politicians for cheap popularity or frivolously (let us take the government food since it is available) or even for corruption by government officials (get the food for selling claiming that it is for relief). Finally, I would like to say that work is the only way to get people out of poverty. I, therefore, urge all Ugandans to develop a positive attitude to work. The NRM government will continue to provide an enabling environment for establishing businesses and creation of employment” (Museveni, 2017).

That he has problem that people are asking and needing food relief is beyond me. Secondly calling them disoriented because of the lacking yields, the burning fire of the sun and the result of the El Nino. But that is just me. That the State and Government could have made sure the rainwater was saved and have more structure so they wasn’t starving in the first place. But then again, Mr. President is never at fault, always casting blame on someone else. Therefore, the citizens is to blame for lacking rains and yields, and also lacking government policies and will to implement some sort agency that support the farmers.

The popularity he speaks of it the ones that want the President to act and declare an emergency, as the volatile and dire situation, as so many people in the hurt districts are eating less a meal a day! Still, he claims people are trading and selling the food without giving it away for relief. Like they sometimes do with clothes, the secondhand rule that some is given, but other is traded away for profits on the secondhand markets. If it was so, shouldn’t the president set his standard and authority to stop this men and woman from thieving the food from the ones in need? I guess he is lazy and disoriented, eating of the licensed roads and royalties of oil prospects instead of really feeding the ones in need.

This isn’t about poverty itself, it is the core mismanagement of his 7th term government, the lack of institution and the lack agricultural oversight, as the jerrycans into prosperity is a lie. That the starvation and famine is about attitude and not about lacking government oversight. If it was the latter and not the first, he was to blame; since he is the kingpin on the top and should have acted before the famine occur, but that had happen if he was legitimate leader. Nevertheless, he is self-made, self-righteous, individual who doesn’t care how ruthless and inconsiderate he is. This wasn’t words uttered for the betterment of the Republic of Uganda, it was to wash to hands of his sins and walk away from the problems. That because the famine and the food insecurity was made of lazy Ugandans and not because of drought…

Well, the wonderful dictator has hands in the state reserves and dislike that he cannot expand his ranch as much usual, pay of his daughters travels expenses or Lady Janet luxurious footwear. Who knows where all the confidential funds go, but certainly not drip-drop/bottle irrigation scheme. Certainly, this President isn’t worried about district roads, which is nearly impossible to travel through in Abletong on anywhere else for that matter. So when he says that the public is eating of roads and other infrastructure projects when they are starving during droughts and famines. Shows little mercy, this little despot with no empathy… it is gone with all the souls he has captured and stolen their future from by staying in power, I guess.

That President Museveni trying to put a spell on the people for trying to survive in hard-times, in times of tribulations and drought, as the state as struggling to give them a decent food relief. The man in charge is saying they are the reason for lacking roads and infrastructure projects because of that! Than, he also says the ones who stands firm in Parliament, asking for him to humble himself and stand down. To beg for mercy and help, to gain extra support and tell that he has mismanaged the Republic with a “State of Emergency” proves true leadership. They want their leader to take responsibility!

If he was truly elected 5 times, wouldn’t he offer more to the ones that he needed their support? Alas, it isn’t so, because he knows he rigs and put fear into the public… instead of having their real support and getting their votes. If he had so, he might have showed some flair and said he would help them because it was his duty. Not that the people are eating of the infrastructure budget.

Me translating so anyone really understand what he is understating in his speech today:“You lazy bastards are eating of government money because you are starving, you should be able to dig roots and eat rats, not eat of the state reserves. The sun didn’t burn that hard and you didn’t collect enough water with your bare hands. While I am driving 30 cars convoys and flying overseas to be a VIP. How dare you insult these foreign investors by eating my road money, aye?”. That is what you can take from the speech of this wonderful President and wonderful dictator Museveni! Peace.

Reference:

Museveni, Yoweri Kaguta – ‘SPEECH ON THE OCCASION TO MARK INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY’ (01.05.2017) link: https://www.yowerikmuseveni.com/speech-occasion-mark-international-labour-day

RDC: ACO – “Concerne: Suspension provisoire du vos fonctions” (29.04.2017)

VII Session Extraordinaire du CEEAC – Communique Finale du Conseil des Ministres (29.04.2017)