Minister of Justice Kahinda Otafiire could not miss out. He joined our rally! He waved to both Besigye and our supporters! Give him some V signs in appreciation. Times have changed! #WesigeBesigye
A powerful moment and also real gentlemanship of them both! Peace!
On Saturday and Sunday last week, I joined Dr Kizza Besigye as he campaigned in Mityana and Mubende districts. On Monday, Besigye campaigned in the districts of Kyegegwa and Kyenjojo. He was in Kamwenge yesterday and will today traverse Bundibugyo and Ntoroko. Col Besigye will complete the Tooro sub-region tomorrow and return to Ankole through Rubirizi, up to Bushenyi.
The response in Mityana was overwhelming, but expected. It is Mubende that made a big statement. I travelled in the same vehicle with Kampala lord mayor Erias Lukwago and Lubaga North MP Moses Kasibante. Because of the crowds along the main road, we occasionally stopped to at least greet them.
A senior NRM leader from Mubende later told me that “the MPs may win, but for Mzee, I don’t know”. Mubende has in the past overwhelmingly voted for Museveni, the reason it was nicknamed the Karamoja of Buganda. But this Karamoja of Buganda has significantly changed.
At Busimbi grounds, where we had the main rally, the crowd was as big as has been the case elsewhere, almost bigger than Mukono’s. The enthusiasm, especially among young people, was even more humbling. And there is no better person that illustrated the need for change than Mr Odrek Rwabwogo, husband to one of President Museveni’s daughters. While campaigning for the post of NRM vice chairman in charge of western Uganda, Rwabwogo noted that his father-in-law seized power when Uganda had 10 million people. Last year’s national census put the country’s total population at over 34 million people. This means that at least 24 million people have been born when Museveni is president. And to Rwabwogo, the new generation needed some “fresh air”.
That is what I saw in Mubende. Blue T-shirts bearing the FDC logo and Dr Besigye’s portrait were not being distributed but sold along streets. And of course Besigye continued receiving gifts, especially goats, everywhere he went. There is a gentleman who gave him Shs 400,000 at the Mubende rally. This one did it more dramatically by handing him a Shs 50,000 note at a time as the crowd ululated. The same man again pulled out a bundle of Shs 20,000 notes and started showering lord mayor Lukwago with a note at a time. This was followed by the offering of goats, some draped in Besigye posters.
The NRM leader I mentioned earlier told me “it will be difficult to resist the wave of change this time”.
I am sure Mr Museveni watches and analyses these images daily. He knows his days are numbered. It is the reason he has started attacking media organizations. The crime of NTV and Daily Monitor is to continue broadcasting and printing these images. At FDC, we actually think the media has not reported the full extent of this wave of change, but we are not editors to determine that. The truth is that Besigye has bigger crowds than all the other candidates combined. And these crowds are not ferried, because the FDC and all Besigye supporters don’t have enough resources.
You remember the talk of switching off NTV? Thank God it was a rumour. I have been told other TV proprietors, including those of NBS and WBS, have been summoned by State House and warned. Of course for Daily Monitor, it is routine. When the paper had just started, Museveni always complained against it and its founders were dismissed as Acholis who wanted to remove the new government. All people with names starting with letter O – Obbo, Oguttu, Ogen and Ouma – have since left the Monitor but Museveni’s hatred continues. I will, in a future article, revisit this relationship.
I want to concentrate more on the Sunday violence in Ntungamo. I saw images of young people wearing Museveni campaign T-shirts being battered by candidate Amama Mbabazi’s supporters. And this was also expected. There is no presidential candidate that has suffered at the hands of NRM hooligans like Amama. Television stations showed us NRM youths defacing Amama’s posters in Bushenyi in broad daylight. And Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde flew a Museveni campaign chopper to the venue of Mbabazi’s rally in Fort Portal, moments before his arrival! All these look like actions of a panicky dictator. I was happy when NRM Secretary General Kasule Lumumba condemned these actions and distanced the ruling party from them. But the fact that they have continued is a clear indicator that someone somewhere is encouraging and probably financing them. What the police should have done was to arrest Ronald Kibuule when he lined up NRM youths along Mukono town council streets to provoke Amama.
Again police should have arrested Ntungamo municipality MP Yona Musinguzi who was seen distributing Museveni T-shirts to youths that stormed the venue for a Mbabazi rally. The reason presidential candidates harmonized campaign programmes was to avoid such scenarios. What inspector general of police Kale Kayihura is forgetting is that when you unleash violence, you are actually teaching everybody to be violent. In fact, Amama’s supporters have tolerated this for too long. Instead of protecting a regime that has lost popularity, Gen Kale Kayihura should prepare and begin rehearsing how to lose and hand over power. This is inevitable.
There are some more initial and special reports even from the trenches and it is in an usual pace. In the one where we speak about vote-rigging and pre-ticket ballots, demonstrations against it or candidates now going independent claiming the election was filled with irregularities. Take a quick look!
NRM Secretary Justine Kalule Lumumba has been vocal today and with all the big birds shot down she was clear about one certain thing:
“Whoever lost in the NRM Primaries and is planning to run as an independent, will cease to be the member of the party”. So the Ministers and big men who have lost their slot will surely lose their crony status if they go against the NRM-Regime in the General Election.
Deflectors after the elections:
Dr. Fred Ruhakana has today officially announced his defection from the NRM party due to irregularities that was practiced during the elections in Kabale district where he lost the seat for kabale district chairperson.
Deborah Mwesigwa has rejected the result and outcome of the Kabuli County. She has claimed that the election in the county was filled with voter intimidation, that they used government resources to gain the upper hand. So Deborah has said after this that she will goes an independent candidate in the general election.
Alebtong County:
“Isaac Apenyo has been declared NRM flag bearer for Ajuri. He thrashed the spokesman NRM parliamentary caucus, Hamson Obua” (…)”Christine Jibu Mambo has taken over the elections for Woman MP, beating Dorcus Acen, Emily Akullu…” (…) ”Meanwhile, asides the reported violence & vote rigging in Moroto county, Minister Rebecca Otengo was declared the winner. The supporters of her rival Sam Okwir, are very bitter about the results, they claim the security agents were so brutal on them. And so they’ve not come to terms with the results, saying the numbers were changed from Abia & Apala sub counties” (94.3 QFM Lira).
Bufumbira East:
The Flag-bearer for the county is Paul Geoffrey Bavuga.
Burashya District – Kabarole MP:
The Police had to intervene in Kabarole, where the one involved into the matter was John Busingye and Maragreth Muhanga, not the candidates themselves, but the supporters of the two was battling each other. The protest became so violent that they actually broke a bridge and that one was the bridge of Katanda!
Busiiro South:
Peter Ssematimba won the MP seat there.
Kanungu:
Where the press release was coming earlier today was because of Police and Special Force Unit (SFU) has been involved in the balloting and changing of the result in this district. At certain stage at some polling stations there was more police officers then voters.
Kassanda South:
The flag-bearer of the county is now Nsubuga!
Koboko:
There been said that Anite Evelyn was contesting unopposed in the county. Though some says she was contested against a Baba Diri and even the rumors of her losing badly to this person. So did she go as sole candidate in the county or did she not?
Kumi Muncipality:
Charles Olaboro won the election in Kumi and because of that the one who lost the election in the area Silas Aogon cires foul and has sent an petition to the NRM Electoral Commission on the matter.
Luweero:
The Police has banned unapproved and the unregulated victory parties in the county especially the parties for the NRM candidates.
Lwengo:
Where there been madness in the recent days a Police Officer has been taken with pre-ticket ballot-papers and he is being charged with the offence of rigging the vote.
Mbrarara:
“Although voting begun late,the exercise in Mbarara was peaceful with a heavy security presence to avert any violence.MP results at various polling stations in Kakoba are still being counted” (…)”At Kakoba Police: Agip and Manji for mayorship and Kakyebezi is in the lead.Tumwiine is leading at Nsikye1 and Kiyindi polling stations” (…)”Booma didnt go to polls. Voters rejected the process since only ballots for MPs were delivered” (…)”Two people have been arrested over vote rigging.The duo identified as Frank Mugisha and Mwebesa were arrested from Nyakayozo with ticked ballot papers of two of the Mbarara mayoral candidates” (91.2 Crooze FM).
Ndorwa County East:
Grace Ankunda Bwesigye won the district and because of this the sour loser Osbert Byamukama quit the party this.
Ngoya:
The winner here is Terence Achia Naco.
Ntoroko District:
MP: Gerand Ibanda Rwemulikya
Woman MP: Jennifer K. Mujungu
Ruhinda County:
Captain Mugabe Domonzio Kahonda who won over Gen. Otafiire in the Primaries in the district has finally been released, but, there is a big but! He has to meet before Jinja High Court tomorrow! This starts be more interesting by the minute.
Rubirizi:
The winner and flag-bearer of the county is now Abas Agabe.
Last thoughts:
What do you think? This here never get boring, who and where is the next place for the police arresting and candidate together with security personnel going into the tally centers and secure voting results going their way. There will be more! But not more from me today I think, depending on what information I get… Peace!
Speech By
H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
President of the Republic of Uganda
On the Occasion of the
52nd Independence
Anniversary Celebrations
Of Uganda
THEME: UNITY, PEACE, SECURITY, ECONOMY AND REGIONAL
INTEGRATION: KEY PILLARS FOR TRUE AND
SUSTAINABLE INDEPENDENCE
Kampala – Kololo Airstrip
9th October, 2014
Your Excellencies the Invited Heads of State and Government;
H.E the Vice President;
The Rt. Honourable Speaker of Parliament;
The Hon. Chief Justice;
The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister;
Honourable Members of Parliament;
Your Excellencies the Ambassadors and High Commissioners;
Distinguished Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure and honour that I welcome Your Excellencies and all the distinguished guests to this occasion as we mark 52 years of Uganda’s independence.
I greet you and congratulate you on the 52nd anniversary of Uganda’s Independence.
As we celebrate this day, the whole of Uganda is peaceful and has been so since we ended the removal of the 40,000 rifles from the cattle-rustlers in Karamoja some six (6) years ago. Earlier on, in 2005, we had defeated the terrorists of Kony. This is therefore, the first time in 114 years that the whole of Uganda has been peaceful. Even, during the time of the British, cattle-rustling in Karamoja, using guns from Turkana and from Ethiopia, was going on. On account of the strength of the UPDF and the growing strength of the Police Force, this peace will not be disturbed. Use this peace to create wealth for your families as we have guided you before.
On the side of the economy, it will grow by 6.1% this financial year. Having started from a very low base of US$1.5 billion as the size of GDP in 1986, our GDP will be US$25.3 billion by the end of this financial year. This economy has been growing (in spite of the bottlenecks of electricity, high transport costs, insecurity in the past), at the rate of 7.3% per annum for the last 28 years.
Now that we have the capacity to address the issue of tarmacking the major roads with our own money (such as the just completed Kampala-Masaka road and many others), some of the electricity dams (big and small) and we continue to benefit from solidarity from friends (such as ADB, World Bank, EU, Japan, Badea, etc) on some of the other roads, our economy will grow much faster. The Chinese are helping us to solve the issue of electricity for some of the hydro-power stations on the Nile and its tributaries and are feverishly working on the building of the Standard Gauge Railway. The Uganda economy will, therefore, for the first time, get a low-cost base from which to operate. The sky will be the limit.
As you know, Uganda discovered petroleum and gas in 2006. It is now 8 years since that time. We have, finally, agreed with the oil companies on these issues of the refinery, the pipeline and power generation. With more investigations, it is now established that the oil reserves in the 40% of the potential area are 6.5 billion barrels and 499 billion cubic feet of gas. This is good because this gas can help us to remove oxygen from iron-ore (obutare) so that we develop our steel industry given our considerable iron-ore reserves of over 200 million tonnes already identified so that we stop the importation of steel from very far. By 2017 our oil will be flowing into the refinery and the pipeline.
Apart from the oil and gas, after the recent survey, we have identified alot of minerals as follows: iron-ore, marble/limestone, gold, uranium, vermiculite, nickel, platinum, chromium, kimberlites (diamond), bentonite, aluminium clays, phosphates, copper, cobalt, wolfram, tin, coltan, rock salt and brine. Uganda has, therefore, a large base of natural resources that will help us in our development.
As the Government is solving the infrastructure problems, the rural families should take advantage of the deployment of UPDF officers to distribute the planting and breeding materials to get themselves out of subsistence farming and join commercial farming. I have repeatedly pointed out to you the unacceptability of having only one (1) homestead in a whole parish like Ndangaaro in Rubirizi district of 2,500 homesteads as I found out when I visited that area many years ago or seven (7) families in the parish of Rwengaaju out of 1,500 homesteads being the only ones engaged in commercial farming. I am happy to report that in Ndangaaro parish today, 112 homesteads are engaged in commercial farming out of 2,560 homesteads while in Rwengaaju, 130 homesteads are engaged in commercial farming out of 1,946 homesteads. This, however, is not enough. Why should the other thousands of homesteads be spectators (abaloleezi) of commercial farming while only the minority are the only ones engaged in that poverty eradicating activity?
With the involvement of UPDF, I am sure that many more families will get access to planting and breeding materials. Their role in the former NRA/Fronasa operational areas in the last two seasons has already seen them distribute 11 million seedlings of coffee, 2 million seedlings of tea and 464,135 seedlings of fruits. This involvement of more families into commercial farming, will boost the volumes of production in the country to unprecedented new levels. Already, the involvement of UPDF officers in the former war zones has pushed the volume of maize from 1,163 million tonnes per annum to 4,100 million tonnes per annum of maize.
Those increased levels of production must be matched with increased levels of processing and value addition. Therefore, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), the Ministry of Trade and Industries and the Ministry of Agriculture must work in overdrive speed to solve the problem of value addition and processing for the increased production as well as the problem of storing. We have reactivated Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) to, where unavoidable, to step in and do the processing if the private sector do not show up.
On regional and global matters, you all saw that UPDF, working with the Somali army, liberated a number of Somali towns southwards from Mogadishu, including the Port of Barawe. It is said, that this is the last Port that the terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, controlled. Globally, there is alot of suffering in North Africa and the Middle East caused, mainly, by mistakes by certain global players, initially. These global players are always in cahoots with incapable puppets. It is that permutation that is, mainly, responsible for these tragedies of human haemorrhage, destruction of social and economic capital and loss of development time in those unfortunate lands.
Serious dialogue is necessary in the world to see how these tragedies can be rolled back and new ones avoided. Within the under-developed countries themselves, who are the victims of these global mistake makers, the main authors of the tragedies are the ideologically disoriented groups that, instead of working for the legitimate interests of the people, promote sectarianism of religion or tribe; or promote male chauvinism. In so doing, they tear up society and cause tremendous damage. Our brothers in Somalia need to evolve the ideology of patriotism and Pan-Africanism so that they re-orient their country into a sustainably positive and progressive direction. With the building of the Somali army, supported by AMISOM, it is possible to pacify Somalia.
The pushers of the hegmonistic agenda have been misusing the ICC, an institution we initially supported. In the matter of President Uhuru Kenyatta, the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State resolved that no African sitting President should be summoned by that court. This resolution was taken to the Security Council where there is no permanent member from Africa. There are only seasonal members. That group did not see much merit in the collective wisdom of the African leaders; and the court summoned President Kenyatta on the eve of our Summit here. Was the aim of ICC to disrupt our Summit? Too bad for them! Our Summit went on yesterday. The problems that occurred in Kenya in 2007 and that happen in other African countries are, first and foremost, ideological. ICC to handle them as just legal matters, is the height level of shallowness. My view is that, at the next summit, African countries should review their membership of the ICC treaty. The ICC is turning out not be the value addition product that we had expected it to be. It is instead, a biased instrument of post-colonial hegemony.
As far as Uganda is concerned, the greater mutual interest with the western countries is trade and tourism. The total global trade is valued at US$ 101 trillion per year. The USA accounts for US$16 trillion of this. The EU accounts for US$17.4 trillion of this. The two of them, therefore, account for about US$34 trillion of this. The other US$66 trillion is accounted for by the other countries with China taking US$16 trillion and Africa taking US$2.5 trillion but growing very fast. The USA, EU and Africa need, therefore, to harmonize our long term vision based on mutual benefit and equality. Our recent meeting in the USA was a good beginning. It is irresponsible for anybody to mishandle this potentially lucrative relationship.
Finally, a point on public health involving another incident of Marburg here in Uganda, recently, as well as the Ebola which is ravaging West Africa. These are zoonotic diseases; this means that they are diseases that can go from the human being to the animals and vice-versa. They are very aggressive and lethal. Yet, they are easy to stop because, fortunately, they do not go through the air like flu. They infect by contact.
Therefore, in order not take any chances, I request you to suspend the habit of shaking hands in addition to the measures the Ministry of Health is taking in respect of handling those who are sick or who are suspected to have had contact with the sick or with those who died. I must also request those communities, especially in the forest zones, who have the customs of eating monkeys and other primates to stop that custom. Those creatures are relatives of humans. Moreover, they are the ones that harbor those dangerous viruses ─ Marburg, Ebola, etc. Avoid them please. Eat the livestock we look after ourselves: cattle, goats, chicken, pigs, etc. as well as plant proteins. The bats also seem to harbour these viruses. The Ministry of Veterinary should work out plans to eradicate these dangerous sources of this problem.
The fact that 60% of the infected people survive, means that we can develop a vaccine. When you get sick, please report to the medical authorities immediately. Infected people have a high chance of surviving if they get medical support of especially rehydration early. Therefore, prompt reporting is crucial. As far as the medical staff is concerned, they should always use gloves.
There is also another factor in connection with these repeated outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg. These viruses have not just emerged. They have always been there, in the forests. It is the reckless invasion of the forests by those who break the law of conservation that are provoking these viruses. Therefore, conservation is part of Public Health. Leave the forests alone for tourism and conservation,
Thank you so much and I wish you success in the next year of Independence.
Yoweri K. Museveni
P R E S I D E N T
MinBane 