What is so special about the Mbarara compared to the recognized districts with food insecurity?

Why do they deserve food relief with bags of rice in Mbarara? I wonder why, because there are enough places in Uganda where the reported about food insecurity and that was not in the Ankoli sub-counties. In the government own food insecurity report dated to 9^th January 2017, the districts of Teso, Isingiro, Karamoja, Lango, Acholi, West Nile and Parts of Busoga.

So for me it is insulting that the Urban poor of Mbarara we’re even mentioned in the government report from January, where the closest area with stressed and half a meals a day in Tororo, still the Tooro kingdom isn’t Mbarara, Ankole sub-region is further and closer to the central region. Also closer to the Rwakitura ranch and Rukungiri of the Movement closest family.

I am sure there are needy people and who would need relief in Mbarara, as the unemployment in 2009 was about 61.2 %. So there are people of dire need and who needs jobs, who also lives on scraps. That was the stats from 2009 in Mbarara, so there are not that I want to be harsh.

But something doesn’t seem reasonable when the January report of 2017, doesn’t state Mbarara or the Ankoli sub-regions. Therefore the food relief being delivered here seems a bit strange. It would been better in Bidibidi refugee settlement, where 270,000 refugees are settled, surely some of the United Nations Organizations are serving them meals of millet and posho. While the rice of Ugandan government are delivered to locals close to the heart of the President.

There are something weird, days after the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) gave away rice in Toroma sub-county, as the Police Force and regional leadership stopped the needed relief in the area. Therefore, the opposition party had to do it in silence. While the NRM and the Central Government, with the pomp and bravado are establishing food for Mbarara. Seems like more help to their own, than he ones who needs it more.

It is hard to say it, but where the people are eating ants and whatever else left behind that is edible by the drought and lacking rains. The infrastructure and institutions are not there to support all of the ones lacking the food and relief, the safety net in the hard times, as the Ministry for Relief and Disaster Preparedness Musa Francis Ecweru hasn’t considered the ramification of the food insecurity, neither has the central government themselves.

That out of the Office of Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda is certainly showing loyalty to his President and his NRM, when he offers a token of help to Mbarara. There are certainly with the level of unemployment, there are people needing help there, but why not doing it the district in the own state report?

Why? Do the state not care about the people eating insects instead of food? Is the NRM forgetting the people and the ones they are supposed to represent, or do they only want to feeds the ones who can work on the ranch of the President at the Rwakitura ranch. That is how it seems to be, that the closer you are to the home of the President, the more you can possibly get from the State House. It isn’t rumor, but a mere fact at this point. Peace.

Some Campaign updates from the NRM and Go-Forward today; Fake FDC Membership cards; Tear-gas before NRM rally; Deflections from Amama; and more!

I will not write about all the things that actually happen on the campaign rallies, that has been going on for so long. So the rallies in general are not important for me. What the parties does on the outside of that is the important, since it is local pledges and local MPs who surface the campaign rallies. But the big thing in the late part before the polls gets it more interesting. As they will now take stands and make difference as we see how Sam Kuteesa does right now. Will also go into the actions of Amama Mbabazi and his Go-Forward Group! Take a look!

Yesterday before the NRM was to hold a campaign rally in Sembabule. Sam Kuteesa had gotten 540 printed FDC membership cards with aim to show them to President Museveni. As a way of telling a story that 540 FDC members had deflected to NRM.

Before the rallies the NRM has been busy with ferrying people to the venue at Sembabule as they are busy with their second trade Voter Tourism, the new future of steady progress under the NRM! Take a look at today’s photos:

Also before the rallies there been issues between the Police and the NRM Campaign Convoy. The Supporters of Ssekikubo and Patrick Nkalubo that was supposed to have a rally before the President; that did not happen as the police shot tear-gas and dispersed the supports of the fellow candidates.

Sam Kutesa who was busy yesterday getting and producing fake FDC Membership-Cards have been accused for delivering around money and NRM T-Shirts to Nkalubo while the public was trying to get away from the tear-gas.

Ssekikubo said in a rally today before President Museveni spoke said:

“Ugandans are tired of tear-gas and bullets”.  

Now we are going into the Go-Forward Group:

Low Turn-up:

“Supporters of independent presidential candidate, Amama Mbabazi are accusing the Go-Forward mobilisers in Tooro region for the poor turn up at his campaign rallies” (…)”At some of the venues especially in Kabarole district, Mbabazi and his team didn’t find people to address, forcing him to wait for more than twenty minutes. His supporters are accusing the mobilisers of the Go Forward team for incompetence, which they say will cost their candidate votes in the general election” (Sanyu Radio, 31.01.2016).

A big hunch of Amama Security team deflects to NRM:

“A group of 68 members of the security team for former Prime Minister and Go Forward Presidential candidate Amama Mbabazi has denounced him and joined President Yoweri Museveni’s campaign team” (…)

”George Sebyala their leader said this: “From today onward, we have parted ways with Mr. Mbabazi to join President Museveni’s camp after realizing we were not achieving what was promised to us while joining the Go Forward camp” (…)”We have realized he is not the right person to lead this country, considering the problems that befell us after the Ntungamo incident .With the huge sums of money and wealth he has amassed, we were not well catered for by Mr. Mbabazi” (…)On the Ntungamo clashes: “The people we beat were brothers and sisters to us and we ask for forgiveness. We were only misled but we pledge not to repeat such inhuman acts to our fellow Ugandans”.

As it comes to the rallies today, the locals got bored of listening to NRM Frank Tumbewaze so they left the venue and walked to the nearby Amama Mbabazi rally. That proves that the trusted minister of Mzee doesn’t have the pull as he think he has, as the people just leave him high and dry. As they did today!

I think that is enough. Peace.

Cavalary loses against the Difiance in Fort Portal today

Today the 17^th December 2015 there was a day when FDC Campaign trail team went to Kabarole and Fort Portal. The Forum for Democratic Change had harmonized their campaign strategy with Electoral Commission which also should be delivered to the Uganda Police Force. This doesn’t seem to matter.

On the 16th Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu said this:

“If the military is called to come in, I will approve. Yes, the military is part of Uganda; they are your brothers”.

The FDC Campaign Team was staying the night at the Eden lodge. Last night the Police came and entered the room of the delegates of the FDC. The Police went in to take all the campaign material like T-Shirts, Posters, Banners and such. The Kizza Besigye Security detail could not stop that. The day before Crime Preventers together with the Police we’re pinning down the FDC posters.

After this the FDC went into the Police Office and addressed the District Police Commander Musa Tibakirana where the FDC Campaign team we’re able to reclaim the confiscated campaign gear. While the Campaign team was doing so Dr. Kizza Besigye we’re starting campaign in villages.

In Fort Portal town while Dr. Kizza Besigye was still having rallies in the villages. In Fort Portal there was a Military Vehicle H4DF 1187 Military Pickup; there we’re 6 soldiers with a big machine gun.

Later when Dr. Kizza Besigye the NRM men and Crime Preventers scattered from Fort Portal, they had been seen around town all day; later when Dr. Kizza Besigye arrived and made the time blue. The Crime Preventers was not seen.

Dr. Kizza Besigye statement after the rallies:

“Many thanks, to the people of Tooro sub-region for endorsing our candidature, and keeping the message of liberation alive. The spirit and enthusiasm you have exhibited over the past days is what we shall need to win this election. Together we shall liberate our country. Mwebare muno! For God and my Country. One Uganda, One People”.

DPC Tibakirana could have continued his campaign against the FDC even after the Campaign team arrived and picked up the confiscated material. He didn’t. The Electoral Commission has no opened to send the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) on the defiance campaign. Dr Kiggundu must really fear the power and reach of the Dr. Kizza Besigye. That is why the Police and other security agents of the government of Uganda goes stronger and stronger against the leaders of Opposition. I have a feeling it can get rougher as we have seen in Ntungamo where Go-Forward held a campaign rally. Therefore I now believe that the Police secure the NRM, but chase the rest like their venom. Peace.

“Police to blame for Ntungamo violence” – Written by Ibrahim Nganda Ssemujja

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.