Uganda is harvesting the dividends of NRM's Siasa.

Every person interested in writing and sharing opinion in Ugandan media has at one point in life written about the subject of corruption. In essence, corruption as a subject has gained celebrity status. It is even strange that being corrupt in Uganda today is considered trendy. The corrupt are honored and respected by many Ugandans who carry them shoulder high or relishes in the material consequences of corruption. In Ugandan society, corruption is a relative and a very hypothetical concept.
All Ugandans don’t like corruption. They know it and identify it easily when it happens. Diabolically, corruption is a means; it also has character. It appears that corruption is a cultural way of the people upon which they procure favors. I long concluded that the white collar bureaucracy is an impediment to African development and its demand for accountability is an alien concept in the African brain far from being realized.
I will be accused of being Eurocentric and an avid anti-African mindset. I am actually Pan Africanist professing Afrocentrism. My defense is obvious. Africans are no longer Africans in the real sense of African traditions and have never been for the last three hundred or so years. This is obviously projected in the mindset. Africa is a dichotomy of West or East; Arabs or Euro-America. They are either Christians or Muslims. They are all afraid of identifying with negated African traditions considered backward and primitive in the purview of the Western civilization.
Generally, Karl Marx ascertained that religion is a poor man’s opium. Africa is a highly polarized place in terms of religion, but it is also a place for the wretched and largely illiterate. “Illiterate” as determined by the western standards, an imperial calibration. In those terms, majority of Africans are illiterate and minority, usually those educated in the western system are considered elites. Here is where they learn social and political philosophy – the mode of western reasoning, so alienating to the African social realities and the basis of Siasa.
Corruption has never been a sole problem of Africa, but that of humanity as a whole from time immemorial. Corruption persists in every continent of the world but manifests in different forms. We are only rich, poor, corrupt or accountable in as far as we meet or fail, thereof, to meet the standards of the West. No matter how varied their history and social evolution, we as Africans must conform!
The manifestation of “corruption” in a contemporary society like Uganda thrives on its socio-political culpability to this vice. The origins of corruption in Uganda is entrenched in NRM/Fronasa  ideology being espoused by the likes of Yoga Adhola and Museveni, also called “Siasa”. Siasa is a concept upon which Kyankwazi was founded and it implies mass mind manipulation using lies and deceitful techniques– simply put, a grand scheme of brainwash.
Common sense dictates that when a social contract is cultivated on the foundation of falsehood, then it is naturally shaky. Ugandan society is now reaping the dividends of Siasa and that is evident by the lack of conscience among NRM cadres in public service who arrogantly debase public trust. First and foremost, the NRM regime is not legitimate entity since it forcefully usurped the majority will to secure a social contract. As a consequence, the justification of continued tenure of the regime is encumbered upon excessive use of sophisticated forms of brutality. This also sustains the lifeline of the regime’s cultivated corrupt, inept and kleptomaniacs. Every regime in Uganda has proven to provide its own scalawags; Rapscallions or Scoundrels.
Given the natural order of things, the compendious choice of action is to persist in regime overhaul. With it might comes the unfortunate collapse of the predatory pseudo middle class set on the public purse. Previous regimes had its own corporate bases and they too collapsed immediately upon the advent of the NRM fascism. The challenge is ours since every generation has an obligation to stand up to be counted or winnow into submission. The Siasa harvest is ours to pick and dry or uproot and discard. Its debilitating impact on social services remains a social threat as it diminishes our humanity. I loathe saying the obvious but a false social contract is simply untenable!
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I doubt UPDF captured Maj Gen Ceasar Acellam

LRA: Insurgency in Northern Uganda

A statement associated with the Whitehouse that was reported in the Ugandan tabloid - The Redpepper, and published on May 17, 2012 edition indicate that President Barack Obama has recognized the highly hyped capture of Major General Ceasar Acellam as an achievement for the UPDF and their US military allies. Indeed, if it is true that this LRA third in command was actually captured by UPDF, then the Ugandan Army deserves all the big-ups.

However, the circumstances surrounding the so-called capture of Maj General Acellam are very suspicious because of the many facts that have emerged so far. I doubt whether UPDF really captured Maj General Acellam. Apparently, it is easily sustainable to argue that Acellam simply negotiated his way out of LRA to freedom, contrary to the bluffs and media bleeps that UPDF is perpetuating about an ambushed capture and so forth.

Examining the scenes of capture, one does not need a forensic scientist or special investigator to conclude that Ceasar Acellam was a man on his way to surrender. First, he was holed up with his family, a 21 years old wife, a child and housekeeper (I wonder where their house was). Secondly, a full Maj. General had no escorts and was armed with AK 47 containing few rounds of ammunition as if going for a hunting expedition. Given the fact that the Acellam is clearly inefficient in gait mobility due to the gunshot on his left leg, he was clearly limping with the help of a stick and could not outmaneuver UPDF ambush all by himself. The confidence and utterances by the “captive” during press conference illustrated clearly that the “capture” was pre-planned and conscientiously executed.

The UPDF spokesperson claimed that there were few fire exchanges, who shot at who, for what reasons? There is no way that a person with a properly constituted mind can believe that UPDF made any efforts to capture, other than receiving the Major General. Period!

Nonetheless, it is proper to give credit where it is due. I could agree that the pressure mounted on the LRA by a combined UPDF and US Marines’ special units could have yielded an opportunity for Acellam.  Further, as strategist, using a language of “capture” by UPDF protects and encourages the other commanders/fighters to consider jumping ship.

We know that since the killing of Otti by Kony, the relationship between Joseph Kony and Ceasar Acellam has not been the same. Acellam was confidante of Ottii and vice versa, but Acellam was also less brutal in the frontlines as depicted in various narratives and confessions from former LRA fighters and captives. These traits endeared Acellam to various political kingpins and it is the reason he is associated with liaising between LRA and Khartoum (intelligent coordinator) and his name does not appear among the top LRA commanders indicted by ICC.

It is imperative to understand that how the government handles Maj General Ceasar Acellam will set pace for other LRA remnants to surrender or not. For many years, UPDF has had the least interest in dismantling LRA. Any efforts shown towards rescuing the captives and reducing the field strength of LRA, including capturing its leadership should be highly regarded. 

Fortunately, the Acholi community would wish to forgive Acellam, and government of Uganda should heed to this inner plea by availing him Amnesty privileges. This will encourage othe LRA fighters to exploit the existing opportunities and to quit jungle life. The message is that they (LRA) should embrace peace and reclaim their life when this opportunity still exists.

In conclusion, it is very improbable that UPDF way laid and captured Maj General Ceasar Acellam. I strongly believe that UPDF negotiated with the Acellam for easy route out.  It is also apparent that Acellam’s capture is being used as news fodder to illustrate that UPDF and US Marines are delivering on their missions. This kind of media neediness may mislead the public but most fundamental is that the chief architect of LRA – Joseph Kony is still at large. The real test of potency of this mission will emerge when Joseph Kony and his other rag tag fighters are captured and brought to justice.

Uganda as a State is an illusion right now!

The geopolitical dynamics in Eastern African is one that must be of interest to the members of the civil society. The many violent conflicts in the region have changed the political fortunes of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni by giving him a huge advantage over his competitors. The wars in Somalia and Sudan have given Museveni unprecedented relevance in the region at the time when Ugandans are fed up with him. Both the African Union and the United Nations will agree that Museveni has become very resourceful and useful person in their efforts to pacify Somalia and Sudan.
It is important to understand that President Museveni’s many years in power have come at a very high human cost. The sum total of all the lives lost in Luwero, Northern Uganda, Teso, Karamoja, Congo, Rwanda, Sudan in the last 26 years, and now in Somalia, all speaks to the success of a man that has been fueled by blood and iron. Museveni comes across as a great emperor of his time, but in essence, he is an imperial agent.
Museveni has benefitted militarily from his active participation in proxy wars in the region. He has been able to build one of the most proficient armies in the region and at high cost, he has equipped them well. The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force is one of the most sophisticated armies according to international military intelligence. Its partisan leadership ensures loyalty to the person of the President. The majority of officers in that army are from the ethnic group of the President and that makes it easy for his control.
The other significance of the persisting violence is the political fortune that Museveni enjoys over his opponents. The very same UPDF and its affiliates in the Police have become brutal instruments of political repression at home. Because of the regional juxtaposition, Museveni finds himself in no position to empathize with the opposition. After all, it is clear that his UN, AU, US, EU colleagues for whom he has served relentlessly, cannot question his human rights credentials as yet.
Recently, a member of the British Parliament was quoted to have insinuated that the British embassy in Uganda is too afraid to point out the precarious conditions of the opposition to Museveni.  Museveni, with his pomp, has not been shy to intimidate and threaten these foreign dignitaries and the so-called donor community into subservience. The ill treatment, rampant arrests and outlawing of political groups in Uganda signifies the dearth of political freedom. Ugandans once again have found themselves under the claws of a vicious tyrant and warmonger. The dictates are that we have to invest in removing oppression imposed by a state over the people and not the social conditions that thwart human progress.
We must understand that wars in this neo-liberal era have become a commodity in the free market. Armies and leaders like Museveni become mercenaries and merchants in these wars. The dividends accruing from such a war translate into repression on the common man. The profits from such wars furnish luxurious lifestyles for the warmongers. The rest gets reinvested into the war. The ordinary person is staked and suppressed so that their taxes are expropriated violently.
The over reliance on war for political survival can inspire an additional explanation for the rampant corruption and decline in quality of human resources. The government has significantly reduced its spending on education but has quadrupled its expenditures on the Defence. The defence budget is not to protect the territorial integrity of Uganda, but the political interest therein.
Regional peace is an inevitable utopia; to attain it at the expense of social services for our citizens is as treacherous. A vibrant Eastern Africa economy without competitively skilled manpower only furthers the disempowerment of the people and speeds the process of neo-colonialism. In the liberal markets, Ugandans supply Agricultural products like tomatoes and okra in unprocessed forms. Foreign agents like MacDonald and Nandos will supply fried chicken with ketchup and mayonnaise at high value.
Without properly funded education sector we are doomed. At the moment, the essence of the State is obscure and the apathy accruing towards the State makes the charges of terrorism even for a journalist holding a pen, inevitable. Uganda as a State is an illusion to many of us!!
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Ban on A4C is Bad for our Political Stability

The NRM’s Attorney General, Mr. Peter Nyombi has moved swiftly to outlaw the A4C (Activities for Change) political pressure group and all their activities. By doing this, Mr. Nyombi has scaled the Ugandan regime to a full blown Military autocracy. For the A4C, they have been personified and elevated in profile to the popularity of ANC in Apartheid South Africa. What transpires from here onwards will define the political future of Uganda and perhaps, challenge the sustainability of so-called political stability in the country.

The NRMO regime has been masquerading as a government which promotes democracy and rule of law. No democratic government bans the political activities of its opposition and that of civil society. The regime has abrogated many provisions of the 1998 Constitution of Uganda; most notable are provisions in Chapter 4 (Protection and promotion of fundamental and other rights and freedoms)

By creating an environment that promotes discrimination based on ethnicity in national resource distribution, the imbalances in distribution of public officers has become alarming. The regime has specialized in arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of Ugandans; it has promoted corruption and exemplified it throughout the society. The regime’s monopoly on power and organizing of phony elections has deprived it of any democratic credentials. Museveni now relies on brutality and invocation of ancient colonial rules to subdue the opposition.

Our history shows that the Ugandan society is a dynamic one that will constantly evolve through innovative ways to oppose and remove dictatorship. If Uganda is to consolidate some of its so-called economic gains, the current leadership must embrace dialogue.

We cannot celebrate lopsided economy skewed to one region and to cronies. Uganda as a whole deserves a fair share of national resources at every level of participation and decision making. This is not happening. We witness senseless extra-judicial killings and humiliation of innocent Ugandans daily. The continued use of White Boers machineries to suppress Ugandans is very heartbreaking. It reveals that the regime has adopted colonial modes of repressions and dehumanization of Ugandans.

This reprehensible brutality should enrage the international community and neo-liberal ideologues who have continued to invest in sustaining these brutes. Good governance is a requisite condition for sustaining economic growth and social development. We have learnt from many situations that when the pillars of society collapse, that society literally decays and takes longer to rebuild. We could avert such dangers through dialogue, accepting civility and humility by treating opposition groups with due respect.

President Museveni has become staunch regional collaborator and agent of neo-liberalism. His government has reneged on all its obligation to provide services to the population in preference for enriching few of his cronies. Our institutions have collapsed because of incompetence, deliberate negligence and corruption perpetuated by the very establishment.

Ugandans have been deprived of their rights to enjoy a reasonable standard of living because their souls have been sold to the capitalists. The luxuries that President Museveni enjoys are derived from mortgaging Ugandans and their assets. The moneys that he lavishes to his cronies and those stashed away in foreign capitals are the price money for the heads and property of Ugandans.

In return, the space for expression has become narrower by the day as the militarized Police unleash terror on Ugandans.  The situation is pushing many Ugandans underground, to a place where they have to make tough decisions; whether to accept living under servitude or move towards liberation to once again free our besieged country and our commodified people.

Banning A4C pressure group and prohibiting their activities only points to the direction that this government has no intentions to end its impunity. Our history is overloaded with examples of regimes that lasted for many years by subduing its’ people but eventually collapsed. The Kampala regime is worse than Kamuzu Banda’s and Mobutu’s Sse seko’s regimes combined. But Ugandans are very resilient and resolute: as you close one door, they will struggle graciously to open the next door of optimism.

What I fail to understand is why we never really learn from our tragic history. This regime has decayed and degenerated such that conceptualizing an alternative shade is inevitable!

END!

Why has President Museveni ignored the Nodding Disease?

LETTERS

I have followed government’s response to the nodding diseases crisis in Northern Uganda for a while now and I must state that it is not impressive. Despite the efforts by Ministry of Health to locate funds for programs to support the families, the impact of this disease on children in Northern Uganda aged 15 years and below is overwhelming. Unfortunately, there is no much political will from the central government to address this health hazard leading to resource strains within MOH.

Here we have 3,000 children affected with this strange disease with many more gradually developing signs and symptoms and the President of the Republic of Uganda is not bothered or concerned at all. In the last couple of weeks, the President has summoned NRM Caucuses and Cabinet meetings more than ten times, but in each meeting, saving the neck of his Ministers infected with incurable disease of corruption has filled the agenda – not the nodding disease. Where is the patriotism and compassion?

In his recent public appearances, or addresses to the Nation, President Museveni has not mentioned the nodding disease and the plight of those affected children for once. This form of indifference to Northern Uganda from the centers of power is nothing new, but to ignore this nodding disease and those children is actually very strange and telling.

You may wonder why it is very important for Mr Museveni to mention nodding disease and pay attention to it. In Uganda, unless the President speaks about something, nothing actually gets done. His continued silence appears to be a conspiracy against these children who are in dire need of immediate assistance. The President must place orders for serious resource mobilization to make funding and services available for the children and their devastated families.

This is a direct appeal to the President to bring his much required attention to fighting nodding disease in Northern Uganda. Mr. President, 3,000 children are enduring horrible health conditions that have left their families in utter shock requiring lots of psychosocial and welfare support. The entire future of Acholi is at stake and if that really means anything to you and your government, then you are challenged to lend an ear! The region could do with some supplemental budget as well.

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Nodding Disease: What is the motive of Government of Uganda?

NODDING DISEASE

The increasing incidence of Nodding disease that is mowing children from their prime in the Acholi region is soon exceeding epidemic proportions. The lacklustre response by the Government of Uganda towards this rather mysterious disease is one that is alarming. Today, over 3000 children have been reported affected. Two hundred (200) deaths associated with this disease have been reported.  The delay by the Government to respond to this problem is an eye opener and speaks loud of the genocidal motives that the regime has against the Acholi people.

The nodding disease is a very frustrating, elusive and yet very progressive in its debilitation. Its impact on the victims is heartbreaking given the inadequacy of facilities, professional support and lack of political will to curtail it. Efforts are in place by various authorities, notably among them is the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization. The CDC has been studying the natural history of nodding disease but they have not been able to identify the causes of this disease.

On the part of the Government of Uganda, nothing fundamental has been done to arrest the spread of the disease and to provide substantive support to the families that is losing their children to this dreadful disease. Clearly, the government cannot excuse itself for being broke. The kinds of money being doled out in frivolous compensations to the likes of Bassajjabalaba and the oil companies, surely could do a great job in extending some basic facilities and human services to the victims of nodding disease.

By now, a responsible government would have provided pediatric units in the three districts of Agago, Pader and Kitgum that are most affected specifically dedicated to monitoring this disease. These children need to have consistent care and clean environment to be nursed in. They need to be fed decently at least and treated humanely.

Most of Northern Uganda is experiencing lots of crises. There are many people living with disability as a consequence of the two decades of war. A lot are still infected and are getting infected with HIV. The overall picture is that most children live in grandma headed or child headed poor households. Given the terrifying demands of this nodding disease and the associated high cost of accessing healthcare, the impoverished elderly guardians are easily stressed and become sickly too.

Somehow, when you see the pictures of the children sprawled in hospital corridors in Youtube, you shudder inside and wonder whether these are Ugandan citizens. Is this a Uganda where its leaders fly in personalized jets; dole out millions for new cars for elected officials and pay out callous compensations to crooked businesses and yet it takes them years to rescue children in dire need?

The socio-economic inequity in Uganda is one that is glaring. But when it comes to the collapse of the infrastructure, people in Northern Uganda are still living marginally. In Western Uganda, when drought hits that part of the Country, the government declares a State of Emergency. This is because Western Uganda is home to the rulers and famed as cattle corridor. Cattle in western Uganda are more important than Ugandans in the North.

When Ebola came to ravage Acholiland, the government refused to declare state of emergency; when the war was intense and Northern Uganda was unliveable, the regime refused to declare state of emergency. In fact, when the Bududda landslide happened, it covered three villages and killed nearly 350 people. The government refused to declare state of emergency. But when drought hit Western Uganda, the government was quick to declare state of emergency.

The implication is dire; that cattle in Uganda are more important than human beings. Moreso, those in Northern Uganda are least valuable as we can see from this disinterest in responding to the plight of the children wilting away to the dreadful Nodding disease.

To let Children die in such humiliation is inhuman and should be treated as a form of genocide because children are the foliage of our societies. When these children die systematically or become permanently disabled due to state neglect, their entire generation will be at limbo and the generational gap in Acholi will increase. These children are the foundation of a new Acholi that has struggled to emerge from the debris of two decades of conflict.

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Amuru Land grabs maybe a recipe for Revolt

Usurpation of Land

The news that Madhvani group of companies have secured Court victory over Amuru residents to acquire 40,000 acres of land is one that is lamentable. By this action, Madhvani is stating unequivocally that their investment interests supersede the fundamental rights of the Amuru residents. In supporting and advancing Madhvani’s interests the NRM regime is explicit in forceful usurpation of customary land, whose bona fide owners must now leave without any compensation. These massive and rampant land grabs will in the near future become a recipe for revolt against the regime.
For many years, the Acholi community has been aware that Amuru land is a prime target by elements within the government. It all started in the 90s with a ploy from Salim Saleh’s company, Danze. Their efforts were effectively thwarted by strong leadership of Hon Norbert Mao and Hon. Livingstone Okello Okello in cahoots with other Acholi MPs and local leaders then.
Luckily, Acholi region had always elected strong representatives to Parliament who fought for their rights and plights. Going into the 2011 elections, a false change of heart had impressed upon the people that the NRM regime was no longer interested in slighting them. There were many programs that enforced the resettlement of IDPs. These programs also incentivized the locals through handing out of improved seeds, farm implements and some seed money in the form of Saccos. For the people who had endured two decades of genocide, any such opportunities that would help them emerge out of their precarious condition were acceptable.
One thing that the Amuru people forgot is that NRM is an ideology set out on a long course of action targeting the restructuring of Acholi society into slave laborers. It is justifiable to treat NRM with contempt and suspicion of sinister motives. Indeed, the political implication of the resettlement, and the subsequent inundation with material goods, played well with the minds of the locals. For them the NRM had brought the war to an end and was willing to resettle them back to their homes. But they also hoped that through the ballot, they would extend an olive branch to the regime to cement a new relationship. Clearly, while the Acholi people are forgiving, the NRM under President Museveni is not.
I am pained to see thousands of people being horded away viciously from their land and their makeshift hurts being broken down. Uganda Wild life Authority has started a process of evicting 6,000 families from Amuru claiming that they are settled on National Game Reserve. Again, sugar canes and wild life have become more important than hapless human beings. The situation is truly disheartening.
I do take fault at the opportunistic elements within Amuru communities who sold their souls for few pieces of gold to the NRM. No matter how some people may view 2011 election as rigged, Amuru had traditionally voted against NRM with ease. The idea that vote rigging accounts for success of NRM MPs is stale because of precedent. Previous elections saw opposition groups emerge victorious. This last voting was indeed regrettable and pitiful.
Imagine since the Madhvani Court ruling and UWA evictions, nowhere in the media, or in the House (Parliament), the conspicuous absence of the representatives of Amuru people from action is shocking. Both Hon Jacob Oulanya and Hon Richard Todwong have derelected their duties of representation, leaving the masses on their own. This is outright irresponsible conduct and both these MPs must be held accountable for utter betrayal.
People from Acholi and especially from Amuru are not stupid. They may be forgiving, but certainly time will come when they will contract with zeal in search of new and more attached representatives. It is a big lesson to skeptics who think the NRM intends any good for the wretched masses in Acholiland.
Definitely, both MPs are in bed with the regime’s attitude that places Sugarcane Plantation before the people. Acholi people are not plantation growers, as such Madhvani was long told that he is not welcome to Amuru and he should rethink his forceful entrance into the heart and soul of our people in Amuru. We anticipate a rocky relationship between Amuru residents and these unscrupulous agents of land grabs.

END.