I have observed president Museveni closely for the last 17 years – (I must honestly admit that am not sure of what he was doing in his first thirteen years mostly because I was still a naïve chap obsessed with my football and academics)
Please don’t misunderstand my suggestion of being close to the head of state, because I actually have NOT necessarily been that close to the NRM chairman-in the real sense of the word.
What I mean is that within those seventeen years I have somehow managed to make President Yoweri Museveni and his NRM revolution one of my critical subjects of study.
And I must say that my obsession with the Ugandan leader has not entirely been in vain because I have harvested an in-depth understanding of the man, his likes and dislikes and what makes or breaks him.
The Museveni character
Just like the other comical boy who imitates the president with almost near perfection, I have seen how he has related or reacted to different issues in the country.
For instance I can predict that he will react with acidic venom when it comes to issues related to cultural leaders.
In fact cultural leaders terrify Museveni more than any other in the country-the Kayunga riots and Kasese massacres can attest to that.
He can also be uncompromising when it comes to the army.
But he can surprisingly be unfazed by very negative criticism from the media. In fact president Museveni is one of the few leaders who don’t bother about negative media.
Likewise I have also observed that president Museveni is usually brought down to earth by people who abuse him thoroughly.
He normally ends up back-peddling and eventually reconciles with them in the end.
The reason why Museveni ends up in bed with his abusers is because he hates hypocrites and hypocrisy itself. Museveni knows that People who abuse us are the ones who tell us the truth about ourselves.
He therefore regards his praise singers as opportunists clamouring for free things.
The hypocrite rather pretends to like you and often praises even the nonsensical things you do.
The Gist Of The Matter
And this is what brings in the profanities of Professor Stella Nyanzi into perspective.
The bold Makerere university researcher first hurled insults at the president but got no response.
Then she attacked what she considered a soft target; the first lady.
By hurling insults at the first lady, Prof Stella demystified the unwritten rule; that nobody can abuse Janet and get away with it.
In fact if you went to any newsroom of any media house in Uganda and asked for the Dos and DONTS, they will quickly tell you NEVER to write anything bad about the first family in particular and the first lady in general.
This was propagated mostly by the general view that the first lady is more uncompromising and tougher than the president himself.
The only other person who offended her was Veteran Ugandan journalist Teddy Sezzi Cheeye who once wrote a sensational story in his defunct confidential publication that the first lady had killed someone!.
Then the president also went on to advise the media to write any rubbish about him but spare his family-which in effect meant that Janet Museveni was not a subject of discussion in the media.
These incidents made first lady one of the most feared personalities in the country.
Therefore when Stella hurled profanities at the first lady, many Ugandans who have been around to know the dynamics that dictate issues in this banana republic could not believe it.
It was pure sacrilege of the highest order.
But wait a minute!
The Practical Effect
What is the aggregate effect of Stella Nyanzi’s profanities?
Of course she has already paid the moral price through condemnations by the Museveni apologists and she will continue to be vilified
But at the end of it all, -would you believe it-she might end up getting closer, if not deep into the corridors of power.
As I told you earlier, president Museveni only takes note of people who seem to be hostile to him.
He also takes keen interest in people who mercilessly abuse him and his family.
Listen carefully; when Andrew Mwenda attacked, criticized, and belittled president Museveni to an extent of calling him (a whole head of state) a villager where did the game end?
Mwenda is now president Museveni’s chief strategist.
When Hon Betty Kamya attacked and criticized the Ugandan president by even labelling him a non-Ugandan who hates uganda, how did it end?
Hon kamya is now cabinet minister I the government of the man he suggested was not Ugandan!
When city journalist Chris Obore accused president Museveni ‘S government of stealing cattle from Teso and orchestrating the Mukula massacres, what happened?#
He is now the communications officer at the parliament of Uganda.
What happened When Hon Henry Banyenzaki propagated and promoted the presidential bid for Prof Gilbert Bukenya?
He was appointed minister of economic monitoring.
I had also forgotten to remind you that despite of the fact that Tedy Seezi Cheeye wrote a damaging story about the first lady, he was appointed as one of the big officials in ISO. Phew!
I know for sure that Museveni may initially be unhappy with Stella at the moment. But there are so many possibilities of readjusting himself by inviting her for a bigger job in his government.
One of the biggest advantages that Stella has is the fact that she is highly educated-you don’t waste such a brain, do you?
Another advantage is that president Museveni has always demonstrated a soft heart for women-especially those who rebel against him.
The president himself once confessed that Hon rosemary Namayanja used to abuse him during her days in UYD. But he managed to rehabilitate her into one of the most committed cadres of the NRM.
Now for those of you, who think that Prof Nyanzi will rot in hell because of her attacks on the Museveni family, rethink your narrative? She might actually reap more than those praise singers who have been lambasting her.
The author Fred Daka Kamwada is a researcher and blogger; chat him up o[email protected]
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