A master of diversionary politics, President Yoweri Museveni has chosen this present moment to resurrect the debate centered around the deceased Gen Elly Tumwine. The timing of the resurrection of the debate about Tumwine’s demise is obviously suspect. The President’s own son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is in the eye of the storm currently over yet another one of his usual and umpteenth diplomatically tasteless tweets.
Muhoozi issued the evidently ill-advised tweet to herald what he called was a threateningly pending military attack and which he shared his army was going to launch against one of the neighboring countries and occasion regime change there in a matter of two weeks. If Muhoozi thought the Kenyans were going to take lightly such a tweet which was plainly and offensively treasonous, the storm which the same ended up sparking in Nairobi and elsewhere must have not only proved the First Son utterly wrong, but also shocked him out of his wits.
Such was the outrage ignited by the equally outrageous tweet that the same would quickly force the author’s father to swiftly leave behind his busy schedule and issue out a public apology to the leadership in Kenya, the locals there and the diplomatically conscious humanity elsewhere. The commander-in-chief had been before then fired Muhoozi from the third most high position of the army which is the Commander of the Land Forces. Yet what is true is that the father would not have ever wanted at all to fire the son under such awkward circumstances.
Given a chance to fire or not to, the probability is high that the President would have chosen to spare the beloved son as opposed to firing him. Subsequently, and in short, the President reluctantly fired Muhoozi. The same is true since he was doing it merely because he was looking at restoring the good relations between his government and the new leadership in Kenya. The fact that the President fired Lt. Gen Muhoozi but promoted him at the same time to the most high-ranking military rank of a General would betray the fact that he was actually unwilling to fire him.
Hear this. The person the President has replaced Muhoozi with is below him in military rank. Think. The same means that Andrew Mwenda’s brother, the new Land Forces Commander Lt. Gen Muhanga Kayanja is henceforth going to be taking orders from the now supposedly fired militarily Gen. Muhoozi! Think. By the same reason the new supposedly third most highly placed commander is going to be henceforth militarily obliged to stand still and stiff as a street lamp post and salute his supposedly punished predecessor! Think.
Putting aside such high comedy, I will now revert to the story I started with about the President using the deceased Gen Elly Tumwine to divert public attention from Gen Muhoozi’s diplomatically serious gaffes. Much as the country is afflicted with quite many problems and which are really pressing and so would call for urgent solutions from the leaders, the President has decided to resurrect the demise of Gen Elly Tumwine. Think.
In his usually longer missives address to the so-called Bazzukulu, the President launches a ferocious attack against the usual suspects such as Bobi Wine and exiled award-winning writer, Rukirabashaija. Think. The President is furious for the fact that such people and others as well, ended up turning Tumwine’s demise into a source of celebration. But think.
Much as the President is right but one may ask why he is resurrecting the matter now yet Tumwine has been dead for weeks now and almost forgotten except by his family! Again think.
Knowing that the country is faced with very urgent and very pressing problems for which the President must urgently provide solutions such as the high cost of living, untold abductions and Ebola, it would stagger the mind to understand that he can again use precious time to write off missives to quarrel with young men fit to be his third-generation grandchildren.
But what is true and much as the President want the world to believe that he is so sad that the Bobi Wines and Rukirabashaijas of this world celebrated Tumwine’s demise but without even bothering to put such celebrations into their rights contexts, is that the old man is opportunely using the deceased Tumwine to expediently change the narration from his son’s embarrassing diplomatic gaffes to other least pressing matters.
The President knows well that Bobi Wine and Rukirabashaija have many followers on Twitter here and everywhere. And also, the fact that the two young men themselves are not the kind of Ugandans ready and willing to suffer fools. So, the President, by throwing up the debate of the deceased Tumwine at this particular hour and time, is trying to divert the subjects of his attack and their supporters from focusing on discussing Muhoozi’s own more compelling serious gaffes by now concentrating on the dead and buried story of Gen Tumwine.
Yet the President can engage in all such kinds of diversionary tactics. Just that our leader cannot wish away the fact that majority of Muhoozi’s tweets have been in very bad taste and for a long time so. But only for the President to wave off such tweets until the same got him and his regime into big trouble by the son talking of occasioning a regime change in Kenya. And at which point the President would now step out and pretend to be reigning in into the son. But without necessarily prosecuting him like others in his position for engaging in highly controversial debates which are also highly divisive. Tread carefully for now till we meet again.
Author Profile
- Kiyimba Pius is a senior editor at The Investigator. He joined in 2018. His journalism background includes writing for both business and human rights. Connect with him by email: [email protected]
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