Despite the fact that majority of the liberators upon securing power, would progressively forget about fellow combatants and lay people who had assisted them during the war, let alone their families, the same cannot be said of Gen Saleh. Gen Saleh’s different homes are not only on a daily basis full of fellow combatants and their offsprings seeking for financial bailouts plus other charity, but also their counterparts from other walks of life out to eat out of the host’s exceedingly generous palms. 

Saleh has been faulted by many of his peers, notably his own big brother, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, for turning himself into some sort-of a welfare officer for the State. The same notwithstanding, Gen Saleh has been shrugging off such kinds of rebuke. And instead, goes on to assist fellow humanity who have continued to approach him in dire straits. The President is right. Wherever Saleh has gone, he has always been followed by a bevy of people wishing to ask him for help. Quick to recall among the recent beneficiaries of Gen Saleh’s generosity, are the tens of hundreds of musicians, creative artists and promoters of the industry. 

These ones would during the prevalence of Corona Virus, frequent Gen Saleh’s base in Gulu for alms to use to get along. Such other assistance for which Saleh has always been approached by all sorts of people, include school fees, tuition, mabugo (condolence fees), rent arrears, medical fees, job placements and so on and so forth. Any time Saleh would be present at any of his homes, the amiable military honcho would be pitching camp there in the compound and for long hours and up to late in the night, whilst patiently listening and attending to endless guests out to ask for all sorts of alms from him.

Take this. Saleh is currently pitching camp in the far-flung Namunkekera, Nakaseke, and, for that matter, away from the comfort of his homes and people. He sleeps in Namunkekera looking to fight hard to open up industries. This gesture, so that the locals, and their offsprings, who helped them during the war, can get markets for their farm produce. Plus, also, job placements at the same industries. Before moving to Namunkekera, Saleh is known to have confided in his top confidants how he had grown so fed up of the politics of talking. He had, by the way, left the national parliament in anger previously. This, after accusing majority of fellow lawmakers of being so fond of talking other than action. 

Before his departure for Namunkekera, Gen Saleh had told his confidants how he was henceforth going to spend his last days on Earth whilst fighting to try to mitigate the biting poverty among fellow Ugandans. Your humble writer has got a story now to tell to you in further demonstration of Gen Saleh’s popularity on account of his large heart and love for humanity. The year is 1996. The scene of the plot is Luweero triangle. The plot at hand is the general election. President Yoweri Museveni and, as the same would be expected, has made his State House bid known already. 

Standing threateningly between the big man and State House, is Dr Paulo Kawanga Ssemogerere, the leader of the country’s oldest Opposition Democratic Party. Not only is Kawanga a popular candidate, but all the other opposition parties have also elected to offer him total support in the hope that the same would finally send Museveni back to Rwakitura. Ssemogerere is counting on Museveni’s own decade-long failure to implement the bush war pledges, to finally defeat him in Luweero, the epicenter of the same war. And, also, to use such victory as a springboard for him to use to further upset the president in the Greater Buganda region.

Aware of Saleh’s charm and popularity, and bearing in mind his own failure to reward Luweero for backing his guerrilla war, the president would now choose Saleh to go to the region and calm down the voters before he himself could dare to venture into there. Saleh takes on the rather daunting task with both hands and charisma. Driving through Luweero, groups of locals would tell him how they were more than ready to deny his big brother the votes this time round. But thanks to Gen Saleh’s unselfishness, coupled with his gift of generosity and humility as well as patience. He would end up turning such ugly prospects into baskets of votes for Museveni on the way to bouncing back to power. 

This is crucial too. Gen Saleh is a very, very powerful military person. He is one of the greatest warriors of the bush war which catapulted the current government to power. His own brother happens at the same time to be the President of the same government of Uganda. This, without mentioning the fact that he is one of the very few surviving permanent members of the UPDF’s apex organ referred to as the High Command. Yet, Saleh hasn’t been known to be a trouble causer. Yours sincerely, for instance, isn’t aware of any operation commanded by Gen Saleh, and where, he ended up callously killing people.

His neighbors would attest to the fact that Gen Saleh is a very peaceful and credibly a calm person.

True, he has been caught in scandals. Such as the one which involved the UCB privatization process. But even so, not only did Gen Saleh own up, but also went on to publicly author as well as table an apology over the mistake. All that having been said and done, a question would arise as to why groups of Ugandans would wish death to the otherwise selfless and amiable person such as Gen Salim Saleh Akandwanaho. At the height of the French revolution’s madness, good guys would end up being lynched under such kind of chaos.

The same would be done by people so consumed by the disillusionment that was prevalent then within the French society. 

It is such manner of disillusionment which was, to aggravate matters, evenly distributed among the ordinary people, which would absolutely switch off the eyes and brains of the frenzied mobs. And, hence, make the mobs completely unable to differentiate between the good and the bad guys. In other cases, all it would take for someone to be spontaneously lynched, was to be casually suspected by the unreasonable mobs to have enjoyed any slight association with the bourbon rulers. Any kind of association with the bourbon family was regarded to be highly treasonous by the mobs who would, accordingly, waste no time to lynch the person so suspected. Let me give to you a very instructive example before taking leave of this point. 

Some years in the past when mob justice was very rampant in Uganda, my good friend, cartoonist Tabu Okello got his pencil to paper and drew a cartoon to convey to the law enforcers and everyone else, the gravity of the matter.

In the cartoon, some man was captured being assaulted for no clear offense. Amidst the confusion, cops would arrive at the scene. One by one, the cops would ask the mob why they were assaulting the man. Each one of them would now confess how, he or she, was assaulting the victim for really no good reason. But merely for the reason that, he or she, had found the victim being assaulted by the rest of the mob. 

And, then, simply like that, each one of them would end up joining in the melee! Keep the foregoing example at the back of your mind. For, to the same we shall revert as we go on. After the overthrow of Idi Amin Dada and the return of Dr Apollo Milton Obote to power in 1980, his Kakwa tribesmen paid a very heavy price. Stories abound about how Obote’s soldiers would carry out scorch-earth operations in the West Nile sub-region. For the record, Amin hailed from West Nile. During such operations, tens of hundreds of Kakwas and Lugbaras would end up put out of action in the said orgies of gory revenge. 

Small wonder then that hundreds of thousands of Amin’s kin and kith, would end up migrating from West Nile to South Sudan and the neighboring DRC. They were leaving home for the unknown, in order to escape from the ongoing untold wrath that was being meted out by Obote’s troops. Following Obote’s own overthrow in 1985 by the Acholis led by the two legendary Okellos, the Langi would now end up turning into objects of torture and death by the Acholis. The Acholis had previously complained of torture and discrimination at the hands of the Langis during Obote’s reign. 

So, the same Acholis would conspire to overthrow Obote. And then, would, consequently, land their own turn and chance, to torture and segregate the Langi. Not so long, the Acholis were too overthrown by rebels led by the current President Yoweri Museveni. The Acholis and their merciless Anyanya enablers would henceforth be turned into objects of torture via the painful three-piece treatment (kandoya) and, also, via being openly burned up with plastics and old Tyres. If such victims, were not hit right on the head with the hoe and buried off. 

It is worthy pointing out for posterity that following all those military changes of government as shown above, and just as the same used to happen during the French revolution. And just as cartoonist Tabu Okello’s work of art has ably demonstrated under this very discourse, many innocent people wouldn’t be spared by the frenzied mobs of the successive regimes. And this, merely on account of their association with the fallen government by either tribe religion, or, for having served the same.   

Yet, to be also merely suspected by the mobs to have been part of the now fallen regime, was by itself more than enough to earn one a very shabby treatment, if not, death itself. Finally, as to why anybody would want to wish death to the humanist and selfless Gen Salim Saleh, the answers to this critical question are generously set out under this discourse. Alternatively, the same answers to this question, are captured well within the TITLE to this article. Thank you so much for reading.

We now understand how Museveni had prior to the generals` meetingwith Saleh, had given the proposal a thumbs up. Subsequently, the president was willing to yield to Saleh’s succession bid.

This, since the big brother not only trusts Saleh so much as a confidant and strategist, but also because the operation wealth initiative’s patron is a tested, and proven fighter who immensely contributed to his triumph as a rebel leader.

In addition to the above qualities, Museveni knows very well how Saleh is a viable brand among the bush war heroes, the war veterans as well as among the security forces, even without talking about the NRM organs, including youths. Take it or leave it, this son of Mzee Kaguta is an amiable figure. 

The military general oozes serenity, charm, confidence and love. He would keep the poise, even under very stressful conditions. Those merits flow naturally in Saleh’s case. They are, matter of fact, part and parcel of the general’s DNA. Saleh is credited as one of the key fighters who helped to fight the past fascist governments. 

He has served in the top echelons of the military, and only once, as a political figure when Museveni appointed him his military advisor. Saleh abhors politicians. So much that he is on record asserting how he cannot stand politicians since they waste a lot of time talking, instead of quickly taking key decisions, intended to better the lives of civilians.

Much as he is one of the people who the president consults while appointing cabinet ministers, and whose word in these matters Kaguta considers so much, Saleh has always told those in his circles, that he isn’t interested in being a minister! So as not to sidetrack, let us revert to the meetings the war generals held with Saleh, to persuade him to take up the mantle, from big brother Museveni.

“Thank you so much comrade… but am better off as a low key person,” this is how Saleh, as per insiders, would retort to each and every bush war general, who would be `assigned` to meet him with the offer of entrusting him with the  presidency. Yet the bush war generals were hell-bent on having Saleh take over after Museveni. 

The more Saleh would brush off their proposal, the more the bush war combatants would keep nudging him to take up the offer. Much the same, Saleh kept calmly speaking his mind but strongly and clearly so, about how he wasn’t interested in taking up the mantle.

“Thanks very much again comrades… I will be always indebted to you… for the privilege of picking me up among the many… to lead the country… but am afraid….am not made for those things,” Saleh is quoted as having told his colleagues who had finally cornered him as a team. Saleh would then make himself clearer, about how he was interested only in pursuing humanitarian causes. 

Those causes, he would point out, included fighting poverty, among the wanainchi. He would then reject proposals for him to lead the fight from the front. “We didn’t fight with the intention of all us becoming presidents.I think I did my part. I will now leave the rest to posterity to judge,” the former army commander reflectively informed the delegation.

He would end by lecturing the combatants on his mission following the bush war.  “I chose subsequently to devote my remaining time on earth to fighting poverty among our people. I did this purposely. I might be wrong… but that’s my conviction and calling now.” The combatants, following that legendary lecture from the man himself, sobered up.  

We mean, they henceforth gave up on pursuing Saleh, over the issue of the presidency! Well, we have been informed about the time the combatants met Saleh over the matter. The meetings took place following Dr. Warren Kiiza Kifeefe Besigye’s decamp from the military and NRM fold. Besigye lit up the country, following that legendary missive that he authored, before parting ways with the military.

Besigye used the missive, to lampoon the CiC in Gen Museveni and the ruling NRM party, for what he was termed as derailing from the bush war ideals. Besigye was still part of the UPDF and the NRM party at the time. The missive rubbed Kaguta and his trusted military generals, the wrong way. The CiC demanded that Besigye be marched to the Court Martial.  Why? Besigye, according to Kaguta, had used the wrong fora, to talk about matters to do with the military and NRM. 

Yet, Besigye was still a serving officer, precluded from making controversial statements. While sticking to what he had stated in the missive, the son of Nakabango, pressed the army to release him. The CiC hesitated initially but, somewhat, yielded to Besigye’s request later. Astory is told how Besigye, having picked the discharge letter from Bombo army headquarters, Kaguta learned that he was rushing to Kampala, to proclaim his intent to vie for the presidency!

Kaguta, sources divulge, contacted Bombo, to find out if Besigye had not crossed the gate yet. Yet Besigye’s moles in the military, had informed him how the CiC was plotting to remove the discharge letter from him.Using short cuts, to dodge Museveni’s people, Besigye arrived in Kampala. He hurriedly made his statement of intent. As they say, the rest is history.

Oh dear! This blatant declaration, as made by Besigye, hit Museveni’s sworn military generals, much like a thunderbolt out of the blue! “What a blasphemy! How effrontery!” one of Museveni’s top generals and bush war comrade, yelled loudly, upon listening to Besigye’s declaration.  

This specific military general, informed contemporaries about how he was going to hit back hard at Besigye. Then army commander, Gen Gregory Mugisha Muntu, having learned of the statement Gen David Sejusa was itching to drop, tried to dissuade him from doing so. Well, Sejusa went ahead and made the statement, of course against the army commander`s counsel. 

Sejusa was putting Besigye on notice, about how the military generals were not going to salute him as president as well as CiC. Sejusa’s statement only served to negatively add more fuel on the fire that had been lit by Besigye. Politicians strongly called out Sejusa, for insinuating how the military wasn’t willing to accept any other CiC apart from Kaguta.

As politicians and members of the public resorted to turning Sejusa’s own statement into that of the UPDF in general, Gen Mugisha, in his capacity as the army commander, stepped out. He clarified that the UPDF would salute any president apart from Museveni, in the event that he or she was the popular choice of the people.

It is said that a quartet that includes Micheal Fingers, Deo Ssenkungu, Tony Rusoke and Lincoln received the said sum of money from Operation Wealth Creation Boss Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho aka Salim Saleh, after promising him that the project would be beneficial to all entertainers as long as their works were documented and realigned.

UgaTunes application is a subsidiary of Tune Hub Uganda Limited launched in early 2021, in a bid to see Ugandan artists both already established and upcoming, digitally distribute their music globally with the aim of reaching international platforms as they earn some money off their trade every time a subscriber listens or downloads their music.

They at the time claimed that like most subscription-based music services, artists would earn when subscribers listen to their music, as well as from when their music is downloaded. 

With a promise that any Artiste that reach a threshold of USD$100 (approx. UGX 354,400) in earning, can be able to make withdrawals paid via mobile money, the quartet then embarked on a task of realizing the project`s goal by digitalizing the works of artistes, most especially local folk music (Kadongo kamu) and band music.

However, little they knew that most of the music had prior been patented by the then buyers of the albums like Kase music recorders, Afro Studios, Classic studios, and Kasiwukira among others, and the same owned the rights to the music, hence contesting their move.

Matters became more complex after some artistes turned around and threatened to sue UGATunes over abuse of their patent rights. When this information reached the amiable and entertainment loving General Saleh, he summoned the team which had not realized that the General already had learnt of the ugly truth. After being ‘assured’ that they would eventually attain rights of the works, he cunningly played along and asked them to avail him with the results in six months’ time.

However, the period has now elapsed and the team is counter pointing fingers at each other after being informed of another meeting with the General that will be called soon. When we contacted Deogratius Ssenkungu on his known mobile telephone number, he informed us that indeed the project had since been partially frozen as they seek official partnership with government.

Pressed about the 500M shillings` accountability, a rather irritated Deo shot back saying; “I will not comment on that money if you cannot reveal the source of your information”. He instantly hanged up on the phone call with us. It is said that the quartet will either have to deliver the realized entertainment data visa-vis music or refund the UGX500m lest they face the wrath of the laws of the land. Watch this space.

This follows an inquest into the abuse of Covid 19 regulations in the district by the ‘visitors,’ which development the security gurus have also termed as a security threat! Other complaints are said to have been made by motel and lodge proprietors, who claim that the visitors had accumulated huge unpaid bills at their rendezvous, under the guise of being official guests of the Operation Wealth Creation, on pending appointment.

Under a telepathic quest for the much coveted Covid 19 relief, from the Operation Wealth Creation overseer, Gen. Salim Saleh, many had actually made Gulu their second home in an effort to find a way out of the poverty jam made worse by the lockdown which, has set their activities under the cliff, for one and half years now.

Rumor in Gulu town has it that several women, including under cover moonlighters, have been put out of job, after being impregnated by some of these visitors who, thereafter disappear into thin air. It will now require one to have prior clearance from the OWC and RDC, to access any happening or hotel facilities, for any person claiming to be a guest of Gen Saleh.

Musicians including Jose Chameleone, Weasel, Pallaso, Feffe Bussi, Cindy, Phina Mugerwa, Kabako, Ronald Mayinja, Catherine Kusasira, Ziza Bafana, as well as comedians and promoters, have been flocking Gulu City at will.

We have also established that most of the activities that have been associated with artistes under the OWC, are in the process of being moved to the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja’s office, which will in turn wind up the now infamous Gulu treks.

This stance comes weeks after he was admitted to Nakasero hospital in Kampala over liver complications thought to have been compounded by heavy drinking. The singer joins celebrities who have quit heavy drinking recently, among others, Central Bank Governor, Prof Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile.

Mutebile dropped his favorite whisky bottle after his doctors told him he would die prematurely from liver complications if he kept imbibing the liquor. Chameleone, known for his lust for red label, on top of chain smocking, had initially let go of hard liquor and resorted to wine thinking his liver complications would subside, but in vain.

The disease persisted even with wine, forcing him to drop it as well, at least for some months. The Star has since resolved to take a personal initiative by discarding off all his alcohol shelves both at home and offices, as well as scaling down on his social stints.

To ensure compliance, Chameleone has since designated his mother to watch over him so that he doesn’t go back to his boozing sprees. Lately, he’s spending more time at Route Entertainment studios in Bunga where, he is working on his forthcoming album titled ‘I am Joseph’, with selected producers like Hannington Bugingo and song writer Oman Rafiki, slated for release on 9^th October.