However, this isn’t pessimistic resignation. It is the lack of tactic and strategy from the current opposition that’s exasperating. The same old idea that changing the person of the president means better governance suffocates political growth. Although the change may happen, it may not necessarily be for the better. The reason for this is that the current system is designed to operate under a president like Museveni.

Truly, if Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu were to become the president in 2021, he would be unable to lead the country to the anticipated liberty. My reason for this belief is that the system will operate against him.

The Honourable’s philosophy is that of ‘power to the people’. A country where the people decide what should be done, who should do it and how it should be done. A kind of government that was envisaged by the framers of the 1995 Constitution. Yet, this is not the case! The same Constitution failed to achieve a government of the people. In spite of article 1, the President is given so much authority over administrative issues by various statutes. Oddly enough, these do not contradict article 1.

The executive is intertwined with the legislature so much that the former would influence the latter even without the blatant abuse of office. Thus, although the people still choose, they don’t have much influence over what their choices do once elected. Therefore, the Honourable’s philosophy would fail to operate efficiently! Mark you, I have neglected to mention the realm of the mafias who have boiled national integrity to a pulp.

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has had a strong presence on the political scene since 2001. Its flag bearer, Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye, has failed with the same idea as that of the Honourable today.

On the other hand, Mugisha Muntu had a different approach when he was still part of the FDC. Whether or not he still has the same belief today is uncertain. His view was to structure a party with an indestructible base. Achieving this would require the FDC to take a step back from pointless political ranting. The colonel could not have this. His methods had a tinge of a personal struggle. Perhaps the reason for FDC’s operation under his shadow.

Recently, UPC announced that it would not be fronting a presidential candidate. The reason is an intriguing tactical one. The party president stated that UPC should use its resources on parliamentary campaigns. In a nutshell, a parliamentary campaign is a better seed to sow than a presidential campaign. Although he did not say so, the UPC party president seems to understand this.

It is a reflection of the idea that unseating the incumbent doesn’t give us the desirable change. Truly, unseating Y.K. Museveni is not feasible. When we had the opportunity to curb his unending term of service, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) had the majority in parliament. Without much of a bout, article 102(b) was repealed! Yet, we still fail to see where the power lies.

Due to the receding quality of parliament, the country tends to think that the same is powerless. Surely, the parliament is arguably the most powerful branch of government. This is arguable because of the courts’ inadvertent creation of law through determining what it is. The same can nullify a decision and or action of any of the other two arms.

However, the parliament has the authority under article 107 to remove a president from office. Some of the reasons required by this article are incredibly vague; enough to put a president on his or her toes. Nonetheless, the possibility of a majority NRM parliament utilising this article is inexistent. This brings me to the argument that for us to take back power, we need not focus on the office of the president.

With a competent parliament, Uganda can rid itself of the fungus it has failed to shake. If the opposition would sober up and take back power through parliament, it would not matter that Museveni is the president. When there is great uncertainty over which way the parliament may vote about an issue, we would say the plane is even.

The current parliament is capable of repealing article 107; the only remaining constitutional element that can check the president’s power. The opposition should focus on unseating NRM members of parliament. As such, the likes of NUP, FDC, UPC and DP should not be lured into the trap of reaching the stars when they lack the fuel to escape the earth’s gravity.

Those parties should utilise their resources to build a support base at the local levels. They should attack the enemy on various fronts over the country. This way, they can achieve a numerical advantage in parliament whilst gaining momentum with the citizenry. They would have the power to veto oppressive policies. They would be able to pass the kind of laws that tip the odds in their favour. Even the requirement of the president’s signature to pass a bill into law is escapable. The opposition would have perfect control of government as NRM does now.

Without this numerical advantage, the President can appoint partisan people into neutral offices. The ruling party can campaign without encumbrance because there are no consequences. The house that has to check the executive is run by the same. How then do we expect any good governance?

If the Honourable were to become President in 2021, he would face the challenges that Museveni would face if the August House had a majority opposition. With the NRM having the two thirds in parliament, the honourable would be cornered into doing as the NRM pleases. The party would still push its agendas through without much restraint. The cabinet would be chosen as the party pleases. The only reason we cannot see this is because the executive and the parliament have been yellow since before our first democratic elections in 1996. The incumbent has successfully blinded us; making parliament a useless bunch.

As such, we need to look towards restructuring government to function as it was envisaged in 1995. This power can be found in the parliamentary chambers; not the office of the president. Truly, this office is only as strong as the legislature allows. The same has the power to reinstate the term limit and age limit clauses into the Constitution. It can repeal oppressive statutes and enact popular ones. It has the power of cleaning the partisan police. It has the ability to ensure that the judiciary is composed of neutral competent personnel. The parliament, dear readers, is the organ with all the power; not the office of the president. Y.K. Museveni is well aware of this and does all that he can to protect his advantage in the legislature. It is said that when a magician asks you to look left, focus on the right! The more we focus on presidential elections, the more power we give the ruling party.

Although participating in a presidential campaign is good for mobilising support, the opposition shouldn’t make humungous investments into it. We know the story well; the State House shall be occupied by the same in 2021. Nonetheless, even if an opposition candidate were to win, he or she would not effect change. The majority party in parliament will work against him or her. Therefore, Akena sees the light. The power is in the August House. As long as the NRM has a ludicrous advantage over the opposition, NRM will be the ruling party.

The true Ugandans should seek to restructure government to undo the entrenchment that has happened. The problems of this African pearl lie beyond the person of the president. A free and balanced parliament translates into a fair and just government. This, dear reader, is our way to political freedom.

DISCLAIMER: Any and all views expressed in the article are not those of The Investigator News. They are an expression of the author’s personal opinion. Usage, of any kind, of the information herein is at the user’s own risk. The Investigator News shall not be liable for any consequences arising from such usage.

So, I wonder if Watford (Opposition) could topple Liverpool (NRM) and cause an epic upset in modern African history. Could Watford overcome that improbability?

For thirty-five years, the State House has housed the same individual. There are many reasons for this. Contradistinctively, Liverpool had not won the league in thirty years – until their momentous run in the 2020/21 season.

This country’s pre-1986 history is bloody. Museveni – not entirely saintly in his role in Ugandan politics prior to the 1980 elections – was a gallant knight in shinning amour. His ten-point program was, to Uganda, what sweet-nothings are to new lovers. In spite of a few bad seeds, NRA was generally aggregable in contrast to UNLA.

NRA overpowered Obote with the good will of the people and a dash of luck that was the crashing of Oyite Ojok’s helicopter. Later, the eviction of Lutwa from State House was easier than learning the first three letters of the alphabet. The fella was uneducated and highly unqualified. Ring any bells?

Museveni’s commission to democracy was evidenced by initiating the national constitutional education and consultations. Although this process had its difficulties, as Odoki noted, it was successful and void of manipulation.

They that tasted anarchy find peace to be priceless. Uganda, although composed mostly of the youth, has a substantial number of elders. This lot treasures Ssevo despite his flaws. It influences national politics in more ways than we care to admit. Getting back to the question; is an upset possible? As I run the unlikely risk of swallowing my words, I’d say an upset is impossible! Let’s review the status quo.

On Friday, the Commander in Chief (CIC) oversaw the graduation of over 4,800 police trainees. These shall soon join the other thousands who are roaming the country. They will become part of an institution that persecutes those who express free thought. The fact that the police conducts partisan operations every now and then is undisputable.

Essentially, the growing police is a huddle for the opposition. Whereas it should not be the case, the POMA has ensured that the police have a right of oppression. Under the Act, one has to notify them of any public gathering they intends to hold. The complexity arises from the police’s right to reject a venue as unfavourable. The chances of an outspoken opposition politician having cooperation from the police on that matter are few.

On the other hand, the ruling party candidates conduct campaigns with nary a query. Besides that, the national development is an incentive to choose Museveni. The government policies prior to 1986 were counterproductive. The economy suffered a huge blow under Amin and did not recover under Obote. Essential commodities were hard to come by and hence expensive.

In contrast, the economic environment is fair enough for a large portion of the population to afford such commodities. The political environment is such that a life of luxury is possible for those who can afford it. All this; despite the inflation today.

The infrastructural development under Ssevo is monumental when one considers our history. Over 5000km of Ugandan roads today are paved. Privatisation has facilitated a rise of skyscrapers over the country. The rate of production and export has also increased. All these developments, albeit slow, make Ssevo a handsome candidate.

Such developments carry a very big load over our will to fight for change. We cannot do whatever it takes for fear of receding. Any financially independent citizen would embrace a monarchy if it offers high per capita. The spirit that was manifested between 1980 and 1986 has been stifled by this bubble of comfort. It may be good governance! Truly, any smart dictator knows that a comfortable populace guarantees entrenchment. Talk of pros and cons! One can use development as a tactic and still be a hero.

The opposition also deals with characters like Mwenda. A hulking structural integrity can only be weakened from within. The ‘old man of the clan’ knows that all too well. He would have us believe that he joined NUP to provide good leadership. Au contraire, there are only two sides to that coin; either he is a virus launched by the enemy or he has a personal vendetta. Neither side of the coin is good for NUP. He is there to weaken their structural integrity. Simply, he is to NUP what Phil Jones was to Manchester United; a player for the other team!

Those factors, although valid, don’t compare to those that we’ve grown accustomed to. The political persecutions, oppression, electoral violence, manipulation, intimidation and alleged rigging drive the final nail into the coffin. These variables have been consistent and evident.

The Supreme Court recognised the existence of these electoral issues. Although it rendered them unsubstantial, its declarations were followed by a recommendation of reforms to the Attorney General’s office; to remedy the same. Nevertheless, the government has not implemented any of the reforms. They simply carry on with the same old rituals.

Various electoral observers have reported similarly. The same factors tip the electoral result in favour of the incumbent in every election. Whether or not the incumbent signs off on these events is questionable. When one trains a dog, it needs no command to attack an intruder! Such behaviour becomes instinctive!

Nonetheless, considering Uganda’s gruesome history, the change is overbearing. Therefore, claims of there being no big difference between then and now are invalid. Many of these claims arise from a generation that is ill informed about the past. The youthful fanbase have forgotten the history; perhaps because it was told to them as opposed to inhaling the ashes and dust of war. Anyone that likens today to the pre-1986 Uganda is an insolent fool!

Also, there are many people in the country whose positions aren’t aired over the media. The call for change seems overwhelming! The people that make it use the media more than those that are content. However, the latter are more than the former. Although Uganda has a young population, it cannot be regarded as anti-NRM in its entirety. There are many youths that are happy with the status quo.

Watford has a lot of barriers to overcome even without Uganda’s electoral rituals. Liverpool has been dominant in the league and is therefore more likely to win it. Yet, Watford is left no room to breathe as numerous unjust circumstances await it. I therefore have no hope for an upset!

Let’s end our denial! The possibility for change doesn’t lie in catchy slogans that stir up the public. It is not to be found in our frustration. Truly, change lies in our patience. We should patiently build a just and equitable structure to defeat the intolerant and oppressive structure that stands today. Patience, in this case, wins this war!

This Website can authoritatively reveal that the land in question actually belonged to an association of Veterans by the time the Gen. Tumukunde sold it as his. The veterans have since sold off the same to former State Minister for Economic Monitoring, Henry Banyenzaki.

“That is my land. I have a title to it. Whoever says the land is his is a fraud star,” is how a surprised Banyenzaki offered when we sought his comment last night. The land measures 26 acres. Its particulars are Plot 5-11 Peninsula Crescent Lane and Plot 1-3 at the same locality.

While selling the land, Gen. Tumukunde is alleged to have told the buyer that the veterans were merely keeping guard of the land for him and that he was now desirous of disposing it off to do other things. But the veterans led by retired Sergeant Badru Matovu have since sold their interest in the property to Banyenzaki.

Senior citizen Hajj Muhammad Majid Bagalaaliwo is the man Tumukunde supposedly took for a ride. A seasoned businessman with shares in Coca Cola, the now frail Hajj aged 80 years plus, has lived with the heartbreak of losing his money for 13 years now.

We spoke to him and he was fraught. He told us thus; “I want the President (Read Court of Last Resort) to help me recover my money from his military officer.  I am an old man. How can a young man I trusted so much end up shortchanging me!” he said before angrily hanging up on us! More efforts to dig deep with him were futile as he jammed to pick our repeated calls.

The Genesis

As fate would have it, it all started with Gen. Tumukunde initiating the deal through a Real Estate broker known as Maurice Nuwagaba. Tumukunde is Bagalaaliwo’s neighbor in Kololo. So the Presidential aspirant must have known the old man’s appetite for prime land already. This could perhaps, illuminate why the former Spy Chief targeted his neighbor above all other people for a quick financial kill.

“The broker approached the old man and told him how Tumukunde was selling a prime piece of land on the shores of Lake Victoria,” insider sources reveal. Not one to pass on a good deal, the Hajji quickly moved to Luzira-Port bell where the land is located.

He wanted to have a closer look and first hand brief of the land, of course. He was elated by the scenery he saw. More so, the land he was supposed to buy is in the vicinity of an island. The island is home as well as a breeding ground for the white birds (enyange).

The old business soul had longed for years to construct an eco-tourism site. He was accordingly overjoyed seeing that his long-held dream was now starting to unfold before his own eyes. He returned home to pick his dear Hajjat for to, herself check out their long awaited dreamland.

Hajji ignores Hajjati’s advice, cash delivered to seller in boxes

Much as the man of the house was overjoyed by Tumukunde’s supposed land, the wife was on the other hand not amused. “Gen. Tumukunde wasn’t in possession of the title of the land he was calling his. What was he selling then? This made Hajjati skeptical of the whole transaction,” insiders elucidate.

But Tumukunde knew his say around this hurdle. “He convinced the buyer to go ahead and pay because the title was being processed. He said it would only be a matter of time before he got hold of his title,” Mzee Bagalaaliwo fell for the trick. After all, the businessman was not in the mood of delaying the deal he thought was too good to pass on.

How he now wishes he listened to his dear wife. Instead he quickly sent for money to be picked from one of his companies known as Transnak Financial Services. A deposit of USD400, 000 out of the purchase price of UGX1.8Bn was quickly arranged by Mzee’s financial handlers. The huge cash was delivered in two boxes at Tumukunde’s Kololo residence lying on the lower side of Kololo Airstrip.

The transaction was reduced into an agreement. We have the agreement dated September 3^rd 2007. Tumukunde is indicated as the vendor as well as one of the shareholders of a company known as Fish Eagle Limited. The other co-director is named as Paul Kuteesa and the other as Oscar Kambona. For starters, Kambona and Kuteesa were practicing law at that point in time with the prestigious Kampala Associated Advocates. Kambona is still one of the senior partners of the law firm while Kuteesa moved on.

The agreement at a glance

Gen. Tumukunde uses booty to ‘educate’ his Children, cool off in UK

On getting hold of the cash, Tumukunde is alleged to have jumped on the next plane shortly thereafter, taking his two sons to the UK to study law. The children have since completed their courses. It is worth pointing out at this juncture that by the time Tumukunde allegedly hatched this transaction, he had just been released from the military prison over statements he had made before on an FM radio station that his masters in the military felt were bellicose.

Buyer heads to Police, Court

To cut the long story short, Bagalaaliwo is now pursuing both legal and criminal charges against the Presidential aspirant. In the Civil matter before Justice Susan Abinyo of the Commercial Division of the High Court, the businessman wants the army General to either hand him the land he purportedly sold him, or refund the cash, of course with interest.

He further seeks for monetary damages for the breach of contract on part of the seller, as well as the interest agreed at the time of sale till Tumukunde finally clears. In the criminal charges overseen by senior detective Elly Womanya, Tumukunde is facing charges of obtaining money by false pretenses, implying he took the money with full knowledge that he had no land to sell.

Seller disowns agreement

On his part, Tumukunde is said to deny any wrongdoing. He even, reportedly disown the sale agreement much as it bears what is believed to be his name as well as signature. Watch this space…

The extremely confident stocky man of around 90kgs of weight, a marketer by profession is contesting for the first time of his political career but already exudes confidence of a serial winner.

He is running in a sister constituency of another constituency that was formerly dominated by controversial minister Rtd. Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire who was humbled in the 2016 election by a military officer named Mugabe Donozio Kahonda. But while Kahinda Otafiire is running in another constituency, Mr. Byaruhanga is running against incumbent Kahonda. He however fervently denies that he is either sponsored or supported by Rtd. Maj Gen. Kahinda Otafiire.

He spoke with political journalist for The Investigator Fred Daka Kamwada in an interview in which he made some very interesting revelations as you will read below;

Q; can you please introduce yourself to the readers?

A; Yes, I am called Byaruhanga Didas Kaginda, born in a village called Mutala, Ruhinda county but found within Mitooma district. I am also a marketer by profession with a lot of experience in entrepreneurship.

Q; what makes you think you can manage to represent Ruhinda south constituency more effectively than your predecessors?

A; My confidence in providing effective representation to Ruhinda is derived from the fact that we have a big political vacuum in our constituency. There are so many things we should have had, which we have lost because of poor representation.

Our constituency has been dogged by bickering between our senior political leaders, thus distorting the whole mission. Besides I also derive my confidence to the fact that my father worked so much for this constituency.

He for instance managed to build Nyakita Boarding Primary School where many children including myself managed to acquire education. He was involved in a lot of developmental projects which many people will never forget about him.

So, I stand to prolong my father’s legacy of service to the people.

Q; Your father! Why do you think he has a high-profile relationship with the people of Ruhinda?

A; My father was called Jackson Kaginda. He served in former President Amin’s army before joining the NRA bush war led by Yoweri Museveni in early eighties. He retired in 1993 and embarked on developing his home area as the LC 3 chairman for very many years before he was summarily assassinated two years ago. The most painful thing is that since his untimely death, we have never had justice.

What I can tell you is that if he had possessed the required education, he would have been elected the Member of Parliament for Ruhinda. Nevertheless, they say better late than never and I, his son, have come to provide the effective representation and service he would have delivered.

Q; You want to go to Parliament yet you sound not to have experience save for that of your father?

A; I have a wealth of experience in business. I own a company called Forbes that exports labour to the external market which I started over two years ago.

We have so far exported over 200 youths to Dubai, Oman, Saudi Arabia and other Asian countries. This employment has changed the lives of so many youths many of whom hail from Mitooma. I am very proud to have changed the lives of so many of these youths. You can go there and verify these facts. You need no experience to identify people’s needs. I am already an experience of a leader myself.

Q; Who is your political mentor?

A; My father is my mentor.

Q; Why your father and not any other inspirational figure like Mandela, Nyerere, Obama or even Museveni?

A; It’s my father because he was a leader under my close watch. I saw him do practical things on the ground. I learnt almost everything I know from him. Why should I go for people like Obama or Mandela who were miles away from me? We learn from people around us. And I think my father is more of an iconic figure than anybody else in the world.

Q; Do you have faith in NRM and the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni?

A; Yes, absolutely yes! I strongly believe in him as the chairman of the party. There is no way I would run on the NRM ticket and still remain opposed against the party chairman. I think that wouldn’t add up.

Q; What programs do you want to bring up that were not done by your predecessors?

A; First of all, I want to tell the readers that our place is a very big coffee growing area. So, I feel obliged to lobby for the institution of cooperative society to first of all, eliminate the middlemen from exploiting our farmers. Secondly, the cooperatives will assist in the provision of marketing services, transportation services and in the creation of processing plants to add value to our products.

Q; Ruhinda is synonymous with the name of Kahinda Otafiire. Why do you think he lost to a little-known soldier in the previous election?

A; I don’t really want to discuss individuals. But I can tell you that people didn’t vote out Otafiire because of not performing. He was a very useful person to our communities to the extent that all the villages that voted for him have continued to enjoy services like water, electricity, well paved roads compared to villages which voted for Kahonda like Kabira and Nyamuyanja which don’t enjoy those services.

So, you can see how friction between the two political heads contributed to the backwardness of the area. You may wish to know that even today, Kahinda Otafiire Is still contributing to his people.

Q; Do you think Otafiire will bounce back?

A; I don’t want to go into the details but I think the people still love him. I think they had voted him out because of fatigue of seeing the same person in the same docket for many years. He was a victim of a lousy conspiracy of fatigue. But I think the people have realized how important he was and will certainly vote for him.

Q; are you running against him then?

A; No, he is running in another constituency whereas I am running in a newly created Ruhinda south constituency. So, there is no way of a clash between him and me.

Q; Are you a Kahinda Otafiire product then?

A; Not at all. He is not involved either remotely or directly in my political campaign. I am running my own show. Of course, I don’t rule out on the aspect of his moral support. But that is where it ends.

Q; what are your views about the Ugandan parliament? Do you for instance support things like lifting the age limits which were done by parliament?

A; Yes, I strongly support what parliament did in lifting the age limit. I even agree with the lifting of term limits because I belong to NRM.

Q; As a country, what should we expect from you?

A; Of course, you should expect effective representation from Byaruhanga Didas. I will undoubtedly add value to the Ugandan Parliament. There is no questions about that. Just watch the space. Thanks for your time.