[UAH] The Muhoozi project & State House scholarships - Connect the Dots
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5:33 PM |
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Tuesday, 14 May 2013 22:23
Around 2000, Winnie Byanyima, the then Mbarara municipality MP, stunned the country when she revealed Gen Yoweri Museveni operated a secret scholarship scheme at State House.
Gen Museveni immediately went on the defensive, explaining that the scholarships were for children of fallen comrades, colleagues who died during the bush war that brought him to power. In truth we don't know when Museveni started operating this secret scholarship.
If he started it 27 years ago, the number of years he has spent in power, it means the youngest beneficiary if he/she started school at the age of six, is now 33 years. But not all children of his fallen comrades were in primary one. By the way there are known great fighters in that Luweero bush war whose children dropped out of school as soon as their parents died but that is a story of another day.
The story for today is the effect of this secret scholarship scheme on Uganda's political and social spheres. Nobody knows who and how many people have benefited from this secret sponsorship except maybe the operator himself. Until this year, we didn't even know how much of taxpayers' money is spent on this scheme.
But in one of these endless Parliament meetings on budget, we were told State House is asking for Shs 30 billion to finance this secret sponsorship. Since the money will make the State House budget look big, it is hidden in the ministry of Education allocations for the financial year 2013/4. When approved, the money will be wired to State House.
And a proposal by some MPs on the Budget committee to transfer the handling of this sponsorship to the Education ministry has been vehemently resisted. With Shs 30bn, Mr Museveni is able to sponsor in foreign universities at least about 300 students annually and about 10,000 in local universities, secondary and primary schools.
What is surprising is that some of the beneficiaries of this scheme are in private primary schools in a country that offers free primary education. The question is, why does the president encourage Ugandans to send their children to Universal Primary Education (UPE) and for him he sends those of his relatives and clansmen to private schools?
It is in understanding this that one will know whether the so-called project to prop up Brig Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the first son, to lead the country in future exists or not. Gen David Sejusa (formerly Tinyefuza) wants security agencies to investigate whether this project exists yet this means investigating Museveni, which Sejusa knows is impossible.
I think he was simply alerting the country to this reality. The man is preparing a new group that should take charge of this country for two jubilees. This group will be led by Muhoozi or another person for that matter. Frank Tumwebaze, the minister for the Presidency, has benefited from this secret sponsorship, the reason he reacts like a rabid dog whenever Museveni, State House or Muhoozi are criticised.
The rise of Tumwebaze is a bitter reminder that the group the man has been preparing is now ready. I am told of a story of a woman whose daughter wanted to do a simple and short course because she wanted to take up one of the many jobs their uncle, Museveni, controls. Museveni instead looked at her grades and sent her to Canada for petroleum studies.
The end game is that, before Museveni retires or dies, the man must create a group of loyalists to take up the country's most strategic administrative and security positions. I am told such loyalists educated on this secret sponsorship have started taking over key professional positions in Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and in the ministries of Finance and Defence.
And Museveni has studied the psyche of Ugandans. He knows they will demand districts, cabinet positions, permanent secretaries and military ranks. A Muganda with absolutely no power and resources will be made a vice president, a prime minister or the commander of Land forces for public consumption.
I mean Kiwanuka Edward Ssekandi might be vice president but is he in a position to sponsor even two children from his constituency for petroleum studies in Canada? That is how we have been hoodwinked.
What should worry Ugandans is that the group that controls our economy is the one handpicked and sponsored by Museveni. Uhuru Kenyatta was able to win Kenyan election largely because he was a well-oiled candidate. A meeting of Museveni loyalists to raise campaign money will raise a trillion shilling and you all know what money does!
Museveni might not impose Muhoozi on you, but can bribe everybody to accept him. The biggest threat to our democracy now is poverty, which, in a future article, I will blame on Museveni. The fact that the head of state wants to carry money in sacks tells you volumes about his economic policies.
He must be the sole provider. And someone who wants to be a sole provider will certainly want to kill all initiatives so that the population can remain loyal to him.
The author is Kyadondo East MP.
The author is Kyadondo East MP.
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Wisdom comes with experience. And wisdom helps us improve. But does wisdom only come with experience? Not necessarily. Begin with an open mind and you can gain wisdom.
