[UAH] Museveni is feeling the rising political heat

Press statement

The simultaneous clamp down on the press, reshuffle of cabinet and the military has one message for Ugandans at home and abroad, friends and well wishers – Museveni is scared that he might be toppled by popular and nonviolent uprising.

Declaring Uganda a failed state, cracks in the army and police, withdrawal of development partner funds, rising international criticism of NRM government for mismanagement, invading other countries and informative civic education have turned the tables on the president and his NRM party. That the Tutsi have colonized Uganda and are now settling their people on Uganda land and are pushing for a Tutsi Empire initially in the Great Lakes region are no longer in doubt. The termination of paternity tests at the government laboratory facilities though reported as temporary may confirm what many feared – some Uganda men married to Tutsi women have been breaking their backs raising Tutsi children they didn't father.

All these things happening at the same time have complicated Museveni plan to crown his son as the next president of Uganda. But he hasn't given up. He has removed from the army people he feared most including David Sejusa (Tinyefuza), Aronda Nyakairima and Ivan Koreta. Promoting Katumba Wamala as Chief of Defense Forces needs to be read with a grain of salt. Museveni is trying to clear the way for his son Muhoozi to become the next president and Katumba may be the right man to help him do it. So we need to know who Katumba really is.

The cabinet reshuffle also conveys some messages. The ministry of internal affairs to which the police, intelligence and prisons are attached has been fully militarized and Tutsified with Gen. Aronda Nyakairima a Tutsi as minister of internal affairs and Gen. Kale Kayihura a Tutsi as inspector general of police. The trusted John Nasasira has bounced back as minister of information and communications technology. Please note that Rose Namayanja is also minister of information (and national guidance). Sam Kutesa who was retained as minister of foreign affairs will soon depart if elected president of the United Nations General Assembly for one year. The elections are scheduled for June 14, 2013. He will be out of the way like Sejusa now in exile and Koreta to become ambassador as well as Nyakairima who becomes minister of internal affairs.

Ruhakana Rugunda is always on the move including more recently from internal affairs chasing Kony, to New York as ambassador, to technology ministry and now to health. Hilary Onek and Karooro Okurut have been demoted while Maria Kiwanuka has been retained as minister of finance and economic planning without power since the ministry's principal responsibility to prepare and present the budget to parliament has been taken away from her and given to the NRM secretariat run by Amama Mbabazi.

The promotion of Henry Kajura as 1^st deputy prime minister a title held by Eriya Kategaya (RIP) should be read with a grain of salt. He comes from Bunyoro which has oil reserves and Banyoro want more revenue than Museveni is willing to give. So what role will Kajura play?

That Eriya Kategaya's strategic post of minister of East African affairs was not filled means that Museveni hasn't found a trusted person to drive the Tutsi Empire project by political means. It took a long time to fill the post of minister of state in the same ministry. That shem Bagaine has been retained means he is delivering as instructed. Bright Rwamirima and Rukutana Mwesigwa have respectively retained their strategic portfolios as ministers of state for animal industry (of interest to Tutsi people) and labor, employment and industrial relations (where pensions and trade unions are located).

Given many complaints about the mismanagement of the ministry for Karamoja, Janet Museveni should have been sent somewhere else. Reports that Karamoja people are being forced into settlements, are losing their cattle and land, are involved in human trafficking  and are homeless on the streets of Kampala should have served as a warning, even if some of them may not be true, to reassign the minister.

With 32 cabinet members if you add the president and vice president, the cabinet is heavy and very expensive. Museveni should have emulated Uhuru Kenyatta that reduced the cabinet to some 20 members.

One conclusion is inescapable: The wind of political change against tutsification of the country is blowing through Uganda. To slow it down the following steps are being taken by the NRM.

1.    The termination of paternal tests at government laboratory facilities;

2.    The disappearance of files on vital registration;

3.    The missing records or scarce information on refugees and illegal immigrants;

4.    The postponement of the population census.

To reverse this trend and avoid regrets later on, Uganda needs a truly patriotic, dedicated, experienced and selfless leadership.

Eric Kashambuzi

Secretary General, UDU