{UAH} UJA ILLEGITIMATE PRESIDENT BE KICKED OUT

As l was completing my second and last term as UJA President, a progressive gropup came with a name of Mrs. Mercy Nalugo Lukyamuzi, a Senior Parliamentary Correpondent for Monitor Publications, and a member of the then outgoing Executive Committee, to be my siccesor if it was the wish of the voters in the jaurnalist fraternity.

This was after my deputy, Mrs. Juliet Namakula Katamba Kakaaeto, had opted out.

We were for a woman President.

Then , all of a sudden, Joshua Kyalimpa, who had just joined Vidion Group as a News Editor of our English radio station, came in with all the overwhelming ambitions of becoming UJA President. He found me at my desk in BUKEDDE newsroom and l told him that l could not support him because he had never been active in UJA. His activeness had been in elective parliamentary and local government council elections, but not in UJA as a professional body.

His main advantage was Vision Group family which was now split which was his advantage. He also mobilisers broadcsters and disgruntled former and outgoing UJA executives who may have wished to become President and now they see a young lady taking over from a "silver plate."

Some of our people, like our outgoing Treasusrer Herbert Lumansi, who was then vieing for Vice President, Kagolo, who was a committee member and wanted to become Treasurer, switched to his side so that they win overwhelmingly from both camps typical of Ugandan politicins' habit or strategy.

There were new entrants from a Mass Communication graduate, Ahimbisibwe, that was working with Vision Group who became Secvretary General.

But inside Electoral Commission, there was some rigging which l learnt much later and Kyalimpa made it. We were in charge but were not tempted by Satan to rig in our favour.

Things started well as old projects like the President's pledge for a Press Club or Media House was realised.

Some briefcase organisations were also put on the wall.

But the honey moon was too short and l will not go into that.

When it came to next election, all real and imaginary "enemies" were kicked out of CITY HALL AND FOR THE FIRST TIMKE PLAIN AND UNIFORM POLICE MEN AND WOMEN WITH GUNS, WERE DEPLOYED. Henry Mukasa lost to Kyalimpa but this was expected as the ledction could not be free and fair and aginst some Bukedde/New Vision journalists, who are double dealers in character, were doing it again, to the disadvantage of Henry Mukasa.

We should have been with elections since May last year, but Mr. Kyalimpa has turned UJA into a personal property, where he has ganged up with some of his kinsmen, and is shameless to introduce himself before the general public as a legitimate UJA President.

This not the time to apportion blame but all professional and practicing journalists and other stake holders like civil society, should collectively for kicking out the dictator from leadership of the mother media body.