{UAH} TUMWEBAZE CONUNDRUM

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TUMWEBAZE CONUNDRUM

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Category: Politics News

Published on 29 November 2013

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Embattled Hon Frank Tumbwebaze’s Problem Originates from the Fact That He Is Inspired by President George .W. Bush and Madly Adores President Museveni

By Fred Daka Kamwada

After restraining myself for a very long time on issues regarding the embattled and under siege Minister for the Presidency and Kampala Affairs, I was provoked into posting this on one of my social media accounts. 

 ‘’i have with dismay seen people especially members ofUgandans At Heart Forum demonizing and calling Hon frank Tumwebaze names ,like chemical Ali , Saddam , worse than the devil , but when you get close to the lad you will be humbled  to realize that the guy is the best human being i have ever met. I worked with him even when i was not a westerner, i was close to him for almost a decade even when i was an atheist and he was A Christian. I think we should accuse president Museveni for destroying some nice people ...like noble Mayombo, Kale Kayihura’’

And the reactions I got were spontaneous. A friend of mine called me and tasked me to expand on the post in form of an opinion.

Well, I don’t usually discuss the character of my close friends because I know that it tantamountS to abuse of their privacy. I also know that some right thinking members of society would accuse me of poor information management.

But I have been compelled to discuss Frank Tumwebaze because he seems to be in the most unpleasant situation of his life at the moment; He has been portrayed as a demon in every quarter of the country.

And I think that’s unfair.

The Home Truths

You don’t talk about someone whom you don’t know.

It’s true that I worked with Frank for almost ten years and I have been a very close friend of his and colleague. Despite of the fact that I don’t subscribe to the NRM anymore, it’s tricky for me to make an opinion about him because he is more than a brother to me in many ways â€"the current divergence of political views between him and I notwithstanding.

But nevertheless, I can stick to the fundamental issues which have put him in the middle of the storm. When the issue of the Lukwago censure emerged, social media was awash with allegations of tribalism, how a westerner engineered the fall of a Muganda (Lukwago). They beefed up this allegation with the chain actions of a councilor called Bruhan Byaruhanga filing a petition about the failings of the Lord Mayor, how the petition was served to Tumwebaze another westerner who also liaised with Catherine Bamugemerire to chair the tribunal etc. The cycle of tribalism was then completed with the election of five councilors (all of them Banyankole from western Uganda) to feel the vacant KCCA seats that led to the final censure of the lord mayor.

It was interesting stuff to read, but I don’t think Frank had anything to do with the whole chain of his tribesmen and women dominating the whole proceedings of the Lukwago censure. Let’s be honest about this.

It could have been coincidental that people, from one region dominated the proceedings that led to the Lukwago impeachment.

Tribalism

I have related closely with Frank for the last ten years. I am from Eastern Uganda with some Congolese blood as well while Tumwebaze is a westerner as you know.

But I don’t think he would have worked with me for all that time yet he knew I was not a Munyankole-if he was the tribalist that he is being portrayed to be.

I can swear as a matter of fact that all the time I spent with him I never read anything tribal in him. By the time I met him ten years ago, I even never had it in my dreams that he would be a minister. We only had a working relationship.

 And over the years I saw him work with people from all walks of life; when he was in Presidents’ office in charge of Research and Information office, as chairman of the Ugandan Farmers’ Federation and eventually as a Member of Parliament. At no time did I hear him ask the tribe of anyone who entered his office.

Sectarianism

You will be shocked to learn that I used to write a lot of articles about atheism bashing religion and stuff like that. I know Frank to be a very religious person- he is a born again or something close to that

You will also be surprised to learn that during my time with him, I wrote so many atheist articles but he never castigated me for being anti-religion. He would sometimes introduce me to his friends as ,’The Man Who Doesn’t Believe in God’ but he continued to work with me.

It’s really amazing to learn that he has been portrayed as the devil incarnate.

Things like these are very humbling sometimes. .

Nasty Ugandans

Yet along the way I have met so many nasty Ugandans who look posh and civilized on the surface but are rotten on the inside; and they have usually surprised me with their tribalism and hate.

We accuse the Banyankole of tribalism but I know of some tribes whose people change the language when you are around in their office to mystify issues just to make you an odd man out.

I have interacted with intolerant people who claim to be born again and when I hear people demonizing Tumwebaze I feel a sense of duty to talk about him. Of course people change their character from time to time.

Trappings of Power

 I once heard Hon Semujju Nganda claim that Tumwebaze was drunk with power and stuff like that.  It could be true.   I know for sure that Frank adores former American President George Bush Jr. He inspired him because of the way he made the difficult decision to attacked Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Remember there was an outcry all over the world about not going to war.

The United Nations and iconic leaders of the world like Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and others all opposed the war against Iraqi in the same way that Ugandans were opposed to the Lukwago impeachment.

But President Bush resolutely looked in the camera and said that ‘America will fight Saddam with or without the UN resolution’. I hope you are getting the source of Tumbwebaze’s resoluteness amidst protests.

Adoring M7, Mayombo

The other thing which cannot go unmentioned is the fact that Frank is (I fail to find the correct word here) should say, madly in love or adores President Museveni to such an extent that he can do just about anything to fulfill his desires.

And in this case, I think when Frank realized that Museveni was not happy with Lukwago’s stay in office , he played along whatever program was there to oust the latter, the anger it would generate notwithstanding.  Remember he is barely less than two years in the office as minster.

What would you do if you were recently appointed and the appointing authority tasked you to undertake a given assignment (even if the assignment included guiding the process of impeaching the Lord Mayor)?

The Law

 The beauty of this Tumwebaze hullabaloo, which has compelled me to leap to his defense, is that, the whole thing (the infamous impeachment) was done through the legal process, the immorality an irrelevance of it aside.

Much as it was uncivilized and politically costly, Tumwebaze at least tried to follow the available legal procedure. I wouldn’t have written this if he had abused the legal process.

They say that you understand people better when you look at the people they hobnob with. But I would say that you understand people better when you look at the people who inspire them.

And therefore wish to add that Frank also derived a lot of inspiration from the Late Brig Noble Mayombo.

Therefore, while we castigate, curse and threaten the man from Kamwenge , we should also look at the circumstances under which he operates.

I hope you have picked the drift pertaining to the Tumwebaze conundrum.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower