{UAH} Waiting for the Kampala summit, watching the police break heads - Comment - www.theeastafrican.co.ke

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Waiting-for-the-Kampala-summit/-/434750/2093972/-/118vfl3/-/index.html

‎

Waiting for the Kampala summit, watching the police break heads - Comment

East Africa was gathered in Kampala this past week.

Officials of the East African Community partner states attended a series of meetings designed to push the five countries farther along the path of regional integration. They came from the trade and industry departments of government, from security and defence, from finance and taxation and elsewhere.

Then the officials were joined by their ministers and other chiefs, come to appreciate the preparatory work of their juniors and prepare appropriate briefs for their heads of state, the chiefs scheduled to arrive at the weekend to append their collective stamp of authority on the efforts of their respective Indians.

The East African Community Monetary Union Protocol was due to be signed on Saturday, marking an important milestone in the history of the reinvented EAC, and pouring cold water on dark speculations attending the recent dissentions apparent within the leadership of the grouping.

The usual suspects also came, both to attend a training session for the region's media, but also to "cover" the historic event and to ask those embarrassing questions that are clearly the preserve of people who have nothing better to do than poke their noses in other people's affairs.

So wouldn't one have expected Kampala to try to make sure it received its guests with a smiling face? Well, there were smiling faces on the individuals receiving, welcoming and serving, but a wrinkled brow and a curling mouth on the face of Kampala.

Riot police, wielding batons and tossing teargas canisters onto the streets and into cars were seen in the central business district beating up people, arresting others and making threatening statements to the effect that they, police, would not tolerate "stone-throwers." A few of these latter were seen on television as they got a good hiding from the forces of "law and order."

All this was apparently caused by an attempt to unseat the Kampala city mayor, who has apparently had the irrationality of differing with President Yoweri Museveni politically, which transgression has attracted attacks from the big man's goons who have vowed to get rid of the mayor.

In a cat and mouse ballet on the morning of the mayor's impeachment, his supporters tried to filibuster the proceedings so that their request for an injunction stopping his ouster could be granted by the high court, while his foes were hell bent on making sure that injunction would arrive when it was already too late.

This manoeuvre had been anticipated by the citizens of Kampala for quite some time, and they needed no prompting to come out in support of their (it seems) popular mayor.

Of course, there is no way you keep the lumpen element out of proceedings of this nature, and, in short order the streets were full of chanting hawkers and urchins up to no good. Whence the batons and tear gas and the mayhem.

But, interestingly, the police were not alone. Close to their points of operation were seen young men who seemed to be moving in the police orbit, and who carried longish sticks that they nonchalantly applied to the heads and backs of the demonstrators.

I realised immediately that I was looking upon the dreaded Kiboko Squad, a gang of thugs apparently hired by government to chastise its opponents.

Answering a reporter's question about these hired cane wielders, a police commander denied any link, but it was obvious the police were not seeing something they were watching at close quarters.

Later, the police went to opposition leader Kizza Besigye's home and dragged him away, reportedly because he was planning a demo in support of the deposed mayor.

Meanwhile, the status of the mayoral seat remains in a state of flux as lawyers on both sides bob and weave, shuffle and jab.

But all this looks like sparring in the gym, before the big bout that will come when the fragmented — and intimidated — opposition designates the candidate to take over Dr Besigye's mantle and try to yank Museveni from power, a Herculean task that comes with plenty of health risks.

Apparently, Museveni cares tuppence about who watches his thugs doing their thing.

Jenerali Ulimwengu is chairman of the board of the Raia Mwema newspaper and an advocate of the High Court in Dar es Salaam. E-mail: ulimwengu@jenerali.com

Waiting for the Kampala summit, watching the police break heads - Comment - www.theeastafrican.co.ke
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/Waiting-for-the-Kampala-summit/-/434750/2093972/-/118vfl3/-/index.html