{UAH} THIS BABON ALWAYS WALK LIVE INTO LANDMINES: Mbabazi booed as Museveni skips Kanungu event
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Amama Mbabazi (C) looks on as VP Ssekandi plants a tree at Bwindi community hospital in Kanungu
Kanungu - The much-anticipated appearance of President Museveni and Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi at the commissioning of the Uganda Nursing School in Kanungu on May 23 didn't materialise.
Museveni, instead, sent Vice President Edward Ssekandi to represent him. The president had been expected to launch the school, and also respond to the local leaders' May 13, 2014 petition, reminding him of several unfulfilled pledges. Without Museveni, Mbabazi, the home-boy, shouldered the burden of explaining the NRM government's shortcomings.
"Museveni has so many unfulfilled promises here, he would have had a hard time meeting the people and explaining himself," said James Kaberuka, LC-III councillor for Kihiihi.
Indeed, Mbabazi had an uphill task explaining why Museveni's government has not, among other pledges, tarmacked the Ishasha-Rukungiri-Nyakishenyi road. They also inquired about the promised power sub-station, and the reclaiming of the road connecting Kanungu to Kisoro via Buhoma.
Mbabazi booed
Sensing the bullish mood of his audience, Mbabazi started off his speech like an opposition politician.
"For the first time I'm going to say something in public that I have been saying behind closed doors … if nothing happens about this infrastructure [road], the republic of Kanungu will make a unilateral declaration of secession from Uganda because no part of the country should be cut off from the rest of the country for two years and people think it is okay," he said to mild murmurs.
Mbabazi then added that he was pleased Ssekandi had made the trip by road rather than by air.
"At least now I have someone to go with to cabinet and convince our colleagues that this is a serious problem," he said.
Ssekandi nodded in the affirmative, before Mbabazi added:
"However, as head of government business, I'm aware that an advertisement was supposed to have gone out in the papers this week, asking for construction companies to bid for the job of tarmacking the road from Rukungiri, but that has not happened."
There was an icy response from the audience, which forced Mbabazi to repeat the statement several times, in a bid to elicit some applause.
"Let me explain that the African Development Bank has agreed to fix the road; so, [this] week I expect the advertisement to run," he announced.
However, a local rotarian retorted that they had clapped several times in the past whenever such announcements were made, but now it would take graders on the site for them to clap again. The local rotary club coordinated the construction of Bwindi community hospital and the nursing school.
Amama Mbabazi (C) introduces local leaders in Bwindi to VP Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi
Unable to get the applause he had anticipated, Mbabazi moved onto the issue of the intermittent electricity supply. He said the ministry of Energy had been directed to find money to extend electricity from the Ishasha power station to Kanungu town, and also build a power sub-station. Work would start soon, he added. This time, Mbabazi was actually booed.
Many people murmured that they were tired of NRM's empty promises. To avoid more trouble, and with an imminent downpour, Mbabazi wrapped up his speech and handed over to Ssekandi. The vice president, perhaps aware of the tensions, stuck to a prepared text that did not mention any of the infrastructure challenges Mbabazi had to deal with, before the two left the event.
Anger in the air
The anger among locals here was perhaps best expressed by an old woman named Pulkeriya, who was wearing an NRM T-shirt with Mbabazi's portrait on the front. She said in Rukiga: "Let him continue deceiving us, he will understand us when the next elections come along."
After meeting with Kanungu councillors in Rwakitura on May 15, President Museveni reportedly agreed to travel to Kanungu and use the Bwindi function to explain the infrastructure challenges there. He also demanded that the function, originally set for May 26, be brought forward to May 23.
His absence did a lot of damage to both him and Mbabazi. Nevertheless, the damage could be rectified if the pledges Mbabazi made come to fruition this time – before the next elections.
mtalemwa@observer.ug
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