{UAH} Pojim/WBK: Museveni praises ex-VP Bukenya

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-praises-ex-VP-Bukenya/-/688334/2918568/-/v5rpe9/-/index.htmlP

President Museveni (wearing hat), speaks to Prof Gilbert Bukenya (2ndL) at Prof Bukenya's Katomi Resort Hotel in Wakiso District on Friday. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA 

By STEPHEN WANDERA

Posted  Sunday, October 18  2015 at  01:00

In Summary

Relationship. For the four years Prof Bukenya has been out of government, he rarely criticised Mr Museveni openly, even hardly blaming the President for being responsible for the court case that was brought against him after he was sacked.

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KAMPALA. President Museveni and his former vice president Prof Gilbert Bukenya on Friday publicly renewed their association after a "separation" of four years following Prof Bukenya's sacking in May 2011.
Prof Bukenya, who had decamped to the Opposition and unsuccessfully vied for the joint flag as the candidate of The Democratic Alliance (TDA) coalition, stunned his colleagues in the alliance when on October 9, he announced he would back Mr Museveni in the coming election.

He also belatedly announced a bid to retain his Busiro North parliamentary seat as an independent candidate allied to the Pressure for National Unity (PNU), a pressure group under which he has recently been conducting his political activities.

 
During a rally at Prof Bukenya's Katomi Resort Hotel in Wakiso, Mr Museveni said: "Prof Bukenya had gone with my supporters but now he has brought them back."
Prof Bukenya claimed that the crowd was composed of 17,000 people who he said were all his supporters and would vote for him and Mr Museveni. It was hard to ascertain the actual number of attendees.

To demonstrate that his decision to turn around and support Mr Museveni again was backed by his supporters, Prof Bukenya yelled to the crowd: "I am not mad to support President Museveni. If there is anyone out there who thinks I am mad raise up your hand." No hand went up.

The former VP has been severely criticised by his former colleagues in TDA over the turn around. Even some of his colleagues in PNU said at their offices in Rubaga that their leader had gone missing on them and had switched off his phone. They said they were not aware of any negotiations between Prof Bukenya and Mr Museveni but they just read in the media about the former VP's decision to back President Museveni.

The President and Prof Bukenya enjoyed a seemingly warm relationship during the years they worked together, with the former head of the Medical School at Makerere University rising quickly through the ranks when he joined politics.

Prof Bukenya joined elective politics in 1996 when he became Busiro North MP. He quickly became the chairperson of the Movement Caucus in Parliament and was named State minister for Trade and Industry and then minister for the Presidency. He would serve as vice president between 2003 and 2011.

As vice president, Prof Bukenya popularised upland rice in different parts of Uganda and he was thought to be in a not-so-subtle battle with individuals such as former prime minister Amama Mbabazi to succeed Mr Museveni. In 2010, he unsuccessfully challenged Mr Mbabazi for the position of NRM secretary general.
Prof Bukenya adopted Mr Museveni's mannerisms and he referred to the President as his mentor. He sent his son for military training in a move many likened to Mr Museveni enrolling his son, now Special Forces Commander Brig Muhoozi Kainerugaba, into the armed forces.

 
Prof Bukenya's son, Brian Bukenya, died in a motor accident on Mityana road as they drove from the military training school to Kampala.

At a memorial service in Brian's memory in December last year, Prof Bukenya said, "Those who planned this accident are well known. They are moving around without restraint. If police do not arrest them, I will expose them." He has not named anyone since.
For the four years Prof Bukenya has been out of government, he hardly blamed the President for being responsible for the court case that was brought against him after he was sacked.

He was accused of causing financial loss to the government when he chaired a ministerial committee that organised the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2007. Mr Museveni insisted that Prof Bukenya was innocent of the charges which were brought by the Inspectorate of Government.

  
At Katomi, Mr Museveni was keen to communicate that their disagreements had been cleared: "We have been having some misunderstandings with His Excellence former vice president Prof Gilbert Bukenya. Of recent we had a meeting in the United Kingdom. I thank Prof Bukenya for coming back home. He has been a trusted and good leader."

Prof Bukenya, however, only waved to the crowd and did not join Mr Museveni in flashing the thumbs-up sign of the ruling party.

 
Mr Museveni said Prof Bukenya picked up the idea of starting a farm when he visited the President's farm at Rwakitura in Kiruhura District, praising him as a "quick learner" and using the opportunity to hit at his opponents in the presidential race.

"That is why when he (Prof Bukenya) joined (Kizza) Besigye and (Amama) Mbabazi, it has not taken him time to see their wanting leadership character," Mr Museveni said.

"Mbabazi has been in power (for about 30 years) and the party (NRM) for over the last 10 years but he has done nothing," Mr Museveni said, "That is why you hear of the disorganisation like voting in NRM," Museveni noted.
Here, Mr Museveni was referring to the conflicts and violence that have riddled the primaries of the ruling party. Similar incidents marred the exercise in 2010 when Mr Mbabazi was the party's secretary general.
Mr Museveni underlined his role as the custodian of the NRM ideology, saying his opponents had not mastered it.

 
"Besigye joined the bush struggle (late) in August 1982 when the war was midway," Mr Museveni said, "After three years (Milton) Obote was down. Besigye did not understand the NRM and did not take time to learn. He does not know the inside of NRM but (he) goes around deceiving people."

He defended himself over what critics call overstaying in power: "There are people who have been saying I should go; I go where? Okay then why don't they also go?" he added.

wouma@ug.nationmedia.com

Moses Ocen Nekyon

Democracy is two Wolves and a Lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed Lamb disputing the results.

Benjamin Franklin

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