{UAH} BEHIND THE CATTLE CORRIDOR'S 100% VOTE FOR MUSEVENI
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BEHIND THE CATTLE CORRIDOR'S 100% VOTE FOR MUSEVENI
The Cattle Corridor is a term used to refer to a semi arid region in Uganda that stretches from the southern border with Tanzania through some parts of Ankole in Western Uganda, Sembabule, Mubende, Kiboga, and Nakasongola in the central region of Buganda. It is a home to pastrolists commonly known as Balalo whose livelihood depends on herding cattle. Though Balalo is a term used to refer to nomadic cattle keepers, it has ordinarily been used to refer to all the ethnic Hima and their cousins the Banyarwanda Tutsis. It is in the same regard that Museveni who is an ethnic Him a was during the election campaigns referred to by his supporters as 'Omwana wa Omulalo'. (Son of a Mulalo) and he was very comfortable with it. Because of the privikkeged econonic position of these Balalos, they have been expanding the Cattle Corridor through the acquisition of large chuncks of land in other parts of Uganda. This land rush explains the ongoing land grabbing by the econonically privilleged few. It is this feeking of econonic superiority that tempts them to develop a feeling of being politically superior - the just concluded Youth Members of Parliament for the western region was contested by only ethnic Hima/Balalo sons of Army Generals hailing from the cattle corridor. Museveni's attempt to replace his bush war veteran Generals with his Mulalo son-in law Idrek Rwabwogo was also in this vain. Following the release of the just concluded sham presidential elections results, the social media is awash with criticism over Museveni's 100% vote from the polling stations in most areas of the cattle corridor. It is reported that in most of these areas, opposition supporters were not allowed to cast their votes hence 100% vote for Museveni.
It is this cattle corridor areas of Bulemezi in Buganda region that harbored Museveni's bush war fighters in the early 1980s. During that war, a special arrangement was made by Museveni for those Balalos in the areas of Ngoma and Bulemezi to handover their cows to his army in return for safe evacuation of the population. They handed over their over 21000 heads of cattle which were used to feed the fighters during the eight months (1983/84) during the government troops' offensive in areas of Bgoma and Wakyatot hat was codenamed ''Operation Bonanza'. These Balalos were helped to flee to Teso, Butuku in Tooro and a bigger number fled to Nyabushozi in Ankole. When Museveni took over power in 1986 those Balalos who had earlier fled from the war in Bulemezi were provided a temporary camp at Kanyaryeru in Nyabushozi. From the Kanyaryeru camp, those who had had land in Bulemezi were helped to go back to Bulemezi. Those who had had no land in Bulemezi were advised to stay in Nyabushozi whereby Museveni degazetted 250 square km of lake Mburo national Park and the Nshaara government farm in order to ressettle them. Both grouos were given cows bought and imprted from Tanzania in which even those who had not given the fighters cows benefitted from the government donations.
While the Balolo were compensated with cows and flee land, the Baganda cultivators from Luwero who had also given the fighters their food gardens, goats and chicken were given meagre cash payments. This cash was to soon fall victim of inflation and Museveni's currency reform scheme of 1987 thus the persisting graviances of the Baganda Luwero War Veterans. At Kanyaryeru, Museveni built a modern school (Ngabo Academy) managed under State House by its permanent semi illiterate Maj. David Bashaija. Ngabo means army in Kinyarwanda and the graduates of this academy have always been accorded preferential treatment in terms of placements and slots for further studies and job opportunities. One such graduate is Dr. Diana Atwiine who is Museveni's Assistant on Medical Services. They have over the years been the major beneficiaries of the State House Scholarship under Canon Rubunda. Kiruhura and Nyabushozi county in particular is the cradle of the Balalo and its the home area of Museveni. This area has for the last 30 years dominated some key government sectors like Revenue collection, State House, security services etc and the regime has often defended this dominance by arguing that its because of the resident's early association with the war that brought it to power.
In return these Balalos have always demonstrated their total loyalty to Museveni first and to Uganda last. It is in the same regard that during the president campaigns, anonymous audio and video recordings depicting the Hima/Balalo as a superior race that is entitled to rule over other Ugandans often unconcontrolably trended on social media. Unfortunately the regime never expressly came out to condemn and curtail such sectarian sentiments. During the campaigns, non Balalo ethic communities resident in this area were harassed on account of their persived suppor for the opposition. A female military officer at the rank of a Major ransancled the opposition FDC offices in Kiruhura. It is reported that even during the polls non Balalo residing in those areas were stopped from casting their votes on grounds that they were to vote for the opposition.
Therefore, it is not a surprise that the polling stations in those areas had Museveni allocated all the votes hence his scoring of 100% at most polling stations. This implies that there was no single opposition vote and not even their polling agents did vote for them. Much as there was an overwhelming 400,000 million invalid votes from the whole country, its only at the polling stations in the area under discussion did not register any invalid votes; maybe its because of the higher level of education and understanding by the people of that area. The truth is that at the polling stations in that area voting was done on the open table where every resident was required to come on the table and openly tick Museveni as the candidate of choice. Even the sick, dead, imprisoned, the absentees all voted because the voter turn up was also 100%. Its a taboo for anyone in those areas not to support Museveni. Otherwise, the Bahima/Balalo are very good Ugandans who are only being manipulated, used and abused by Museveni for his selfish and sectarian designs.
INFORMATION IS POWER
It is this cattle corridor areas of Bulemezi in Buganda region that harbored Museveni's bush war fighters in the early 1980s. During that war, a special arrangement was made by Museveni for those Balalos in the areas of Ngoma and Bulemezi to handover their cows to his army in return for safe evacuation of the population. They handed over their over 21000 heads of cattle which were used to feed the fighters during the eight months (1983/84) during the government troops' offensive in areas of Bgoma and Wakyatot hat was codenamed ''Operation Bonanza'. These Balalos were helped to flee to Teso, Butuku in Tooro and a bigger number fled to Nyabushozi in Ankole. When Museveni took over power in 1986 those Balalos who had earlier fled from the war in Bulemezi were provided a temporary camp at Kanyaryeru in Nyabushozi. From the Kanyaryeru camp, those who had had land in Bulemezi were helped to go back to Bulemezi. Those who had had no land in Bulemezi were advised to stay in Nyabushozi whereby Museveni degazetted 250 square km of lake Mburo national Park and the Nshaara government farm in order to ressettle them. Both grouos were given cows bought and imprted from Tanzania in which even those who had not given the fighters cows benefitted from the government donations.
While the Balolo were compensated with cows and flee land, the Baganda cultivators from Luwero who had also given the fighters their food gardens, goats and chicken were given meagre cash payments. This cash was to soon fall victim of inflation and Museveni's currency reform scheme of 1987 thus the persisting graviances of the Baganda Luwero War Veterans. At Kanyaryeru, Museveni built a modern school (Ngabo Academy) managed under State House by its permanent semi illiterate Maj. David Bashaija. Ngabo means army in Kinyarwanda and the graduates of this academy have always been accorded preferential treatment in terms of placements and slots for further studies and job opportunities. One such graduate is Dr. Diana Atwiine who is Museveni's Assistant on Medical Services. They have over the years been the major beneficiaries of the State House Scholarship under Canon Rubunda. Kiruhura and Nyabushozi county in particular is the cradle of the Balalo and its the home area of Museveni. This area has for the last 30 years dominated some key government sectors like Revenue collection, State House, security services etc and the regime has often defended this dominance by arguing that its because of the resident's early association with the war that brought it to power.
In return these Balalos have always demonstrated their total loyalty to Museveni first and to Uganda last. It is in the same regard that during the president campaigns, anonymous audio and video recordings depicting the Hima/Balalo as a superior race that is entitled to rule over other Ugandans often unconcontrolably trended on social media. Unfortunately the regime never expressly came out to condemn and curtail such sectarian sentiments. During the campaigns, non Balalo ethic communities resident in this area were harassed on account of their persived suppor for the opposition. A female military officer at the rank of a Major ransancled the opposition FDC offices in Kiruhura. It is reported that even during the polls non Balalo residing in those areas were stopped from casting their votes on grounds that they were to vote for the opposition.
Therefore, it is not a surprise that the polling stations in those areas had Museveni allocated all the votes hence his scoring of 100% at most polling stations. This implies that there was no single opposition vote and not even their polling agents did vote for them. Much as there was an overwhelming 400,000 million invalid votes from the whole country, its only at the polling stations in the area under discussion did not register any invalid votes; maybe its because of the higher level of education and understanding by the people of that area. The truth is that at the polling stations in that area voting was done on the open table where every resident was required to come on the table and openly tick Museveni as the candidate of choice. Even the sick, dead, imprisoned, the absentees all voted because the voter turn up was also 100%. Its a taboo for anyone in those areas not to support Museveni. Otherwise, the Bahima/Balalo are very good Ugandans who are only being manipulated, used and abused by Museveni for his selfish and sectarian designs.
INFORMATION IS POWER
Posted by Uganda - A Change of Guards! a
Viele GruBe
Robukui
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