On the night of January 25, 1986, I was stationed around Parliament Avenue resting and remembering the tortuous journey of anguish and trepidation we had just concluded. We had traveled for five years; with an unquenchable thirst; and at most times on empty stomachs; no shoes (some comrades had on one shoe); with unhealed bullet wounds and often with caked tears on our cheeks.
As we fought our way through Entebbe road, Nateete and Nakulabye, many of us were dressed in rugs and gave out an odour almost similar to that of he-goats. Our rips were cracked and our skins attacked with “obopere- scurvy” especially around the private parts, fingers and feet.
Guess what! We never minded any of those unpleasant things because we had a mission to accomplish almost like “Shahidas- martyrs”.
We had traveled on a journey to save our people; a journey and cause we all vowed to protect with our lives. This we have done for almost 40 years now. And we still know our mission and our comrade leader has not wavered on that either.
Our comrade leader may be aged now but he is in a super class of others leaders with wisdom like Joe Bidden, Donald Trump, Vradimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Folks, most countries need such leaders who have ‘seen’ it all.
That is why on 10 May, 1994, a 77 years old Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president. The country had other young and vibrant leaders like Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma but they were unanimous in their convictions that they needed a man who had seen it all.
At Parliament in 1986, I was having these bitter and fond memories especially remembering my comrades who had not lived to taste the sweetness of victory. We had lived together; fought together indeed suffered together. They had not made it to Kampala a city we used to hear so much about (full of honey and virgin girls) often from narrations of our senior commanders and political commissars. We even had comrades who had never seen an electric bulb or sat in a car!
My greatest surprise from the entire campaign was on that 25 January 1986 when, at night, our comrade leader Yoweri Museveni walked to us in the company of other commanders. With a permanent smile on his face, he had gone around thanking us for a job well-done where upon he gave each one us a note of UGX 5000 (new Obote money) from his own hands. I was so excited to meet him in person that I did fall down in awe and jubilations. Tears of joy perhaps from happiness in disbelief were rolling from many of our eyes.
We all cried seeing a 42 years old Yoweri Museveni with a receding hair line who singlehandedly had a plan that we can fight and win for the commonest idea known to man: the desire to be free.
Many of us especially the “kadogos- child soldiers” had no idea that our victory carried new responsibilities indeed new challenges. We were not even told that the state ‘owed’ us something because of our sacrifices and that we will be given cars, land or even medals.
None of that was given to us but we left happy and satisfied in the knowledge that our fellow citizens, from henceforward, will live in a free and democratic country.
As we used to sing when in the bush: “tulijetoleya sisi wenyewe; tuliwawakya wazazi wetu tokombowe inchi…we volunteered to liberate our country!” (This is a song I always shed a tear when I sing it to my children)
Therefore when I see the present “yuti- youth” with wings on their shoulders abusing people on city streets or on social media I cry even more for my country.
“Ffee twagala bavubuka abazeyi batuvire – let old people get lost” as if there is a society without old people.
It is even funny that some young musicians are already chasing old musicians like Chameleon to stop singing! Those calling themselves ‘young’ are already 25 and above while we have 12 year olds like Ferista de superstar, Champion Gudo and Fresh Kid!
In ignorance, they forget that we were the greatest generation of young people to liberate a country.
Yoweri Museveni was 42 years old in 1986 way young than Bobi Wine and MK (Muhoozi Kainerugaba). Our greatest field commander, Salim Saleh, was 24 years old in 1986. Dr. Kizza Besigye was 28 and named a minister while Mugisha Muntu became army commander at 29 years old! Yours truly, Affande Kamulegeya, was 15 years old in 1986!
“Class! What went wrong?” As teacher Mpamire would ask!
Be that as it is, at Parliament in 1986, I had moved with our commander and his entourage towards radio Uganda where we found a dead UD (government soldier) entangled in wires. Using words which still echo through my head even after all these years, Museveni said:
“Wona yeye! Alipigana kwa upande wa wajinga- he died for fighting on the side of fools!”
Like the memory of the 8 comrades I had helped intern at Lwengo in 1985, so are these words Museveni uttered. They will never fade.
And this Museveni, we lovingly called “Muzeyi- old man” has gone on to build a country where there was none; stimulated a camatose economy and galvanized Ugandans to love their country. He taught us, and we took to heart, that sacrificing for one’s country was the greatest noble idea any person can undertake.
He was young and we, his fighters, were even younger but full of bravado and optimism for a better country we dreamt of leaving to our children. Irrespective of your take on this, my reader, we shall leave a much better Uganda to be enjoyed by those coming after us.
We may differ on the methodology of President Museveni’s leadership, but there is a converging commonality that Museveni was what Uganda needed. The present generation, our children, you haven’t been told the real story of a country Museveni and his kadogos pulled from the gates of hell!
Nobody will tell you about that country because your priorities changed. You enjoy going to concerts and charting on your iphones indeed driving new cars bought for you by your parents. We never had that luxury because we were busy running to save our lives.
It hurts us, the fighters, when we hear people belittling our sacrifice at the alter of political expedience. While they belittle what we went through, they cruise around in expensive cars and can return to their wives at night without fail. We never had that choice. They can take their children to the best schools and even fly them abroad for medical treatment or amusement but we never had that choice.
Fellow Ugandans, when I say “they” I mean the people occupying our Parliament and those in government service or disservice. They were not in the trenches with us but are now eating way above their contributions!
But I am okay with that so should you. God, in His infinite wisdom, will compensate for you one day. He always has a plan because no person remains happy or sad forever. You admire those rich people with arcades but tomorrow you read about them fighting with own kids and wives! Nobody under the sun has it all. Not even Bill Gates! Rest you forgot Bill Gates divorced his wife and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau separated from his wife!
Besides happiness is relative: we all see it differently.
But it hurts to hear ‘them’ talking ill of our victory as if it was our best choice to go to the bush. They talk about Museveni’s men stealing land oblivious of the fact that we are now in a true market economy where everything goes to the highest bidder. For every 10 land wrangle in Buganda, there is always one or no none Baganda involved. They don’t tell you this because it has no political capital in it.
They count buildings owned by Museveni and his family and even go to the extent of reducing other hardworking Ugandans that their money is ‘Museveni’ money. There is old money, of families of traders and civil servants, who made money for generations. All this now is reduced to Museveni owning it.
“Oh he has arcades but they belong to Muhoozi!” Since when did we reduce ourselves to such simple reasoning?
I will tell you HERE AND NOW: the only reason President Museveni continue ruling over us is exactly that: we are not a serious people!
When you ask most Ugandans why President Museveni has ruled this long, they tell you the following:-
– He cheats during elections
– He controls the army and police
– The Banyankole, his people, accepted him as Baganda accepted their Kabaka- king
– White people (America and Britain) allowed him to stay for that long because he does some advocate or ‘spy’ work for them.
And many more reasons but none more true than this: MUSEVENI HAS RULED US FOR THIS LONG BECAUSE HE KNOWS US!
Folks, “Museveni atumanyi- Museveni knows us” that is why he is never excited no matter what we do. He knows that we are a simple people, “washamba- villagers” if you like, who cannot, like wildebeests, wake up one day and fight. He knows too that if he throws a little crumbs to some of us, we will betray others.
President Museveni can create an own opposition and tomorrow morning we move in excitedly to join it. He has allowed the rumor to persist that he was born in Rwanda and that MK is not Maama Janet’s child! He knows that we will gnaw at every bone he throws at us and he carries on his duties undisturbed.
He allowed us to have a Parliament and often looks the other way when members allocate themselves huge salaries and wages. He knows indeed fuels the infightings in Parliamentary because he wants other Ugandans to also take a closer look at the people we think can also ‘govern’ one day.
He does not even go after criminals- corrupt government officials- or those charlatans fleecing foreign investors. Why? He mastered the art of distribution. He chops monie (as a Nigerian would say it) and lets other people also nachop! Igwee!
The other day someone asked me why the state of infrastructure is deplorable. I answered back in the following manner:
“President Museveni is busy paying hefty salaries to government workers including his soldiers and police. Many of these are now going into retirement with heavy packages. The package given to 10 retiring generals is enough to construct a midsized 20km road!”
To tell you the truth, President Museveni is paying heavily to keep the peace we have. He pays even opposition members (some call it patronage) in a preventative move to avoid idiotic politics. He knows, than many of us, that an investment in ‘sober’ politics is an investment in peace.
The bottom line is that President Museveni knows what exactly we need and who we are. Look at how he, through his young brother Salim Saleh, controls the musicians and other Ugandans!
He planted his young brother in a Luweero bush (by the way the Kapeeka bush is turning into an industrial hub) and now everyone including foreign diplomats must treck to Luweero Kapeka or in Gulu to present their ‘problems’ to him. Ministers are jostling to be not seen in Entebbe but in Kapeeka to meet the Four-Star (Rtd) Commander of the reserve force; head of OWC (Operation Wealthy Creation) and Special military advisor to the president Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho popularly known as Salim Saleh.
President Museveni has destroyed without even sending anyone to jail a once-powerful political party called DP (Democratic Party); buried Milton Obote’s UPC (Uganda People’s Congress) and busy digging the grave where to intern Kizza Besigye’s FDC.
Justice Forum (Jeema) is led by Haj Asuman Basalirwa a party comfortable to forever have one member of Parliament. The Secretary General Haj Katerega was my high school sheikh and a friend. But Jeema and NRM are like blood brothers: no permanent enemity but permanent interests.
When Robert Sentamu Kyagulanyi lovingly known as Bobi Wine, entered the furry, Ugandans had become tired of politics. If you are smart enough, by now you might have guessed that Bobi Wine’s presence is working miracles for President Museveni.
He knows, as I guess you do, that Bobi Wine and his NUP or People Power will not take the presidency from him anytime soon either through a fraudulent or free and fair election (Part 11 loading…).
Last word: “Too much political ambition may blind one to reality!”
Adam Kamulegeya
adamkam2003@gmail.com
0779104336
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