In a few days, I hope to catch a glimpse of how all Ugandan Presidential candidates will step up to the plate and address us, the Nkuba Kyeyo on why we should give Ugandan politics a shot.
One person I am keen to see grilled is journalist turned pastor, Joseph Kabuleta.
Homesickness manifests itself in many different ways, from the miniscule to the sometimes bizarre.
When I had just moved to the Diaspora, I was consumed with longing for groundnut paste. Then I discovered that I could replicate the taste with their version of peanut butter.
When that wore off, I developed craving for matters more profound.
The Black Lives Matter protests came and I wasn’t too concerned. We had bigger problems back home. Here, manyi enaku yange, I just work, and hopefully make enough to go home soon and finally retire my 55 year old mother.
But then, I decided to take a more critical look at these supposedly bigger problems we had back home. After all the country had spat me out, Information Science degree and all and here I was tending shelves at a mobile phone shop at the corner of Durnford and Vale downtown.
Between adjusting to the unexpected ways cultures shock you and trying to get “woke” things started stirring up in the political arena back home.
The major media outlets in Uganda heavily covered Bobi Wine. They turned into his personal paparazzi, twisted and milked the guy’s content or lack there-of until we are saturated with it.
There are other contenders for the highest office in the land. 24 to be exact, last time I counted.
I have since followed them on twitter and facebook and set google alerts for whenever they pop up on the interwebs. I am like the TMZ or Shaderoom trying to keep on top of things.
After all, persons formerly known as entertainers have all suddenly found new callings as Presidents, Mayors or the Silent majority. LOL.
Regarding the group that was unfondly nicknamed the class of 1986, I don’t really care, because if you have been in government for 34 years, you cannot do anything to convince me that you have any new ideas.
I would rather hear from Jah Rastafarai after he returns from his ganja induced state of elevated consciousness- in his mind, higher than the most high!
On a more serious note, it seems the major news outlets have unleashed a systemic blackout for Kabuleta and his financial liberation message to Ugandans.
In fact some OB I asked said, “the only news Daniel Kalinaki and team can report about Kabuleta is if he falls dead on the street!”
As if to prove the friend wrong, shortly after, Daily Monitor broke their silence on Kabuleta. They trolled him, calling him a “mad man” after his arrest in Hoima. Turns out, they are following him around after all!
In the spirit of “Your biggest competition should be yourself”, soon after Daily Monitor went ahead and quoted Dr. Kiiza Besigye as apparently having said that, “I heard my brother Joseph Kabuleta, a presidential aspirant, promising financial liberation, yes I agree with him but how is he going to give what he does not have?”
In the backlash that followed, vigorously lashed out by tired Ugandans to the former FDC President and four times Presidential candidate, Dr. Besigye came out to distance himself from Kalinaki and the Namuwongo based team.
Addressing the newspaper formerly reputed for its objectivity, on his Twitter handle he said, “Let down by @DailyMonitor: When you “quote”, please be accurate. The point is that “Financial Liberation” necessarily follows “political liberation”- power must shift from Gunmen to the people of Uganda first.”
The tweet was embedded with a video recording of the former presidential aspirant in which he was actually saying, “I was even advising my friend Kabuleta, who is also one of the candidates. He says his, is financial liberation, which is a wonderful thing. But you only get financial liberation after getting political liberation. You must have the **__*** first, then you can engender financial liberation. Everyone that is standing up in that small window should organise and help Ugandans to get the message of liberation.”
Kabuleta, who met Dr. Kiiza Besigye shortly before launching his own Presidential bid, also clarified that he had not taken offence as he had listened to Besigye’s speech and found that the retired Colonel had been misrepresented.
What I find ironic is that the editor in Chief at Nation Media, seems to have something against Joseph Kabuleta, a fellow journalist. Could it be that Kalinaki might not stomach the fact that his old media colleague is gunning for the top role in the country.
When Kabuleta was arrested in 2018, Kalinaki wrote an article seemingly in support of the pastor. Is that as far as their camaraderie goes? This new turn of events where his paper now throws even Dr. Besigye, an associate for whom he even wrote a book “Uganda’s Unfinished Revolution” under the bus is highly suspicious.
The New Vision is still maintaining its silence. Consistency is key after all. That doesn’t surprise me though, seeing as it is slowly morphing from serious news to tabloid sensationalism.
If they cared for the masses like they purport, they would balance the boat and share messages of all the people that are attempting to lead them so that citizens make well informed decisions.
It might seem like too little to ask but hey! this is the same group with a TV station whose order of priorities for prime time news brings you a fight in a market before information on a countrywide vaccination exercise.
The only noteworthy thing from the corridors of Kabuleta’s former employers at Vision Group is that one of their journalists and regime cultist, NRM mobilizer for Bunyoro, Amlan Tumusiime was quickly appointed RDC for Hoima, Kabuleta’s home district as soon as the former announced his bid for Presidency.
I am told NBS TV has a whole hashtag on elections with billboards of their talking heads splattered all over the country, except; they are all reporting about Full Figure abusing Bobi Wine, Nobert Mao sloganeering against Betty Namboze and NRM distributing rationed cornbread.
Zero airtime for any policy or development discussions ahead of the elections!
At least they are not as broke as Vision Group, something I am sure makes fodder for great banter between Kin Kariisa and Robert Kabushenga’s management skills!
One would think that the journalists whose terrible exploitation Kabuleta has come out to condemn would be excited about having a seat at the table, maybe someone who can restore dignity to the Fourth Estate and save them from being used and dumped.
Naye wapi!
They rather keep licking boots (tongue in cheek) for peanuts that Sheila Gashumba talked about!
All I am trying to say is, as an economic refugee who misses binyebwa and her mother, I wonder why the major news outlets are not reporting more of the man that is promising us Financial Liberation.
Vision Group was even laying off its workers the other day because COVID had apparently made them broke, don’t they want to be truly liberated or would they rather keep up with the peddling of lies that the regime has brought prosperity for all?
The writer is an Information Scientist
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