Recently president Yoweri Museveni presented in parliament state of the nation address giving hope that all is progressing well despite many challenges still ahead in the socio-economic transformation journey but what passes for political opposition roundly dismissed him. Yoweri (Joel) Besekezi Ssenyonyi, the newly crowned Leader of opposition Parliament (LoP) has been leading the attack dogs, but many think he will probably end lower than Mathias Mpuuga, Ogenga Latigo, or Wafula Oguttu. And well, nobody any longer even remembers Betty Aol Ocan although she is in 11th Parliament as MP Gulu City.
While NRM and indeed Uganda may not be in the best of political shapes, surely the opposition in Uganda, or that which passes for it is more hopeless, hapless and in shambolic state. The public comments of Uganda’s opposition and social media warriors following the tragic events in Kenya where frustrated Gen Z, who President William Ruto says were infiltrated by criminals, degenerated into mayhem compels a re-assessment of our politics.
Uganda’s increasing wastage through public display of opulence, laced with open dismissive arrogance and impunity by top politically connected elites, if not checked while NRM still has a modicum of popular support, amidst widespread hardships, public despair and anger from multiple fronts, could spark an inferno beyond any peaceful measures, and Ugandans should learn from ongoing events in Kenya.
It is my considered opinion based on verifiable evidence that a shambolic opposition, riddled with allegations of corruption, being bought off by its opponent, rife with multiple irreconcilable and antagonistic contradictions cannot be in position to pass credible judgement on the state of Uganda. Uganda’s opposition factions are unable to understand even the basics of their own ideological, organizational, and leadership needs, otherwise they wouldn’t be in total disarray as they are currently. Both Ssenyonyi, and Mpuuga immediately before him have failed since 2021 to weave, galvanize and harness in and outside parliament, what would have otherwise been the collective energy of opposition towards purposeful direction.
The evident and very public spilt in FDC, UPC, DP and blazing in NUP characterized by fratricidal wars of annihilation leave very little hope of re-unification to steady the ship sail. The leadership of Kizza Besigye, James Akena, Patrick Amuriat, Norbert Mao, Robert Kyagulanyi a.k.a. Bobi Wine, and Mugisha Muntu are being tested and found wanting.
Like the Besigye-led FDC faction turned Patrick Amuriat and Nathan Nandala Mafabi its punching bag, Mathias Mpuuga and his sidekick Abed Bwanika who refuse to go down without kicking back have for the last six months been at the receiving end of the Kyagulanyi—Ssenyonyi bullets without a discernible end.
The unending counter accusation against one another of being President Museveni’s moles often without verifiable proof but mainly aimed at undermining their credibility so that only the false tongues remain standing in the gullible public gallery have left them marred in corruption suspicion they will difficult extricating from. And in any case, if the accusations were true, an opposition whose leadership and indeed entire body can be bought off by NRM, and publicly admits that much, isn’t worth its name, the paper on which its constitution and policies are written on. They are simply a cavalcade of charlatans eyeing soft money from their foreign backers who are as gullible as themselves not helpful to either or indeed Ugandans and could most likely end up in the dung heap of history like DP and CP before them.
The opposition is built around individual personalities whose supporters hold like cult leaders who cannot err and shouldn’t be criticized like Kyagulanyi and Besigye, accusations they keep throwing at Museveni who they claim has built NRM around himself and family. In all the three cases few dare say the king is sometimes naked fearing stings from angry bees nurtured in their own hives.
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