The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
MWENDA: Why we should be suspicious of America’s attempts to insert itself in our national politics
THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Why did the United States sanction Uganda’s former Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura, on allegations of violation of human rights, corruption and smuggling without providing the evidence for the allegations? Why after he has left office and two years after its own Department of Justice awarded him a medal for excellence in fighting terrorism? Why is the indictment coming one and a half years to the beginning of the 2021 presidential election campaigns?
As I wrote in this column last week, the Uganda Human Rights Commission and the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights both visited Nalufenya (the alleged place of torture in the American indictment) and interacted with the prisoners. Both concluded that the claims of torture were not founded. Why did the U.S. Department of State disregard the findings of Uganda’s institutions? Given that the UHRC has issued many reports detailing torture in Uganda and even made government to pay hefty compensations to torture victims, the USA should have more confidence in our institutions.
More critically, why does America seek to enforce norms that it does not practice at home, even though it claims they are its own values? The American police are notorious for killing innocent African American males. Indeed every 28 hours a black man is shot dead by police in America for no reason but the colour of their skin. Doesn’t charity begin at home? Why does America seek to enforce international laws it has refused to be subject to under international treaties like the Rome Statute that created the ICC?
Last week I dealt with the substance of these claims: first that Kayihura was a very honest public servant who did not use his official position to enrich himself. Second that while security forces routinely torture, Kayihura made efforts to put checks in place. Third, that America has been complicit in torture. This column and the article following it on pages 16-17 seek to address America’s motivations.
The sanctions against Kayihura are not actually aimed at him. Americans want to influence the 2021 elections. They sense fatigue about President Yoweri Museveni and a wave in favour of Kyadondo East legislator, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, whom they have adopted as their Trojan horse. He is a catholic and a Muganda. Americans know Ugandans, like most Americans, vote largely based on identity: ethnic and religion. Bobi Wine may add a significant share of demographic votes because he is young, fresh and a celebrity. He has a good intuitive feeling of the frustrations of many ordinary young Ugandans.
Of course we must ask why Americans would support a novice like Bobi Wine against Museveni. Our president has been their kingpin in this region. He has promoted free market policies of liberalisation and privatisation that have stifled the growth of and/or displaced local capital to the advantage of multinational capital. He has been central in promoting America’s security interests in this region and fighting her enemies (for many years the government in Khartoum and over the last decade the “terrorists” in Somalia).
I would love it if Mwenda illustrated what Uganda’s “interests” and “values” are, those which are only “unique” to Museveni and “elusive” to the rest?
Andrew Mwenda I love the fact that you’re finally realising that M7 relationship with US and the European Union has fallen . Try reach out to the president and tell him to hang his boots before the Americans eject him out in a very inhuman way, tell him to ask the likes of former Kenya’s Moi who is now enjoying a peacefull retirement in his kabarak home or go down in history just like his friend Mugabe ,MUBARAK and Gadafi.
I personally have a problem with the likes of bobi wine but o blame all this on museveni who failed to nurture a leader to succeed him. He has been running the country like a one man show. Let me be very categorical and advice museveni not to run for office come 2021 because the G7 will deal with him and live the whole country bleeding , the G7 are not bothered with our welfare so long us there interest is being well taken care of, ask you’re neibours kenya who’s is a good example. Museveni might think that he has a strong army but when that to comes his own army will come down crumbling, hope he still remembers what Rwanda did to his army on the DR Congo territory. Museveni has done allot for this country but it is time he call it a day before he is humiliated before his bazukulu. Thank you
Thank u Erick you have said it all i cant add anything
Hope Andrew Mwenda will come bk to his senses by realizing that for M7 to cling to power for 33 yrs he is becoming a threat to the security of our country forget about Somalia Bra Bra Bra the man betrayed ugandans he doesnt keep his word he cant be trusted anymore
There is contradiction on part of Mwenda here. He states that US is now not interested in Africa and there is no Asst Secretary of State for Africa Affairs. If this is the case, then why does Mwenda write that Americans are using Bobi Wine as a Trojan horse? TO what end of they are not interested in us anymore?
Second, do the last 3 paragraphs of article also seem to suggest that M7 is afraid of Bobi Wine and free elections in general?
Mwenda must remember that any man’s dad at a point has to surrender then let d kids he has educated to take care of.
Mwenda must remember that any man’s dad at a point has to surrender then let d kids he has educated to take care of him when not that tooo old to even stand.
For the last word to carry two consecutive articles about the woes of one man is very telling about the impact that this slap from the imperialist has done to the mood at the gravy train.For the common man these sanctions mean nothing . He has no hopes of ever leaving this place he calls home yet for the Kayihuras and his ilk they have made his stay (the common man) a nightmare. This surprisingly has followed a minister’s claim about there being a mafia in the administration. And am certain for M9 the embattled former IGP”is a goodman who does bad things” or differently put “a good leader who surrounds himself with bad advisors” and now the imperialists are hounding him. If you come to think of it , polemics are the last thing any sane person should resort to- it is a global village . the younger generation dont see any sense in our way of doing things that is the reason they wont listen to you. Stop for a minute and picture the reaction of a young pilot at the controls of fighter jet about to drop a bomb on
tripoli when Gadaffi was on his last leg and Uganda was flying in a last minute mediator to patch things up.
1. No doubt USA has the right to brag and we may do nothing about it because they are truly great in all key sectors for example in the field of Aviation, all Gulf streams and Boeing planes are manufactured there in the field of ICT there gave us Google,Yahoo,NCR,IBM,Facebook etc in the area of Entertainment, they gave the world great voices like that of Anita Baker,Whitney Houston,MJ,Aretha Franklink etc in the Academic Arena they gave us Harvard and Massachusetts University of Technology.
2.When security tortured Bobi Wine i was so shocked. It made me think that security personnel in Uganda are not sophisticated in its workings with their lack of sophistication they made the World believe that Bobi Wine was a big deal yet he wasn’t.
3.USA tends to hunt for characters who are a threat to their security for example Edward Snowden.This raises the following questions (i)Was Kayihura paid by USA to eliminate M7?(ii) Kayihura was IGP for over 10 years why has USA decided to issue a person no grate to USA now?(iii) Bobi Wine was tortured when Ogola was IGP why wasnt he cautioned?(iv) Is this a punishment to government for awarding oil contracts to China?
President Museveni is far smarter than you, Winnie. He is not afraid of Bobi Wine per se, but of what he represents. That is why the President has now become a registered rapper!
Vis-a-vis Mwenda’ ‘American’s human rights imperialism’, I think Andrew Mwenda only thinks and sees in terms of the paradoxical “outside the box”. Yet, inside the box where he is, there is widespread domestic imperialism, as well as domestic colonialism. Where for instance appointments to top notch jobs justice are administered differently depending on where one comes from.
In other words, Ugandans from other regions are treated differently from those coming from the Western (Ankoleand Kigezi) part of the country.
E.g., a corrupt Gen Jim Muwezi is treated differently from a corrupt Flight Captain Mike Mukula’ A corrupt Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Sam Kuteesa is treated different from a corrupt VP Guilbert Bukenya, etc.
During a political rally, demonstration and/or protest, an Akena Photo Journalist is thrust differently from a Mucunguzi Photo journalist. A Francis Zaake MP is arrested and tortured differently from a Byaruhanga MP, etc.