The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
On Day three of the trek, Museveni led the walkers on a 13km climb of the Kanzira-Katora Hill from Kiboga District to Mubende District; one of the most treacherous sections of the journey. Many youths failed to climb and those that did, including the not-so-youthful Government Chief Whip, Ruth Nankabirwa, who is also the Kiboga District Woman MP, mourned the downhill march.
Scenes such as these have left many in awe of Museveni although, scientifically speaking, there is no reason why a man in his late 70s cannot comfortably walk 200km in six days or 35km per day.
That is the equivalent of walking from Busega to Namboole along the northern bypass and back. Scientists say a 76-year old should comfortably walk 5km per hour (about the same distance as any adult of any age).
A journalist who reported the climb was clearly in awe of the President.
“Armed with a walking stick, Museveni easily rolled over the years and exhibited admirable strength and tenacity of the old days,” the journalist wrote.
Politics of transition
The National Resistance Army (NRA) regards the Luweero pilgrimage as their ‘Mecca’ of which President Museveni always goes before the launch of his election campaign. In 1999, which was two years to a presidential election, Museveni walked in Luweero. Back then, the President marked out the region as a place of pilgrimage.
“Muslims go to Mecca, the Catholics to Rome, the Movement should also come here where we fought. That’s what I’m doing,” Museveni said at the start of the trek, “I want to walk from here to Birembo because when you are flying or driving you will not see much of the places, especially the households.”
Museveni also likes to show that despite his years, he is physically fit. In the past, he has done push-ups at a public rally, and sprinted to be nominated at Namboole. He recently thrilled watchers when he led a quick 5km march in Kampala against corruption.
But Museveni’s fitness and the matter of his age have become critical as his main challenger in 2021 will most likely be Robert Sentamu Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, the Kyadondo East MP and leader of the People Power movement. At 38 years of age, Bobi Wine is half as old as Museveni.
Museveni has sharp political antennae and strategists for his camp must have been alerted to Bobi Wine’s youthfulness as a major magnet for the youth voters. Recently, there was a frenzy of comments when the President appeared to have shed a lot of body weight. Many said “Mzee (old man) is tired, finished.”
Museveni, in early December 2019, reacted to the commentary.
“I am not tired at all. I have, however, deliberately lost weight by shedding off that fat that I had allowed to accumulate on my body frame because the doctors had not explained to us clearly the mistake of not fighting fat.”
Museveni’s message on social media was addressed to the youth, who he calls his ‘Bazzukulu’ (grandchildren), a constituency he has been courting aggressively. Even the walk, although public, was actually designed as a history lesson for the ‘Bazzukulu.’
Trouble also broke out when state information platforms started referring to the 1000 official walkers as “carefully selected National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters, mainly youth, veterans and well-wishers.” Many questions were asked. What was the criteria for selecting the “special” group? Who selected them? Who are they?
The only name that kept popping up is that of Alice Kaboyo, an aide to President Museveni and the National Resistance Army Archives Unit. Kaboyo’s name resonated because in 2012, the former State House aide and member of the First Family was convicted of corruption on her own plea in the trial of officials that abused funds of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi). She was fined Shs20 million. She was jointly charged with the former Health ministers, Jim Muhwezi, Mike Mukula, and Dr Alex Kamugisha.
