Riding the back of the tiger. Gen. Kayihura with generalissimo–before Museveni threw him under the bus.
[Saturday Morning Commentary]
This is my Saturday morning greeting to Pan-African sisters and brothers all over the world. And I’d like to share some thoughts specifically with sisters and brothers in Uganda, a country that’s been struggling against 32 years of dictatorship under General Yoweri Museveni, who’s been supported primarily by the United States and Britain.
Clearly change is on the horizon in Uganda. The regime is now cannibalizing it’s own members. As Ugandans know General Kale Kayihura, who is the vicious, brutal, chief of police, who’s been the regime-enforcer, who’s been responsible for exterminating Ugandans who have resisted Museveni’s tyranny, and who’s been responsible for eliminating General Museveni’s opponents, and responsible in helping him together with the military in stealing presidential elections in Uganda–he was dismissed recently.
This is not a sign of strength. This is a sign that General Museveni is now having to deal with the demons that he has created in Uganda. As Ugandans know the police force is ridden with corruption. There are elements in the police force that are outright criminals, recruited from the criminal elements and who are reporting to Kayihura himself. But Kayihura of course reports to General Yoweri Museveni. So any shortcomings in the police force in Uganda goes directly to General Museveni’s failure. It cannot all be layed on Kale Kayihura. Museveni of course is a perfect individual as far as he’s concerned; he’s a God. He has never admitted to any failure in Uganda even though all the institutions are failing; yet, he blames everybody else except himself.
But today sisters and brothers I’d like to focus on three elements — these are the three key elements that have ensured Museveni’s longevity; the pillars of dictatorship. They are, terror, number one; number two, diplomatic support from the outside world; number three, financial support from the outside world.
On the element of terror, that is now crumbling right before our own eyes. Regardless of who Museveni appoints to succeed General Kayihura, that will not resolve the crises. The crises cannot be resolved without a complete fundamental change in the structure of government in Uganda, in the structure of the police force, in terms of new recruits, with a new philosophy, not a philosophy of corruption and terror. So the leadership alone is superficial and will not resolve the issue. So that means that of the elements of Museveni’s hold on power, terror, is now coming to an end. And this is actually the right time for members of the Ugandan police force to start making the right decisions.
Start rejecting illegal criminal orders from the commanders. This is the time to join with the people of Uganda, your sisters and brothers, fellow Ugandans who want a better renewal and a new country and they want you to be a part of it. They want you to lead this change. So reject illegal orders; do not brutalize Ugandan citizens; refuse those orders. In fact, if you really want authentic orders you should take orders from an authentic and legitimate commander in chief, who is of course Dr. Kizza Besigye.
You the members of the Uganda police, you know, individually and collectively that Dr. Besigye won the elections of 2016. If I were you, I would seek guidance from Dr. Kizza Besigye who represents the wishes and aspirations of the millions of Ugandans who overwhelmingly elected him as president of Uganda.
So that deals with the element of terror. Let’s address the element of diplomatic support. The visit of Rex Tillerson the United States Secretary of State, who is still in Africa this week, he’s in Kenya now. The fact that Uganda was not on his list of countries to support and to visit, it shows to you that all the resistance by Ugandans in Uganda, and Ugandans in Diaspora, including Ugandans here in the United States, is now bearing some fruit. We have been communicating, you from home and us here in Diaspora, collectively and individually to the State Department and to the White House and providing information, detailed information, about General Museveni’s tyrannical regime and that is why finally he is being diplomatically isolated. What other reason is there for Rex Tillerson not to have gone to Uganda during this trip?
Remember under the past administration how many times did Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State under Barack Obama, how many times did she visit Uganda? Uganda was almost like a second home to her. We should ensure that this isolation continues not only from the United States but from Britain as well which has also been a major supporter of this dictatorship in Uganda.
Finally let me address another important element; the financial support that General Museveni has been receiving from the West to ensure and perpetuate his dictatorship. We have been communicating with the State Department, with the U.S. Congress, with the White House and with the United States embassy in Uganda. And we’ve made this point–why would you want to support the regime which embezzles the money anyway? Forget even about the dictatorship and the tyranny.
If the money was being put to good use it would be hard to make an argument against sending money to the regime. But in 2016 Deborah Malac the United States ambassador to Uganda herself made a statement lambasting the regime for stealing money that had been sent for the healthcare system. That statement is still on the website of the US embassy in Uganda. So what is the justification of sending more money? Right now, as I speak, there is an investigation going on about the millions of dollars stolen; money that had been sent to help South Sudanese refugees that are in Uganda.
And why are they in Uganda? Because of military intervention by dictator Museveni in the affairs of South Sudan. Instead of trying to reconcile the difference between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar he intervened militarily using even cluster bombs in December 2013 and escalated the tragedy in South Sudan; and yet he had been receiving money to support these refugees, who of course need support. But why should the money be sent through General Museveni when he has track record of stealing money and has been stealing this money for the refugees? So no more funding should be provided through the regime. Any support that is to be sent to Uganda should be sent directly or through independent agencies to the recipients, the intended recipients of this assistance.
So those are the elements I wanted to address today. I want to send out my greetings as I always do to the youth of Uganda. The present is yours, the future is yours. We are depending on you to create a better Uganda. That is why we are working very hard, with all our energy, to remove the dictator, remove this dictatorial regime so that we can give you a better opportunity to handle the affairs of state in a much more constructive way than our generation has been able to do.
Thank you very much sisters and brothers. Stay strong. I salute you. May the creator protect you and your family.
