Gen. Museveni–his 2013 invasion of South Sudan led to ongoing carnage and refugee calamity. Photo–Facebook.
[Righting Wrongs]
Here are 10 top reasons why the dictator of 31 years now, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, must be removed through a defiance campaign by Ugandans and friends of the country and its citizens.
1. The dictator seized power by the sword, something many Ugandans forgave him and supported him for; however, he has lived by the sword, something most Ugandans now denounce him for, and will never forgive him for. As a result of his naked brutal militarism, millions of Africans have died. All combined, the victims of armed atrocities ordered by Museveni number at least 10 million; 1 million Uganda; 1 million Rwanda; 7 million Congo; and, 1 million or more for South Sudan, Burundi; Somalia, and the Central African Republic.
2. Gen. Museveni is an illegitimate president, having lost a number of past nationally-organized presidential elections, including the one last year to Dr. Kizza Besigye, the legitimate winner, but then always refusing to yield power.
3. He has no moral claim to the presidency. His rationale for seizing power was allegedly to end dictatorship and government imposed by election-rigging under Milton Obote. Gen. Museveni’s election-rigging and dictatorial repression is peerless in African history.
4. Gen. Museveni has made corruption, including embezzlement of foreign aid the normal way of life in Uganda; people who are not corrupt are viewed with suspicion. Even funds dedicated to healthcare services, including for combating HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis, have been embezzled by his ministers. Gen. Museveni himself has purchased a private Gulfstream jet costing tens of millions of dollars; this money did not come from his family inheritance. Even the U.S., his regime’s key sponsor with $750 million annually, last year condemned official embezzlement.
5. Embezzlement and pervasive corruption have deprived Ugandans of resources and services that they are entitled to, including decent education and healthcare delivery. Instead, children attend classes sitting under the shade of trees, with insufficient books and educational supplies–meanwhile, hospitals lack medicines. The Daily Monitor, the nation’s leading independent newspaper published an expose where dead bodies were left on hospital beds for several days; this is abominable.
6. Gen. Museveni has turned the country into a personal ATM for himself, his family, and cronies and acolytes.
7. Gen. Museveni has destroyed the process of democratization and derailed the rule of law. He subverted the constitution by engineering the removal of presidential term-limits; he is now orchestrating the lifting of the age 75 ceiling, to enable him to run again in 2021. He seemingly hopes to extend his regime until he dies in office or is succeeded by a family member, presumably his son. Gen. Muhoozi Kaenerugaba.
8. Gen. Museveni has engineered domestic turmoil by promoting land grabs throughout Uganda in order to seize land for himself, his family members, and foreign investors. The latest hotspot, where inter-ethnic violence is being fueled by the regime in order to depopulate and seize the land, is Apaa in the northern part of Uganda. The pattern of displacement has occurred elsewhere around the country.
9. Gen. Museveni has created instability since the country lacks the mechanism for, and history of, peaceful transfer of power; meaning his incapacitation or death could trigger a violent power struggle. His dictatorship has turned Uganda into a political pariah in East Africa. Serious movement towards political integration has stalled.
Both Kenya and Tanzania have presidential term limits; they are wary of integration with a country presided over by a life-time dictator. The sooner Uganda restores term-limits and constitutional rule the earlier will it embark on the path to economic growth, stability and full regional political integration. Uganda’s economy now lags both Kenya’s and Tanzania’s.
10. Gen. Museveni has destroyed prospects for a better future for the youth of Uganda. Youth unemployment, shamefully, is the highest in Africa and stands at an estimated staggering 83%. If for nothing else, dictator Museveni must be removed to save Uganda’s youth. Dictator Museveni now spends all his energy hatching new schemes to extend his regime rather than creating jobs, wealth and prosperity for the youth of Uganda.
Gen. Museveni must be removed.
Editor’s Note: Feel free to forward this to friends, family and colleagues. Also create and share your own list of 10 top reasons why dictator Museveni must be removed.
