By Moses Kintu
Whereas the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda under article 41 well elaborates what promoting tribalism is, the National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine is intentionally contravening it with strong objectives of fuelling the replay of the 1985 backward political atmosphere in Uganda.
Uganda since its walk to independence had anchored her political environment on the politics of identity of tribes and religion. For the millenniums and X generation need to know that the Democratic Party (DP) was founded on a catholic base while Kabaka Yekka based on the Baganda tribe. We saw how the first Prime Minister of Uganda, Bendicto Kiwanuka lost leadership after a section of the Baganda at Mengo standing at the back of the Kabaka Edward Mutesa II resisted the British administration causing another election to be held. To cut the story short, the elites under the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) headed by Dr Milton Obote, John Kakonge, Kirunda Kivejinja, and others who had introduced their mind to Indian – Communism ideology made an alliance with the Kabaka Yekka thus winning the election with majority seats.
What the Kabaka Yekka party didn’t closely attend to was the future of Identity Politics in a new Republican State with young elites of the like of John Kakonge, Bidandi Ssali, and Kintu Musoke who had been introduced to politics of interest. In 1963 clashes emerged that later registered the pronouncement from the Buganda Kingdom’s Katikkiro JS Mayanja Nkanji expelling what they referred to as the Obote Government off the Buganda land. Political friction increased leading to the annulment of the Buganda Kingdom and other cultural institutions in the 1967 Pigeon Hall constitution. Shockingly, the curse of identity evolved in the new Uganda with promotions in the army and public service based on tribes making a Langi a privileged Ugandan.
When Idi Amin successfully plotted a coup against Obote, he was welcomed with praises of all kinds basically from the Baganda. Amin’s first step was to return the dead Kabaka Mutesa II who was poisoned in England where he was exiled after his narrow escape from Obote forces. Again, there was a short relief and the identity politics resurfaced making the Nubians and Muslims the most valuable Ugandans. Both Amin and Obote used the card of tribes and religion to craft their leadership, and Ugandans were under perpetual disunity in their own country. In fact, Samora Machel was right when he described tribalism as the commander-in-chief of anti–African forces. The true challenges of the young Uganda that is; low economic growth and development, were not attended to in the Politics with the priority of tribes and religions.
When the National Resistance Movement launched a protracted bush war in 1981, despite unfair elections being at the front, the concern of tribalism and sectarianism was fundamental in the NRA/M struggle. This was a movement that considered not the identity of anybody but whosoever believed in the interests of the Movement; Democracy, Pan-Africanism, Socio-economic transformation, and Patriotism. It shocked the world when Ugandans overwhelmingly supported the NRA/M rebels more than the sitting Government, especially in the Luwero Triangle where the revolution was based.
Upon victory in 1986, Ugandans started freely electing their political leaders based on merit as advocated by the Movement system. Political aspirants could have one stage where each addressed the voters and people were free to choose or vote for those who satisfied their interests. In 1993, the Head of State President Museveni influenced the amendment of the 1967 Constitution that saw the redeeming of the Buganda Kingdom and other cultural institutions. The evil of politics of identity awakened in 2005 when Multi-Party Politics came back to play however on a low scale. Political Parties like the Uganda Peoples Congress were still castigated especially by the Baganda following the clashes in the early years after Independence that saw the abolishment of the Buganda Kingdom and the killing (poisoning) of Kabaka Mutesa II.
Because the National Resistance Movement under President Museveni had formed a thick skin for tribalism and sectarianism to prevail, it has managed to lead Ugandans for the last 39 years while fighting internal resistance in Northern Uganda (Kony) and Lakwena in the East and South East, and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The Constitution of Uganda is clear about the costs of promoting sectarianism under article 41 but Politicians with ideology bankruptcy have always opted to breach the Constitution by applying the evil tool of tribalism and Sectarianism to win political favors from a population of 70% of Youth who are ignorant about the evil intentions of these bad politicians.
The leader of the National Unity Platform Mr. Kyagulanyi who is a reflection of prosperity following his interesting life story from being a poor ghetto youth to a tycoon with multi-billion properties has opted to play the card of politics of identity to gain political favours and extort money from an ignorant generation in terms of donations.
He recently shocked the country on September 8, 2023, while addressing the people of Luwero District when he opted for a strongly tribal talk that caused a serious debate in the population castigating it as non-fit for a 70% cross-breed generation. It is hard for one to tell which tribe they belong to due to the intermarriages. Mr. Kyagulanyi having failed to defeat the NRM ideology, thinks that the approach of hate based on tribes can earn his Political Party a shortcut to the Presidency like the Amin and Obote.
Bobi Wine does not care about the results of his tribal speech used since the 2020 campaign period as long as he gains a false following and reaps funds in the form of donations. Many elites like Dr. Spire Ssentongo have decided to assist the National Unity Platform by promoting tribal discussions on social media spaces like Twitter (X) making false publications that are misleading the greatest percentage of the Youth into the evil Politics of Identity that had been almost forgotten for the last 39 years.
I can not assume that tribesmen and women vanished in our society. They exist and have been silently restructuring to share their bad ideology with the young people. These tribesmen and women are in all parts of Uganda and take advantage of the free system of the NRM under President Museveni to disorganize his Bazzukulu. None of these tribesmen and women are poor and none of them could raise their arms to stop Dr. Obote and Idi Amin when they disunited Ugandans on religion and tribal lines.
The sad part is that they are never discussing how to enable Ugandans to take advantage of the wide market across and beyond Africa that the bad Museveni has created. They neither debate about how to mobilize Ugandans to add value to their products to earn fat returns on the international market. These stooges never introduce Ugandans to the truth of the free education provided by President Museveni’s Government under the Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education. These enemies of Uganda never remind the Youth that Patriotism is understanding and loving your country to heart. These satanic people are always praising terrorism groups like the ADF in their speeches yet they massacre innocent children and Women in Kasese and across the Country. These agents of Lucifer are educating their children in the best schools in the country, securing their family’s citizenship in foreign countries, and are careless about other families whom they are using as agents to propel their evil agendas.
Bobi Wine is intentionally applying the evil tool of tribalism to create disunity among Ugandans. He believes he can use this as a shortcut to attaining the Presidency. Little does he know that he is shaking an NRM house built on a rock with a strong ideology championing the interests of Ugandans as a whole. Ugandans especially the Bazzukulu must stand up to shut down the stooge Bobi Wine from endangering our precious values of Ubuntu as Ugandans and Africans.
