Weekly Review --- By Ben Illakut
Dec 7 - 13, 2003
Political observers have always remarked that one of the reasons why President Yoweri Museveni has managed to stay in power for 17 years without incident is his ability to tame insider betrayal and turn it round, while keeping a tight grip on the guns [read soldiers].
Whatever you may make out of such a remark, it appeared to pass the test this week when the commander-in-chief did a major reshuffle of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), leaving the public, opposition politicians and the officers and men in uniform, marvelling at his audacity.
Although numerous reshuffles have come to pass in the past, this time round, it was big; affecting giants and legendary names in the force. And if some people ever thought that there are untouchables - before Museveni, they might as well reverse their thinking.
Let's start it this way.
President Museveni dropped Brig. Nakibus Lakara from his position as army chief of staff. He also axed Brig. Julius Oketta who has been the chief of Logistics and Engineering in the army.
And despite the fact that the former army commander, Maj. Gen. Kazini is thousands of miles away, attending a top-notch military course in Nigeria, Museveni did not spare him.
Like others, Kazini is to face the military court martial, headed by Lt. Gen. Elly Tumwiine.
Now you once thought that Kazini was untouchable. Didn't you? Apparently, the president was acting on recommendations of a probe team into the continued existence of "ghost soldiers" in the army.
The Defence minister, Mr Amama Mbabazi, heads the committee. It comprises among others; Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuza and the chief of military intelligence, Col. Noble Mayombo.
Their recommendations appear to be as thorough as they are unflinching. The president also sacked all except two of the five division commanders. Col. John Mugume (Fifth division in Lira), Col. Poteli Kivuna (Division II) and Col. Andrew Guti (Division III) - sending them on forced leave, pending appearance at the court martial.
But that is not all. Museveni also ordered that Brig. Henry Tumukunde, who was once a division commander and until recently, the boss of the Internal Security Organization (ISO) and Brig. Steven Kashaka, appear in the court martial.
Again, did you not say lots of things about the relationship between Tumukunde and the first family?
But while the heads rolled, some were being held high with confidence. The president promoted Col. Joshua Masaba, who has been the commander of the air force at Entebbe, to the rank of brigadier and appointed him the new army chief of staff.
He also appointed Col. Benon Biraro, who has been in charge of the training school at Jinja to deputise Masaba.
As the week progressed, the story also developed. Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi on Wednesday said that actually more than 60 officers had been sent on forced leave. All army paymasters had also been suspended.
As 'ghost soldiers' continue to haunt the army, it is hoped that the action will clear the way for the general court martial hearings.
But as the army shook, the Uganda Peoples Congress seized the opportunity to spit at Museveni and the NRM government generally.
The party's Presidential Policy Commission chairman, Dr James Rwanyarare, told a press briefing in Kampala, early in the week, that the officers who had been either sent on forced leave or were due for court martial, were being hunted for alleged opposition to the third term project.
Whatever the truth or lies in Rwanyarare's claims, one thing is clear; this was a mother of all reshuffles.
When guns rock the air, every thing else falls down. That is what news about the reshuffle seemed to do to other important issues this week.
Take for example, the World Aids Day, which was celebrated at Kololo Airstrip on Monday.
One would have expected the event and the messages thereof to dominate nation talk all week long. But alas, it was overshadowed.
Nonetheless the event which was attended by 11 of the former Big Brother Africa (BBA) housemates, revealed a shocking figure of 70,000 in Uganda having died of Aids - this year alone.
Museveni talked graphically about sex, Aids and the need to stay alive. He also took off time to dismiss the unanimous decision by parliament - denigrating Uganda's BBA representative, Gaetano Kaggwa. The Honourables had disparaged Gae as an unworthy role model in the anti-Aids campaign.
Museveni's argument: It is not time to point fingers and preach morality alone, but time for concerted effort - where all those who pull the crowds should be made use of.
Wise view if you ask.
And this seemed to be a widely held view. A mini survey conducted by The Monitor revealed that people out there support Gaetano's role in the fight against Aids.
Now, how MPs dedicate enormous energy to demonise an individual who can be made constructive use of, is quite puzzling.
But if this puzzles yours truly, it doesn't puzzle other people. An observer this week put the matter his own way: The legislators are idle, he said.
And spare a minute for this other angle to their apparent idleness. The same MPs who claimed to toe a moralistic agenda, while discussing Gae, shocked most decent Ugandans when a few days later, they moved that prostitutes should be allowed to do their thing; that the daughters of the night are busy working.
Who then can claim a moral high ground? The MPs with such a mindset or Gae who is using his popularity to save the young and old!
Elsewhere, as normalcy returns to Makerere University Business School (MUBS), the principal, Mr Waswa Balunywa this week formerly asked parliament to grant the school the status of a public university, independent of Makerere University.
Presently MUBS is 'sort of' independent from MUK, yet it is not. Meanwhile, the vice chancellor MUK, Prof. John Ssebuwufu apologised to government for the recent strikes at MUBS and MUK.
And despite allegations by Balunywa that he (Ssebuwufu) is conspiring with the ministry of education to fail MUBS, Ssebuwufu did not hesitate to state that MUBS officials encourage strikes.
© 2003 The Monitor Publications
