Some six years ago, I attended a huge meeting in the main hall of Uganda Technical College, Lira.
The gathering was summoned by Lango leaders to sort out issues concerning the mysterious Citizens’ Army for Multiparty Politics (CAMP), and more especially the outrageous killing of Brig. Smith Opon Acak. Tempers flared.
The most memorabe statement came from the usually plain-speaking MP for Dokolo, Felix Okot-Ogong. He said that the Langi would only have peace when Obote was dead. This attracted murmurs from the audience, with many people looking at Okot as a doomsayer.
But whoever understands the political landscape of Lango — which is the epicentre of Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) — would not think Okot was wishing Obote bad luck. He was only calling a spade a spade.
His statement was provoked by the way Obote’s caricature has been used against the Langi. For example, the so-called CAMP rebels, whose evidence was never satisfactory, was in some circles linked to Obote, and the Langi as an ethnic group. Some myopic people thought the Langi wanted to wage war to bring back Obote.
Thanks to a strong spirit of solidarity by both the opinion leaders and the wanainchi, it was not long before the smoke was debunked. Generally, no sane kinsfolk wanted the Langi to be trapped in unnecessary war.
The message was unanimous: “Wek wa obed I can wa; pe ngatoro wayi wa mori kede akedi” (leave us alone, don’t bring us any more trouble).
In the same way, Joseph Kony’s attempts to poke his nose into Lango, has often met with customary condemnation.
Away from talk of war, Obote’s name was persistently touted by opportunist politicians to “confuse” the Langi, especially during election time. Personally, I have often been intrigued by the Obote name syndrome. Almost every political debate in Lira and Apac had a peg to Obote’s name and the electorate was almost always diverted from tangible issues. People were hoodwinked by those who rose on the old man’s back.
Even those who had never seen ‘Awie Apam’ (as we his kinsmen used to refer to him because of the shape of his head) took Obote’s word, whatever he said as gospel truth. I think politicians enjoyed cashing in on Obote’s ghost. Once you said Obote seconded you, then you would surely get some good votes.
The recent debacle, involving the grassroots election of Cecilia Ogwal and Omara Atubo is a corollary of that phenomenon. Atubo, Ogwal, Okulo Epak (MP Oyam South) and others did not approve of Obote’s ego of wanting to decide things by remote control.
They only respected him as an elder statesman and kindred but did not think he should rule by ‘proxy’. So they ended up in collision with Obote who preferred to deal with his loyalists at Uganda House. But the popularity of the likes of Cecilia, Atubo and Epak, who don’t even bother about stepping into Uganda House, have always dwarfed the candidates endorsed by Uganda House.
The interesting thing about Obote is that he has left both dictatorial and democratic legacies — just like any human being.
The most likeable attribute is that he was never tribalistic. He was a nationalist and pan-Africanist who looked beyond his locality. As head of state, he never took the lion’s share of the national cake to his home area. Despite being at the helm of government business for a total of 14 years, his country home in Akokoro has no hallmarks of a ‘presidential palace’. No mansion. Neither electricity nor water. And no tarmac road. Apac town remains a poor under-developed town.
The only asset that will remind the Langi of their jewel son is the once-haunted bungalow squeezed on a small piece of land in between the army barracks and the senior quarters in Lira town. He last slept in it more than two decades ago.
In one of his latest BBC interviews about his return from exile, he had retorted: “There is no question in my mind. I will go home when questions about dictatorship have been removed.”
True to his words, his homecoming was at the time doors have been flung open for political parties. Unfortunately, he is only coming in a wooden overcoat. As Obote lies for good in his final bed, will Okot- Ogong’s prophesy come to pass?
