Courts, Social Media Frenzy: Need to tame elite political arrogance

By Ofwono Opondo 

Usually, there would be neither goal nor benefit in taking pleasure in the trials and tribulations of men because after all, they are not made of real steel, but soft soils. 

Kizza Besigye’s arrogant uncouth lawyer man, Eron Kizza, and table bang man Isaac Ssemakadde, who had momentarily recently come on top of the world, are now all chilling lonely from different underground locations. 

Much of their self-inflicted wounds were driven by the false pursuit of pseudo fame of politics and media, especially in today’s superficial social media, where everyone is clever, only by a half. 

Now the world is so quiet and serene, in ways many did not anticipate. The trio failed to appreciate that the world actually does not rotate around men, but the other way round. 

As the Baganda would say, Uganda Law Society president “Ssemakadde kati alira ku nsiko”, as in undeclared and undisclosed self-imposed exile.

Ssemakadde came in a hurricane, chainsaw in hand, in premeditation to cut down Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Director of Public Prosecutions Jane Frances Abodo, Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo, and High Court judge Musa Ssekaana. 

Now, the supposed lawman has run away and in hiding from the law. For a man, whose election was only recently so volatile, electrifying, sensational and spoke with so much insulting unprovoked contempt, to have his braggadocio neatly folded in such a short time, he needs to respect those who have travelled a longer distance than himself in public life.

Kizza Besigye’s lawyers, political surrogates alongside journeymen and the so-called human rights defenders, wanted him, if he has any criminal case, to be tried in the civilian courts.

Ofwono Opondo 

But, for strange reasons, the state had foolishly opted for the much-disputed military court martial. Another local adage, “he who chases you, gives you wisdom,” comes in very handy here, as the hullabaloo, including the media frenzy campaign #FreeBesigye, has now, on its own, collapsed, almost completely. 

And what a good tiding, that the political tantrums of his ‘companion’, Winnie Byanyima, delivered with hyperbole, too have died out.

Besigye’s orchestrated political blackmail, through a self-generated hunger strike, seeking to end his own life in humiliation, came to nought. 

Dead people are buried and life moves on. Heroes Day, June 9, is still more than two months away and it is unlikely that a good big tree on which to hang Kizza Besigye has been found. 

That threat conveyed through cold-sad humour, was perhaps only meant for psychological warfare.

To maintain the unchallenged authority, dignity, respect and decorum of courts of law, even when we disagree with their judicial decisions, lawyers Eron Kizza and Ssemakadde following the footsteps of Male Mabirizi, ought to be made good examples, otherwise, the public may have no place of refuge when there are disputes.

Eggs have to be broken, to make good omelet. 

The overtures by justice minister Norbert Mao, reported in the media, if true, that he seeks to have Ssemakadde’s conviction and the two-year jail term for contempt of court negotiated, have no basis in law, but probably only as a political appeasement, but Eron Kizza, who has served some time in jail and learnt his lesson, ought to be granted parole. 

In the old days, of ‘Dr’ Idi Amin Dada-Field Marshal, Life President and Conqueror of the British Empire, and Uganda People’s Congress under Apollo Milton Obote, the army, Police and intelligence personnel were a law onto themselves. 

Today, the UPDF, even with Kawempe North byelection fracas, is still a much better army Ugandans can rely on to do good. Just imagine, if all UPDF Generals, in their bloated numbers, were allowed a freewheel from self-inflated ego and passage. 

As we face another round of NRM primaries, usually fraught with absurdities, including open electoral bribery and violence, NRM must this time apply drastic measures on its high-profile instigators of election malpractices including outright disqualification, to bring back discipline.