Rubaihayo’s article was full of falsehood
I refer to Prof. Rubaihayo’s article on the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) and Milton Obote Foundation (MOF) relationship that appeared in The New Vision of December 7.
I refer to Prof. Rubaihayo’s article on the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) and Milton Obote Foundation (MOF) relationship that appeared in The New Vision of December 7.
The article contains statements which are either outright lies or myths made in display of total ignorance or reckless disregard for truth.
First, UPC is not led by Miria Obote and her son, Jimmy Akena, anymore than NRM is led by President Museveni and David Mafabi, his personal assistant. Akena is not on the UPC National Executive but only a personal assistant to Miria Obote.
Secondly, Prof. Rubaihayo claims that MOF was started by the same people who started UPC. He names them as Apollo Milton Obote, Sam Odaka, John Kakonge, Celestine Mindra, Erisa Kironde and Robert Elangot.
That is a display of ignorance by the professor. Neither Mindra, Odaka nor Elangot are founder members of UPC or MOF. In fact, Mindra does not even show on the “Who is Who†in the Milton Obote Foundation Organisational and Top Management Manpower Allocation Plan of 1981 because then, he was not even an employee of MOF.
Thirdly, Odaka was never a founder of MOF as claimed by Rubaihayo.
Founder members of a corporation are those who first signed the Memorandum and Articles of Association with which the company was registered. Neither Odaka, Elangot nor Mindra signed the Memorandum and Articles of Association that gave birth to the MOF.
The MOF was incorporated on May 8, 1964, with Obote, Felix Onama, Grace Ibingira, Kakonge, Abanya, Lalobo, Otim and Komukoryo as the incorporators. At incorporation, the following were selected as permanent governors: Obote, Abanya, Lalobo, Komukoryo and Erisa Kironde.
Odaka only became a member and one of the permanent governors on November 30, 1967.
Further, Justice Kibuuka Musoke expressly found that he was not a founder member of MOF in the Abanya case. Odaka never appealed that decision, presumably because he knew the truth. No claim by Rubaihayo can change this.
Fourth, the first trustees of MOF were Obote, Erisa Kironde and a third person not Sam Odaka and Elangot as claimed by Rubaihayo. Odaka became a member, governor and trustee in 1967 or thereabout. Elangot became a member in 1967 and a trustee and governor in the 1980s when he replaced Kironde.
The onus is, therefore, on Odaka, Elangot and Mindra to debunk this falsehood peddled by Rubaihayo lest they be regarded as condoning the same.
Rubaihayo is right to say that the membership of MOF is not hereditary but wrong to say it is by invitation only.
Examination of the Articles of Association of MOF speaks the contrary on how to become a member.
On the issue of heredity, MOF invited new members, including John Okumu, Odaka’s young brother; Aura Mangheni, Odaka’s cousin; Gabriel Opio and Gabriel Odima from Odaka’s homeland; Dorothy Elangot, Elangot’s daughter; and children of some former MOF members.
This practice of MOF of inviting children and relatives of existing members or deceased ones (except those of Milton Obote) counters Rubaihayo’s assertion that there is no hereditary consideration in the practice of MOF’s current management. Moreover, to say that MOF invites people based on their social weight and not because they are relatives of another person in MOF, is not borne by the recent MOF’s recruitment policy.
Rubaihayo, recruited into MOF in January 2006, plays public relations manager and asserts that: “If MOF has an image problem and feels there is need to bring on board a highly experienced journalist or public relations practitioner, it should go out there and look for that particular skill. It cannot simply take in a medical doctor because he or she is highly educated, since the doctor will not add the image value desired.â€
If that is MOF’s approach on recruitment, one wonders why MOF should have invited Rubaihayo, a professor of plant science, to become its member and use him in solving its image problems, a task he is manifestly ill-suited for as evidenced by the gross misinformation above.
The most outrageous claim by Rubaihayo is that UPC is only an ex-gratia tenant on Uganda House and that what differentiates UPC from MOF’s other tenants in Uganda House is that those other tenants pay rent while UPC does not.
Rubaihayo ought to have sought a better briefing by Odaka when he joined MOF in January 2006.
In the first place, the ground on which Uganda House is built was allocated by the Commissioner of Lands to UPC in the 1960s. UPC, through its lawyer, Gurdial Singh, asked the commissioner to have the land registered in the name of MOF, which had been created soon after the allocation to do and own that which UPC could not, in law, do or own.
Though the ground was registered in the names of MOF, it was for building the UPC national headquarters, Uganda House, towards which many UPC members contributed money and have receipts to prove this.
UPC later formed a building committee comprising known UPC members: Kalema (MP), S.N. Odaka (MP), Shafing Arain (MP), and Gurdial Singh.
The foundation stone was laid on October 7, 1967 and read:
“Uganda People’s Congress Headquarters Building. This foundation stone was laid on the 7th day of October 1967 by His Excellency the President of Uganda Hon Dr. Apollo Milton Obote MP.â€
In the 1968 UPC delegates conference, the building committee made a report to the conference. It is, therefore, insulting to UPC for Rubaihayo to compare its interests in Uganda House to Stanhope Forex Bureau and other tenants.
When people who claim and seek leadership peddle lies or show reckless disregard for the truth, or display their ignorance publicly to promote their interest, they lower their social weight (to use Rubaihayo’s words) and it is time to say maybe they deserve to be replaced.
It is time to ask the question: To whom is MOF accountable, if not to UPC?
The article contains statements which are either outright lies or myths made in display of total ignorance or reckless disregard for truth.
First, UPC is not led by Miria Obote and her son, Jimmy Akena, anymore than NRM is led by President Museveni and David Mafabi, his personal assistant. Akena is not on the UPC National Executive but only a personal assistant to Miria Obote.
Secondly, Prof. Rubaihayo claims that MOF was started by the same people who started UPC. He names them as Apollo Milton Obote, Sam Odaka, John Kakonge, Celestine Mindra, Erisa Kironde and Robert Elangot.
That is a display of ignorance by the professor. Neither Mindra, Odaka nor Elangot are founder members of UPC or MOF. In fact, Mindra does not even show on the “Who is Who†in the Milton Obote Foundation Organisational and Top Management Manpower Allocation Plan of 1981 because then, he was not even an employee of MOF.
Thirdly, Odaka was never a founder of MOF as claimed by Rubaihayo.
Founder members of a corporation are those who first signed the Memorandum and Articles of Association with which the company was registered. Neither Odaka, Elangot nor Mindra signed the Memorandum and Articles of Association that gave birth to the MOF.
The MOF was incorporated on May 8, 1964, with Obote, Felix Onama, Grace Ibingira, Kakonge, Abanya, Lalobo, Otim and Komukoryo as the incorporators. At incorporation, the following were selected as permanent governors: Obote, Abanya, Lalobo, Komukoryo and Erisa Kironde.
Odaka only became a member and one of the permanent governors on November 30, 1967.
Further, Justice Kibuuka Musoke expressly found that he was not a founder member of MOF in the Abanya case. Odaka never appealed that decision, presumably because he knew the truth. No claim by Rubaihayo can change this.
Fourth, the first trustees of MOF were Obote, Erisa Kironde and a third person not Sam Odaka and Elangot as claimed by Rubaihayo. Odaka became a member, governor and trustee in 1967 or thereabout. Elangot became a member in 1967 and a trustee and governor in the 1980s when he replaced Kironde.
The onus is, therefore, on Odaka, Elangot and Mindra to debunk this falsehood peddled by Rubaihayo lest they be regarded as condoning the same.
Rubaihayo is right to say that the membership of MOF is not hereditary but wrong to say it is by invitation only.
Examination of the Articles of Association of MOF speaks the contrary on how to become a member.
On the issue of heredity, MOF invited new members, including John Okumu, Odaka’s young brother; Aura Mangheni, Odaka’s cousin; Gabriel Opio and Gabriel Odima from Odaka’s homeland; Dorothy Elangot, Elangot’s daughter; and children of some former MOF members.
This practice of MOF of inviting children and relatives of existing members or deceased ones (except those of Milton Obote) counters Rubaihayo’s assertion that there is no hereditary consideration in the practice of MOF’s current management. Moreover, to say that MOF invites people based on their social weight and not because they are relatives of another person in MOF, is not borne by the recent MOF’s recruitment policy.
Rubaihayo, recruited into MOF in January 2006, plays public relations manager and asserts that: “If MOF has an image problem and feels there is need to bring on board a highly experienced journalist or public relations practitioner, it should go out there and look for that particular skill. It cannot simply take in a medical doctor because he or she is highly educated, since the doctor will not add the image value desired.â€
If that is MOF’s approach on recruitment, one wonders why MOF should have invited Rubaihayo, a professor of plant science, to become its member and use him in solving its image problems, a task he is manifestly ill-suited for as evidenced by the gross misinformation above.
The most outrageous claim by Rubaihayo is that UPC is only an ex-gratia tenant on Uganda House and that what differentiates UPC from MOF’s other tenants in Uganda House is that those other tenants pay rent while UPC does not.
Rubaihayo ought to have sought a better briefing by Odaka when he joined MOF in January 2006.
In the first place, the ground on which Uganda House is built was allocated by the Commissioner of Lands to UPC in the 1960s. UPC, through its lawyer, Gurdial Singh, asked the commissioner to have the land registered in the name of MOF, which had been created soon after the allocation to do and own that which UPC could not, in law, do or own.
Though the ground was registered in the names of MOF, it was for building the UPC national headquarters, Uganda House, towards which many UPC members contributed money and have receipts to prove this.
UPC later formed a building committee comprising known UPC members: Kalema (MP), S.N. Odaka (MP), Shafing Arain (MP), and Gurdial Singh.
The foundation stone was laid on October 7, 1967 and read:
“Uganda People’s Congress Headquarters Building. This foundation stone was laid on the 7th day of October 1967 by His Excellency the President of Uganda Hon Dr. Apollo Milton Obote MP.â€
In the 1968 UPC delegates conference, the building committee made a report to the conference. It is, therefore, insulting to UPC for Rubaihayo to compare its interests in Uganda House to Stanhope Forex Bureau and other tenants.
When people who claim and seek leadership peddle lies or show reckless disregard for the truth, or display their ignorance publicly to promote their interest, they lower their social weight (to use Rubaihayo’s words) and it is time to say maybe they deserve to be replaced.
It is time to ask the question: To whom is MOF accountable, if not to UPC?