Museveni’s visit to the north was a reunion
Oct 08, 2007
THE recent presidential visit to Acholi was a real long-awaited visit. It not only checked the general abuse of public funds in government institutions but was also a reunion of President Museveni with the families of the true NRM historicals in Acholi.
By Richard Todwong
THE recent presidential visit to Acholi was a real long-awaited visit. It not only checked the general abuse of public funds in government institutions but was also a reunion of President Museveni with the families of the true NRM historicals in Acholi.
Unlike many thought, I feel the president’s meeting with these families demonstrated to the Acholi people that they are indeed the true founder members of the NRM together with others. The struggle against the dictatorship of Idi Amin in the early 1970s brought together Amos Obwona, Okumu Kolonerio Luwa, Jacob Oyat, Fedenaldo Kipir, Okuya Linos, John Labeja of Atiak and Awere sub-counties respectively to join hands with the president to fight Amin.
Narrating their struggle, the president told the children, grandchildren and wives of his fallen comrades how he and Eriya kategaya stayed in Atiak, Awere and other parts of Acholi as they mobilised and recruited fighters to topple Amin in the early 1970s.
I could see the president remembered Amos Obwona and John Labeja very well as he narrated how one John Latigo of Acet sub-county betrayed them and reported them to Amin’s soldiers and how the soldiers followed Museveni and Kategaya up to Kategaya’s home in Makerere flats though they did not catch them. Later, the soldiers went back to Gulu and arrested Obwona, Labeja and one Mukiga whom the children of Obwona and Labeja kept referring to as a ‘young brown boy from the university’.
The president later told them the young boy (Mwesige) was killed by Amin’s soldiers by firing squad in kabala town while Obwona and Labeja were shot dead in Gulu and buried in a mass grave somewhere in Aswa county.
The president promised to help their families to search for their bodies and rebury them in a befitting manner since the families had never recovered their bodies. He also pledged to build a house, continue to pay their children’s school fees and give each family a self-help income-generating project of their choice.
I was humbled to realise that the Acholis are indeed the founders of the NRM and I wonder why we cannot take charge of our party (NRM). We should not allow other parties to confuse us.
“The blood of Obwona Labeja and others killed by Amin in Acholi because of their struggle with the President showed the Acholi people that the NRM and President Museveni are true allies. It also showed that President Museveni in particular is a reliable partner in times of need,†said Akulu Emilia, 65. A retired teacher, Akulu was an an elder sister to Jacob Oyet a victim of Amin’s brutality.
The presidential visit was also a nightmare to NUSAF and NAADS officials and those who procured fake resettlement kits for the internally displaced people.
When asked for his response about the fake seeds, the president said: “I will butcher those who brought you fake items.†At the same time he asked the NUSAF and NAADS officials to explain to the public how much money was sent to Gulu district under their projects.
One NAADS official told the crowd that sh800m had been sent to Gulu and when asked how much of that money each sub-county received, he seemed to have been caught off guard. He claimed that sh50m was sent to each sub-county. Later, the LC V Chairperson of Amuru and LCIII chairperson of Pabbo sub-county contradicted him to the amusement of the audience.
When the NUSAF executive director appeared to tell the public how much money was sent to Gulu under NUSAF, he told the charged audience that sh12b was sent and the public murmured as if to agree with the president that the money did not reach the community.
The chief administrative officer of Amuru made matters worse by failing to explain to the President the powers he had as CAO to withhold salaries of LCIII chairpersons for some months.
The public explanation by the district officers confirmed to the president that there was urgent need to audit public funds purportedly disbursed to the community.
Those who thought the President’s visit to the north was a normal routine visit were shocked because since the visit, some NUSAF district technical officers, accounts and administrative assistants of Gulu, Kabedoamido, Kumi, Palisa, Kotido, Nebbi, Apac, Arua, and Moyo have not had their contracts renewed.
More of the big ‘fish’ in some districts and at the headquarters who have been misusing the funds or had ghost projects are just waiting for the ‘butcher’s’ knife.
This will be a big lesson to public officers and civil servants whose appetite for public funds had become insatiable.
The writer is Special Presidential Assistant, Northern Uganda
THE recent presidential visit to Acholi was a real long-awaited visit. It not only checked the general abuse of public funds in government institutions but was also a reunion of President Museveni with the families of the true NRM historicals in Acholi.
Unlike many thought, I feel the president’s meeting with these families demonstrated to the Acholi people that they are indeed the true founder members of the NRM together with others. The struggle against the dictatorship of Idi Amin in the early 1970s brought together Amos Obwona, Okumu Kolonerio Luwa, Jacob Oyat, Fedenaldo Kipir, Okuya Linos, John Labeja of Atiak and Awere sub-counties respectively to join hands with the president to fight Amin.
Narrating their struggle, the president told the children, grandchildren and wives of his fallen comrades how he and Eriya kategaya stayed in Atiak, Awere and other parts of Acholi as they mobilised and recruited fighters to topple Amin in the early 1970s.
I could see the president remembered Amos Obwona and John Labeja very well as he narrated how one John Latigo of Acet sub-county betrayed them and reported them to Amin’s soldiers and how the soldiers followed Museveni and Kategaya up to Kategaya’s home in Makerere flats though they did not catch them. Later, the soldiers went back to Gulu and arrested Obwona, Labeja and one Mukiga whom the children of Obwona and Labeja kept referring to as a ‘young brown boy from the university’.
The president later told them the young boy (Mwesige) was killed by Amin’s soldiers by firing squad in kabala town while Obwona and Labeja were shot dead in Gulu and buried in a mass grave somewhere in Aswa county.
The president promised to help their families to search for their bodies and rebury them in a befitting manner since the families had never recovered their bodies. He also pledged to build a house, continue to pay their children’s school fees and give each family a self-help income-generating project of their choice.
I was humbled to realise that the Acholis are indeed the founders of the NRM and I wonder why we cannot take charge of our party (NRM). We should not allow other parties to confuse us.
“The blood of Obwona Labeja and others killed by Amin in Acholi because of their struggle with the President showed the Acholi people that the NRM and President Museveni are true allies. It also showed that President Museveni in particular is a reliable partner in times of need,†said Akulu Emilia, 65. A retired teacher, Akulu was an an elder sister to Jacob Oyet a victim of Amin’s brutality.
The presidential visit was also a nightmare to NUSAF and NAADS officials and those who procured fake resettlement kits for the internally displaced people.
When asked for his response about the fake seeds, the president said: “I will butcher those who brought you fake items.†At the same time he asked the NUSAF and NAADS officials to explain to the public how much money was sent to Gulu district under their projects.
One NAADS official told the crowd that sh800m had been sent to Gulu and when asked how much of that money each sub-county received, he seemed to have been caught off guard. He claimed that sh50m was sent to each sub-county. Later, the LC V Chairperson of Amuru and LCIII chairperson of Pabbo sub-county contradicted him to the amusement of the audience.
When the NUSAF executive director appeared to tell the public how much money was sent to Gulu under NUSAF, he told the charged audience that sh12b was sent and the public murmured as if to agree with the president that the money did not reach the community.
The chief administrative officer of Amuru made matters worse by failing to explain to the President the powers he had as CAO to withhold salaries of LCIII chairpersons for some months.
The public explanation by the district officers confirmed to the president that there was urgent need to audit public funds purportedly disbursed to the community.
Those who thought the President’s visit to the north was a normal routine visit were shocked because since the visit, some NUSAF district technical officers, accounts and administrative assistants of Gulu, Kabedoamido, Kumi, Palisa, Kotido, Nebbi, Apac, Arua, and Moyo have not had their contracts renewed.
More of the big ‘fish’ in some districts and at the headquarters who have been misusing the funds or had ghost projects are just waiting for the ‘butcher’s’ knife.
This will be a big lesson to public officers and civil servants whose appetite for public funds had become insatiable.
The writer is Special Presidential Assistant, Northern Uganda