Amama Mbabazi-the of politics

The anti-Amin struggle

Amama Mbabazi”s earliest contribution to bringing peace to Uganda dates back to the early days of the Idi Amin regime while he was employed as State Attorney in the early 1970s. Joining the home-based anti-Amin activists, he became an informer to those in exile organising to oust Amin. Particularly he worked with Yoweri Museveni who led (Front For National Salvation )FRONASA, a guerilla force whereupon his wife became a telephone operator communicating with Museveni under a false name. When the Tanzania-supported invasion that ousted Amin was launched, Mbabazi was put in charge of the Western Axis front of FRONASA.

The bush war

In the aftermath of the disputed 1980 elections, Amama was one of the co-architects of the Museveni-led liberation war that brought the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to power. His early involvement was such that on the eve of the attack on Kabamba barracks, he was sent to Kabamba to meet with officers who had contacts with the guerillas to inform them that the attack on Kabamba would take place the next day. But after the attack, all the officers who were rumoured to have met with Mbabazi were executed. Gen. Jeje Odongo and Mbabazi had to flee the country into exile in Kenya.There he set up the external committee for the National Resistance Movement (NRM), until his stay in the Kenyan capital became untenable and he relocated to Sweden with Ruhakana Rugunda and Museveni’s family.

An intelligence kingpin

When President Museveni took power, Mbabazi was first appointed External Security Organisation director a post he held from 1986 to 1992. He is said to have set up the intelligence system together with Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi, who was at the time the director of the Internal Security Organisation. Mbabazi is credited for having coordinated the internal and external monitoring of all activities that might have proved injurious to the country’s stability. Though insiders will not go into the particulars, they say he played an important role in defeating numerous rebel groups as well as securing the co-operation of neighbouring and other foreign governments.

He served in many ministerial portfolios including regional cooperation until he was appointed minister of defence, a symbolic gesture given that the President had since 1986 kept the portfolio under his wings, reportedly because he deemed it “too strategic” to be handed over to anyone. He is also credited with having successfully negotiated Uganda’s stand on many tough issues such as the signing of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement to end the Second Congo War in 2003. Mbabazi on several occassions argued Uganda’s case at the United Nations Security Council where he urged the International Community to allow the Uganda People’s Defence Forces to pursue the Lords Resistance Army beyond Uganda’s borders.

Intelligent, hardworking

Away from his roles in the security and defence sectors, Mbabazi has been a full-scale political leader from 1986. Mbabazi was a member of the Constituent Assembly that drew Uganda’s constitution in 1995. He has been MP for Kinkizi West constituency in Parliament since 1996. When the country switched to a multi-party political system in 2005, he became the first Secretary General of the NRM Political Party and has ever since juggled the post with his ministerial duties. He is described as an intelligent and hardworking man who strives to ensure that things are done in a proper way. He is also as a reliable, meticulous man who takes great care in everything he says or does. Allegedly, it is his workaholic tendencies that even make him get less time to meet people or take calls.

Apparently the President has always assigned Mbabazi every major political, legal or security related challenge (at onetime in 2004 Mbabazi occupied three ministries at ago-defence, foreign affairs and Attorney General). It is said this was because of his “Mr-Fix-It” competence. Some sources say his appointment as Prime Minister (an office which supervises other ministries, on top of directly implementing several government and donor-funded projects such as the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) and the Northern Uganda Reconstruction Programme (NUREP) was also primarily because the President wanted a proven no-nonsense performer to properly streamline government’s service delivery. This would be by dedicating all his efforts to the task and coming down hard on technocrats whom Museveni says jeopardise government programmes.

Museveni’s right-hand man

It is now public knowledge that Mbabazi, a close friend of the President since the early 1970s, has dutifully stood by his master at all times and executed his duties to him without asking questions. And that the President has himself stood by Mbabazi at all times, the most outstanding case being Museveni’s defence when Mbabazi had come under repeated fire in Parliament.Many analysts and fellow politicians have said Mbabazi, the NRM secretary general, has for long been the defacto number two of the NRM government with the president always relying on him to keep things in order.

It is also a widely held opinion that Museveni has, without saying it, anointed Mbabazi his successor and that his elevating him to Prime Minister was to get him more at the centre of running things, let alone enhance his profile and cultivate public confidence in him.

King of controversy

But Mbabazi’s legacy at the end of the day will also be one of a controversial leader who divided opinions as much as Jesus divided the Jewish community he lived among. Although known in the NRM circles as “Mr. Clean” Mbabazi has been a target of attack supposedly by political rivals within the party. He has had to fight for his political survival in Parliamnt amidst accusations of wrong doing. But he has managed so far to stay the course, beating off rivals.
Some of his critics have accused him of being arrogant. Yet his defendants have been equally fanatical, arguing that he is merely facing political witch hunt.