Ugandans will change gov't through ballot box

By Kavuma Kaggwa

The people of Uganda will change the Government or the Leadership of this Country through the “Ballot Box” as it is clearly stipulated in the Constitution.

Thinking otherwise is tantamount to changing the course of the River Nile, instead of flowing to the North you try to make it flow Southward to the Cape of Good Hope.

There are some Makerere University professors who have authored a book in which they have expressed a view that “at the moment it is impossible to remove Museveni from power through an election”. (Independent Newsmagazine, January 30, 2015 – February 5, 2015).

First and foremost there is absolutely no need to remove President Museveni by force of arms because he is President until 2021. Beyond 2021 it will be another President either from his NRM Party or any other party.

The people of Uganda allowed him to lead for 30 years and that is quite enough for him. He has set a remarkable record of leading for 30 years and at the end of his rule, he will set a precedent of handing over power to another Ugandan democratically outside the National Parliament of Uganda, since Independence.

Secondly, Ugandans will change the leadership of this country through the ballot box but not by military means. Thirdly, we should not forget the two famous sayings of the Romans during their time that – “nobody know what will happen tomorrow” and the second which says – “no one is secure in this World”.

The Baganda have a saying that –“buli lukya n’ebyalwo” which translates that “each day comes with its own events”.

The other Luganda saying is that “Obukya buziba tebukuyombesa na Nampala”, which translates that “there is no need to quarrel with the head of the farm workers because tomorrow that leader of the workers will not be there and you become the leader or the Nampala.

Now after considering those sayings Ugandans can go to the poles tomorrow and the results come out that Musesveni has been removed from power through and election.

Remember that situations change and every after 40 years the World changes. President Museveni has ruled for 30 years and he has 5 years left. After that the World will change.
President Museveni will not live for a million years and he is not growing younger either.

Give him another 10 years from now he will be a grand old man (Jjaja) residing at his farm being assisted by grand children and he will be advising the young generation.

The Independent also reported that “Later, the President told MPS from his ruling party, especially those who intend to challenge him, that he is a “war general that cannot easily be removed”.

Ugandans should remember one thing, if you remove Museveni militarily he will, by all means, resist to the hilt, and the end result will be complete destruction. We do not want to destroy what we fought for and we do not want to destroy what we have built and above all war is not a dance.

In 1981 we resorted to war to remove a bad government, because it was one hundred percent necessary and “the war was blessed by the Almighty God”.

There is one factor which we should not forget. God gave us three very good things which will never end; they are like the waters of the River Nile.

You can never finish that water, you drink the amount which you can drink and go away.

The three good things which will never end are;

The leadership of the Country, it can never end because one becomes a leader and later on he goes away, he does not go away with leadership. Those who led Uganda at the time of Independence are not the leaders now; they are nowhere to be seen.

The second one is money, no one can finish money. Yesterday we had people who were millionaires, today we have others and tomorrow there will be others. When a rich man/woman dies he/she does not go away with the money. The third good thing is business.

No one can ever finish business, even those who will be born tomorrow will have business and no one goes away with it when he /she leave this World.

I remember many years ago Kampala had many business men who included Alidinha Visram who was the pioneer of business, wholesale and retail trade in Uganda, today we have other tycoons who are extremely rich.

As I said earlier on, if you resort to changing the leadership of this Country militarily you will definitely end up burning your Country and plunge it into a disastrous situation as it is today in Libya and Iraq.

You will not only give your Country to the dogs but you will give it to hyenas. A hyena is a very stupid animal because when it is speared by a man and it runs seeing its intestines falling out, it will eat its intestines.

The Independent has prominently featured Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, saying that “The Army can surprise Museveni. Brig. Muhoozi’s role and why UPDF might produce President’s successor”.

The paper quoted Hon. Fangaroo Kaps Hassan, the Shadow Minister for Defence and Member of the Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs as having said that in his view “Muhoozi is the defacto Army Commander”.

It is generally believed in the Country that President Museveni is grooming (preparing) his son to succeed him as the President of Uganda in 2021. I have absolutely no quarrel with that.

Any parent in Uganda is now free to prepare his children for the future. The current politicians we have today should stop being complacent, they should also groom their children for the future leadership of this Country.

If President Museveni wants his son to succeed him, he should know that his son will be leading a Country and not private property.

Brig. Muhoozi to lead this Country he must (repeat must) follow the democratic process as it is clearly outlined in the Constitution of Uganda. He is a person who is living in an “enclosure of an iron curtain of the Army” and socially people do not know him.

People should know who is Brig. Muhoozi, how does he behave in public, how does he talk to people everywhere in Uganda compared to his father who is “a man of the people”. What has he done for the people, what kind of development projects has he initiated for the people in different parts of the Country?

Does he speak to people in markets? If a fire guts a people’s market, does he run to the rescue of the people in the market, does he stop if people are injured in an accident on the highway and how does he dress in public, and does he visit all places of worship. Will he keep on repeating the clichés of “we fought” or he will outline developmental economic projects for different areas of the Country.

This is the democratic process I would recommend, which Brig. Muhoozi should follow in preparation for the 2021 general elections to enable him to win.

First, two and half years to the general elections of 2021, Brig. Muhoozi should resign from the Army. One MP from Ankole should be “requested” to vacate his seat in Parliament them Brig. Muhoozi should contest in a by-election and everything must be done for him to win. If possible everything must be done for him to come out unopposed. Quiet diplomacy can be applied here.

He will be in Parliament during that period undergoing “political education”. He will compete with other brains in Parliament and this will be very good for him. He will move motions in Parliament and people will know how he debates and how he responds to other members motions and what he contributes in the Select Committees of Parliament.

He will be able to move with people in his Constituency and “sell” himself to the people everywhere in Uganda. That way Ugandans will have known who is Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba who is aspiring to be elected President of Uganda.

Finally, when his party the NRM convenes the Annual Delegates Conference to elect their official candidate to contest for the Presidency of Uganda, they will endorse him without any problem.

After that, he will hit the campaign trail to compete with full confidence that people know him.  If he is not elected, he will still be a Member of Parliament speaking for his party. The Constitution of Uganda is going to have a provision allowing a Presidential Candidate to be elected as a Member of Parliament also.

This is the Democratic process Brig. Muhoozi has to follow so as to become President of Uganda. If he jumps from the Army straight into the leadership of this Country in 2021, the people of Uganda will, by all means, reject him.

He should not forget that he will compete with other Ugandans who also want to lead this Country. Several of them have proved to the Citizens of Uganda that they possess first class leadership qualities.

The writer is an elder from Kyaggwe  Mukono District