Frank Gashumba the National vice chairperson of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) in charge of Buganda has revealed that one of the mistakes former speaker of parliament Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga did when campaigning for the position of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) vice chairperson representing women on the party’s top organ the Central Executive Committee (CEC) was making statements believed to be undermining or insulting to the person of Museveni.
He explains that President Museveni is a person who gets annoyed and unleashes his powers on that person who dares to undermine him before the public and many people who have been close to him for a long time have mastered that even though they privately speak their mind.
“My friend the former speaker of parliament Jacob Oulanyah told me never undermine Museveni in public or speak something which will annoy him. He told me that even him, in public he used to accept whatever the president spoke but after, he would ask for a minute with him to speak his mind. That was the reason why he supported him for the position of the speaker of parliament in 2021 against Kadaga,” Gashumba said.
He was supported by Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda who revealed that when he saw Kadaga accusing Museveni of shielding Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo for the position of the NRM national vice chairperson but supported Annet Anita Among the speaker of parliament to contest against Kadaga, he knew that Kadaga is gone.
More Read
He explained that at first, Museveni gave Shs800m to Kadaga to facilitate her campaigns and directed police and army to give her any of their planes to ease her movements around the country. He also assured her his support even though he declined to accept her proposal of forcing Among out of the race.
Ssemujju said that even though Museveni tried to convince Kadaga that he was supporting her, her instincts told her that he was supporting Among given that he was tired of seeing elderly people who have made it a habit of speaking boldly to him in their party meeting and some have even reached the extent of insulting him.
Ssemujju claimed that Museveni only wants people who praise him and thank him for their survival.
He added that this is the reason why even if they commit crimes like stealing taxpayers’ money, he shields them but keeps them in his watch book to punish them if they start disobeying him with Court cases.
Ssemujju a celebrated veteran political reporter said that Kadaga is not the first victim of Museveni’s fury as a result of speaking her mind. He divulged that a number of his war comrade including Brig Gen Matayo Kyaligonza the former Ugandan ambassador in Burundi faced the same fate.
He narrated that Museveni was very patient with Kyaligonza’s boldness especially in CEC meetings because he always ordered him to keep quiet, rubbished him when he interjects him when making a serious statement in the meeting claiming that his interjection made him to lose a serious issue he wanted to submit on.
“During that time when AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi was murdered and the the likes of Ibrahim Hussein Abiriga, Maj Muhammad Kiggundu, Museveni used to visit crime scenes and even though many of his war comrades were not happy with it, they were all scared to confronting him. So they used the fearless Kyaligonza. In one of the meeting, while using his walking stick, he pointed it at Museveni asking him to explain why he was visiting crime scenes after top government officials had been murdered,” Ssemujju said.
He added, “he humiliated him when he boasted that when they were fighting in the bush, he was always not on the frontline because they wanted to protect him until they win the war and they cannot look on as he makes mistakes that can result in his assassination at a crime scene. He even asked him whether he is a scene of crime officer to visit crime scenes. He warned him that if he tries it again, they will deal with him as war fighters.”
Ssemujju said that Museveni looked on hopeless as Kyaligonza humbled him with verbal artillery.
He later also responded to Kyaligonza by telling him that he is not the one responsible for his security thus he cannot advise him on where to go and not to go.
Ssemujju disclosed that since that encounter, Museveni restrained himself from visiting crime scenes but revenged on Kyaligonza
He prepared and supported Dr Chris Baryomunsi to defeat Kyaligonza on the position of the NRM vice chairperson in charge of Western Uganda in 2021, and once Kyaligonza lost his seat, he fired him from the office of the Ugandan ambassador in Burundi because he no longer wanted to share meetings with him touching national issues.
This website has established that Brig Gen Kyaligonza is currently not in a good health condition even though his family is taking care of him.
Ssemujju adds that he is remembered as a fearless soldier who also insulted Museveni at a function when he was giving ranks to soldiers who had captured power in 1986.
Kyaligonza accused Museveni of favouring his brother Gen Salim Saleh and his relatives with high army ranks than those who placed their life on line and fought the enemy.
During the Kadaga vs Among impasse, President Museveni explained that in NRM, all members can contest for any position without discrimination. He condemned Kadaga for claiming that she was a historical and should be shielded when she cotests for a top party leadership position.
