I got involved in a social media debate on the call for protests against the recently concluded presidential elections. Someone accused Diaspora Ugandans of urging ‘our children’ to face the military people on the streets of Kampala. In what seems to be a case of emotional blackmail, some Opposition leaders are accused of moving members of their immediate families out of the country.
‘Yet they are now calling on our children to face Museveni’s army on the streets.’ My dispassionate comment was: In most wars, the person and life of leaders (and immediate family members) are protected from harm’s way. They are always removed from the theatre of violence.
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I think this feeds into the military operational concept of keeping headquarters and sickbay away from operations. Dear Ugandans who choose to protest, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi and his children don’t have to be at the forefront. Remember (as Mr Abraham Luzzi would say), this is about you; not Kyagulanyi and his children. But I must confess, I am not joining anyone protesting Kyagulanyi’s loss. My demand has always been that Mr Kyagulanyi apologises for the negative remarks he (and his supporters like Abed Bwanika, Eddie Mutwe etc) made against Dr Kizza Besigye in the lead up to the presidential elections of 2021. And this brings us to the twin fate of Dr Besigye and Mr Museveni.
The Prisons spokesperson said Dr Besigye was well; and that he had visited a clinic outside the prison for routine checkup. A day or so later, the same prison services said they could not produce Dr Besigye because he was critically ill. The irony! Without prejudice to the accusations levelled against him, Dr Besigye is a human being. Minus his intense activism as a political leader, he is human. He is a citizen. He is a Ugandan citizen. That is why his physical frailty in photos that appeared on social media left many teary. His frail appearance always attracts more sympathy than the gravity of the accusations labelled against him by the State. That’s why I am also concerned about Mr Museveni’s legacy.
How can a man of Mr Museveni’s level of appreciation of public affairs be blinded as to tie his legacy to the fate of Dr Besigye. Why is he making a martyr of Dr Besigye? Of what strategic value is Dr Besigye’s fate to the vision of a better Uganda and African in general? The people who advise Mr Museveni don’t seem to appreciate the gravity of the psychological effect of Besigye’s frail body on Ugandans. Right now, it is no longer the serious offences Besigye may have committed. It is no longer the NKI (Nairobi Kidnap Incident). No one mentions it anymore. It is the life of Besigye. What is required now (from the State) is simple: Get Besigye to a health facility outside prison.
On social media, a lady urged Ms Winnie Byanyima to lead a protest march against government’s insensitivity to the health of Dr Besigye. I support the idea of a protest march. And I swear upon my ritual circumcision that I would bring all the 60+ years of my Ugandan citizenship to the protest march. Mr Museveni is clearly visiting unto himself the Janani Luwum situation to wit: creating a martyr likely to cancel out all the 40 years of protected (and not-protected) gains. I am willing to walk behind Byanyima in the protest march for Besigye. Not the march for kubanjaring the lost or stolen votes.