The kyadondo East by-election brought new political dynamics in the politics of Uganda, where a musician, a self-crowned Ghetto President, a one Kyagulanyi Robert Ssentamu aka Bobbi wine defeated all the traditional political forces and emerged as an independent MP.
Many under estimated his abilities but as the campaign went on many realized the strength and command he hovered over his angry and hungry supporters who are mainly youth from the ghettoes. Though it was a constituency by-election the Bobi Wine campaign attracted many volunteers all around the country, this could clearly show the support he enjoyed among the youth across the country.
A young man that has revolved himself from the shackles leaved a hard life many elites only read of in the ghettoes of Kamwokya, creating and sustaining a business empire and building an admirable family, Hon. Bobi Wine is no fool, he clearly knew his destination and the hurdles surrounding his goal.
Immediately after joining parliament, he embarked on a countrywide musical tour to thank his supporters and also inspire more young people that it’s possible to come from the ghettoes and become an honorable giving himself as the example, he involved himself in all the major political events in the country for instance by elections and fighting draconian taxation policies like the OTT and mobile money tax. It’s from such visits that he was able to paraphrase a slogan people power, our power that has grown into a movement that many young politicians associate with to the detriment of the government and some traditional opposition players. He has been elevated to the leader of this movement that seeks for equity and advancing a generational cause that it’s time for young people to take on the mantle from the old guard.
The arrest, torture of Bobi wine and subsequent arraignment of evidence of guns was akin to the colonial police mentality of framing citizens of grave criminal offences not to convict them but in order to intimidate them and their supporters. Such acts were common in past regimes where officers with a borne to pick with any citizen they framed one of gravies constitutional violations with planted evidence.
The fact that the state had to resort to framing and defamation of hon. Kyagulanyi clearly shows how the man and his movement are growing at a terrible speed and only way to tame the man and his huge following was to court martial the head of the people power movement which greatly backfired because for lies to be believed, they shouldn’t be far away from the truth. Accusing hon. Kyagulanyi of possession of fire arms that are a monopoly of the army was really farfetched, an ill planned move by government and it could not stand the taste of time, for it was not only illegal but also an infringement on ones fundamental rights to a fair hearing and before a competent court.
Events that happened in Arua are unfortunate and are a dent to the security organs of this country first the arrests were carried out, torture inflicted on the captives then an afterthought of what and where to charge them came later, this kind of unprofessionalism and misconduct clearly explains why the cases couldn’t and cannot stand the taste of time whether in the court martial or any other court of competent jurisdiction for the officers involved have a career to protect and in the same way the case attracted a lot of media attention thanks to the youthful following of the people power movement that took matters to the streets and social media therefore choosing to court martial hon. Kyagulanyi out of the 33 detainees was an attempt to instill fear and also tame the fast speed at which the movement is moving but instead it increased on the unity and involvement of many young people many of whom had ignored politics and concentrated on something else like music who are now concerned of how their country is governed thanks to hon. Kyagulanyi is known as a celebrated musician and now a presidential hopeful.
The continued detention and trial of hon. Kyagulanyi (a civilian) by the military in a military court well knowing there was no evidence was bad for both politics and economics. They clearly followed the colonial police mentality where the possession of arms case was to be used as a holding charge for it attracts a death penalty in the court martial to portray that there is a serious reason for holding him and then the treason case as a fallback position in case the first one fails and in both cases one can be remanded for a long period of time as investigations are ongoing.
Taking hon. Kyagulanyi to the court martial was bad for politics of the sitting government, for it created a semblance with the past dictatorial regimes that had no disregard for fundamental rights and rule of law yet the current regime has anchored onto power preaching these civil liberties. It was as well bad of economics as demonstrations continued to increase in the central business district and other major towns, business had come to a standstill, the continued presence of the army onto the streets coupled travel advisory statements from other countries advising their citizens not to consider travelling to Uganda really hurt the tourism sector and potential investors, all these had to weigh down on the regime to withdraw the holding charge and opt for the backup charge.
Finally hon. Kyagulanyi Ssentamu is not the only politician that has been charged with treason or being arraigned before the court martial, many Ugandans have been illegally charged with possession of fire arms that are a monopoly of the army, the case of the patron for the famous Boda boda 2010 who was arrested in a similar manner as Bobi wine and it’s alleged that on both occasions guns were found in their hotel rooms. Kizza Besigye, hon. Michael Kabaziguruka, Hon Mwijukye Francis, Ingrid Turinawe among others have been in similar offences and some still battling treason charges whose prosecution is malicious and defamatory therefore if we as a country are to get rid of such unorthodox vises the officers involved in such criminality should be charged with defamation and unprofessional conduct to save the image of the country, security organs and save tax payers money.
BY
MASERUKA SADAT
CEO PAWN CONSULTS AND MANAGEMENT
