Amanya Mushega: Bobi Wine is a formidable, credible force; he rose from the ghetto to top – unlike some Kololo kids who’ve failed

Former minister Nuwe Amanya Mushega has praised National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, saluting him for fighting from the ghetto of Kamwokya to the top.

Mushega, an opposition politician, used his appearance on NTV Uganda’s December 10 On the Spot show to tell those despising Bobi Wine because of his past to think twice.

The veteran leader also observed that Bobi Wine has succeeded where children of the rich and powerful who reside in luxurious places like Kololo have failed.

“A person who does not deny their background is a credible candidate. Why don’t you give credit where it is due that somebody has managed to come up and become a formidable force,” Mushega said.

“The young man grows in the Ghetto, goes to school, finishes University, does music and succeeds, stands and wins an MP seat and then comes as a presidential candidate. Some of us have children who have grown from Kololo but have failed to make it in life.”

Until 2017, Bobi Wine was well-known for his music.

But his election as Kyadondo East MP changed his status to a politician.

He is now one of the 10 opposition politicians seeking to end Museveni’s 34-year rule.

Mushega also condemned electoral violence telling President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni, his Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda and other government officials to send their children to the frontline.

“What hurts me most about violence in our politics is that my friends – Gen Salim Saleh, Ruhakana Rugunda, Museveni and other colleagues in government – don’t deploy their sons to go beat up people,” he noted.

“If you can’t deploy your own, why send other people’s sons to torture people?”

He urged government to explore other options of resolving differences with the opposition, and to admit their mistakes.

He further argued that the Museveni administration had failed to value Ugandans’ lives.

“The bullet is the last thing you can use on your own people. To demonstrate is not a crime. It is like the armed forces are trained to kill their own people. What hurts the most is that nobody from the government has come out to apologise for those who died in the recent riots,” Mushega said.

“We do not value our people and we do not value our survivors. We have lost our dignity. During the Mabira riots, an Indian was killed and we sent “mabugo’ (condolence) to India but nobody knew how many Ugandans died.”