ATTENTION SEEKER: Singer Ronald Mayinja is Just Seeking Museveni’s & Muhoozi’s Attention Through ‘Abantu Baganye’ Song

By Churchill Lokoroi

Could Ronald Mayinja’s ‘Abantu Baganye’ song have been stoked by “THE COUNTRY IS ON FIRE” statement during Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba birthday party at Lugogo Cricket Oval?

For starters, Mayinja, has been an undercover opposition politician and singer, whose true colours were only brought to bear during the last general election.

He is a member of People Power that metamorphosed into NUP, a Political Party led by a fellow singer, Bobi Wine. Even after flip flopping into NRM during the 2021 elections. He apologised to Bobi Wine, thus: “I was duped, I am sorry, I beg to return HOME and ask to re-join NUP.’

He was welcomed by the party president at their part offices in Kamwokya. The bible, in Matthew 7:16 says: ‘You will know them by their fruits.’

This is part of Jesus teaching about false prophets and recognising true followers. And President Museveni has severally quoted this verse in the context of his political journey.

This is not the first time Ronald Mayinja is releasing a politically motivated song directed at President Museveni.

In 2005, in a seemingly veiled attack at President Museveni and his Government, Mayinja released a song dubbed ‘tuli ku bunkenke’ loosely translated to mean that we are on tenterhooks.

While he denied attacking Government in that song, FDC’s Dr Kizza Besigye and the opposition used it as their theme song during the 2006 elections.

The song received air play on most radio stations as a trigger before any political show could start.

In October 2019, about one year to the 2021 elections, Mayinja, while at Serena Hotel for Catherine Kusasira’s ‘Tears of a Woman’ concert graced by President Museveni, sang his critiquing ‘Bizzemu’ song.

The ‘Bizeemu’ song compares the current regime with the previous governments. President Museveni, who graced the concert as a Guest of Honour, did not spare Mayinja, telling him and the revelers that the song carried a false and misleading message.

The President said that the current killings and criminality in Uganda are not occasioned by Government as it was the case with past Governments.

The President advised artists to deliver factual messages to their audience.

The events that followed after his coming face to face with the President during the Catherine Kusasira concert makes me conclude that Mayinja was seeking President Museveni’s attention.

Indeed, it was reported that the ‘Bizzemu’ singer had met President Museveni.

In the run up to the 2021 elections, Mayinja who appeared to have finally crossed to NRM released a song titled, “AKALULU KAKO MZEE,’ where he poured his heart out about President Museveni’s potential and achievements for Uganda, saying he was the best that ever happened to the country in the post-independence era. And this song became a campaign song for President Museveni.

Mayinja would later launch the ‘Peace For All, All For Peace’ initiative, which has largely failed.

Ronald Mayinja, a political journeyman renowned for political flip-flopping, who ran from NUP to NRM and back to NUP, has this time again released a song dubbed ‘Abantu Biganye.’

In this song, Mayinja alleges that he tried to sell Museveni across the Country but Ugandans reportedly told him that they don’t want Museveni.

Now, under what capacity did Mayinja try to sell Museveni across the Country? In the last elections, I didn’t see Mayinja on President Museveni’s campaign trail.

I doubt whether he was even in a village structure of the NRM party before he crossed back to NUP. Be as it may, President Museveni was overwhelmingly voted by 6,042,898 Ugandans representing 58.38%.

The rest of the other 10 Presidential candidates shared the remaining votes. Mayinja further goes ahead and claims that people have told him they want Museveni to go home so that they can choose a leader of their choice.

Again, Presidential elections offer the opportunity to vote incapable leaders out. President Museveni, has in the last elections just like the previous ones, subjected himself to an election.

After being endorsed, he traverses the Country explaining to the voters what the NRM party has done and what programmes the party has for the Country.

The messages seem to have resonated well with the voters and that is why the voters continue returning him.

Now, those who want him out as Mayinja alleges should simply wait for an election and vote him out. He also alleges that supporting Museveni has made Ugandans hate him. This is also cheap attention seeking.

There are over six million people who supported President Museveni.

So, how come it is only Mayinja who claims being hated by Ugandans for supporting President Museveni?

Why are other Ugandans supporting President Museveni not being hated? The very Ugandans you claim to hate you for supporting President Museveni are the very ones who voted President Museveni back.

Lastly, the timing, for me, of this song is interesting. Mayinja is clever by half and has made his calculations, whether right or wrong.

Unlike the previous political motivated songs that he would release towards electioneering time, this time, Mayinja has released it one year after elections: one year after the release of “Akalulu kako Mzee” song.

Why? In the previous elections of 2006 and 2021, it was clear to Mayinja that President Museveni will make it to the ballot and so, he would release his songs towards elections.

But this time round, Mayinja is not sure whether President Museveni will be on the ballot in 2026 or not.

The political environment at the moment, after the birthday parties of Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba (the Country is on fire) that seem not to end so soon might have forced Ronald Mayinja not to wait until 2024 or 2025 to release a new political song.

And who knows, Ronald Mayinja may soon or later release a new song about ‘Muhoozi Project’ so as to attract his attention.

Churchill Lokoroi writes from From Amudat

UGANDANS HAVE REJECTED YOU, GO HOME: Fearless Singer Tells Museveni to Leave Power in New Song. Listen to AUDIO Here