MUST READ! Here’s Museveni’s Letter to DP Boss Norbert Mao on Joining NRM

22^nd July, 2023

Hon. Nobert Mao

Minister, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs

KAMPALA

CONTINOUS    WRONG    TURNS    AT    HISTORICAL    ROAD JUNCTIONS

I welcome you to the NRM, and here below are the reasons why I think that what you have done is good contribution to the future of Uganda and  Africa.   

I ask you  to  share  these  views  with  the public who are there today.

I  greet  all  the  people  that  are  celebrating  with  Woda  Mao.  Apoyo bino.  In order to contextualize the present co-operation between NRM  and  DP  and  also  with  the  UPC  and  the  individuals  like Mukyala  Joyce  Sebugwawo  that  used  to  be  in  FDC,  you  need  to look at Uganda and Africa in the last 1000years.

By,  900AD,  the  future  of  this  area  was  a bit  bright,  because  the Bachweezi dynasty had managed to unite a large part of Uganda: Ankole, Bunyoro, a large part of Buganda and Bukiri (Lango) as we call  that  area. 

The Bachweezi  undeniable  influence,  can  be confirmed by the  ubiquitous Bachweezi names in the Great Lakes area.   These   are   names   like: Mukasa   (Mugasha),   Mulindwa, Mugyenyi,   Ndahura   (Ndawula),   Wamala,   Kyoomya,   Isimbwa (Ssimbwa),  Kagoro,  etc.  These names  are  found  in  Buganda; Busoga;   Bunyoro -extending   into   Congo;   Ankole;   Buhaya-Karagwe in Tanzania.

When  the  Bachweezi  Kingdom  collapsed,  it  was  replaced  by  the mini-kingdoms  of  Buganda,  Bunyoro,  Ankole,  Karagwe,  Lango Chiefdoms,  etc.  These  Kingdoms,  ruled  over  by  ignorant,  ego-centric Kings, were busy promoting war among the fraternal people of this area.

I could forgive the mistakes ofthose ignorant Kings and Chiefs and their sycophants, if the more dangerous foreigners, the European imperialists and slave-traders, had not come on the scene.

In  1453  AD,  around  the  time  the  Bachweezi  Kingdom  was collapsing,  the  Ottoman  Turks  captured the  ancient  city  of Constantinople and blocked the Europeans from the land route to the  East,  Marco  Polo  had  opened  with  his  adventurous  travels earlier in the  years of 1254-1324AD.

This  Ottoman  blockade,  now  forced  the  Europeans  to  look  for  a sea route, around the huge African Continent, to the East -to Asia. Led  by  the  Portuguese,  the  European    explorers  got  to  the  West African coast by the year 1472, to the Angola area by the year 1482  in  the    person of  a  man  by  the    names    of  Diego  Cama,  to  Cape Town  by  the  year  1487  in  the  person  of  a  man  by  the  names Bartholomew Diaz and, on Christmas day, 1498, Vasco Da Gama, landed  at  Natal,  having  gone  around  the  Southern  tip  of  Africa. Thereafter, Vasco Da Gama proceeded to attack Mombasa on the way to India. Therefore, new aggressive and dangerous people, had arrived on our land. This is where the ignorant kings, chiefs and their sycophants of this area, should not be forgiven.  Why could they not see the danger and unite?  The  Japanese,  further  East, saw  the  danger,  united  and  the    Europeans  could  not  conquer them. This was the first missing of the right turn at the junction of history.

We  saw  Kabalega  and  Mwanga  uniting,  but  when  it  was  too  late and when Mwanga had been too harsh in handling the Christian converts,  precisely  on    account  of  the    cruelty  and  ignorance  of those Kings and Chiefs.

When  the  foreigners  came  on  the  scene,  they  brought  their  own new    poison,    inter-denominational    rivalry    of    the    religions (Catholics,  Protestants  and  Moslems),  that  had  caused  so  much suffering in Europe   (the 30years war) and in the Middle East (the Moslem  conquests  and  the  crusaders  to  counter  them).  You, therefore,  now  had  two  poisons -tribal  chauvinism  promoted  by the kings  and  chiefs  in  this  area  following  the  collapse  of  the Bachweezi dynasty and  the sectarianism of religion -brought by the  new religions of Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam. There were even religious wars here in Uganda among the three misled groups.  This  was  the  second  missing  of  the  right  turn  on  the junction of history.

Inspite of the poisons by the two mistake -makers -the Kings and the religious chauvinists, progressive minded Ugandans, working in  the  co-operative  movement,  organized  around  the  production and sale of cotton, led by IK Musaazi, organized  a non-sectarian force, which they turned into a political Party, the UNC, in 1952. This party had the potential to unite all the Ugandans.

However,  lo  and  behold,  in  1954,  some  Ugandans  started  a religious leaning Party, the DP, mainly supported by the Catholics elite  and  in  my  area,  Ankole,  supported  by  the  Bahima  elite, against the Protestants.  In order not to lag behind in dividing us, in  1960,  the  Protestant  elite,  started  the  UPC.  The  Baganda Protestant elite, in order  to catch up in the scheme of dividing us, formed the KY in 1961.

4Therefore, when we needed unity most to get and make a success of our independence, our leaders gave us political fragmentation. That is how none of those sectarian parties, could win 50% vote in the   1962   elections.   UPC,   with   a   lot   of   cheating   ,   got   37 Parliamentary   seats   outside   Buganda,   DP-24   and   KY-21, indirectly elected by the Lukiiko that had been elected with a lot of intimidation  (cutting  people’s  coffee,  etc.),  that  some  elements revived in the last elections of 2021 in Buganda.

All  the  suffering  that  descended  on  Uganda  between  1962  and 1980,  were  on  account  of  these  mistakes.  The  1966  crisis,  the Amin coup, the death of Mutesa in exile, the killings by Idi Amin (Kiwanuka,  Bataringaya,  Alexander  Latim,  Gino  Obonyo,  Janani Luwum, etc., etc.), the collapse of the economy and the shortages (ebura ry’ebintu), etc., were all caused by this original mistake of rejecting unity and preferring fragmentation.

We decided to break this criminal cycle of destroying our country, by   forming   the   resistance   movement,   Fronasa,   when   Amin announced his coup in 1971. When we defeated Amin in 1979, a new chance was available to Uganda in the form of the UNLF. This broad –based group, could have helped Uganda. However, it was mismanaged by the unworthy people that were in charge of it and also by the old sectarian groups, UPC and DP. It collapsed and a stage was set for a confrontation between the patriots and some of these groups. That is how the 1981 –86 war, starts. In the bush, we  insisted  on  broad –based  unity  in  the  RCs  (Resistance Councils) –in other words, the idea of UNC and UNLF. When we defeated the UPC and other sectarian groups, we, again, put this menu to the Ugandans. The Ugandans welcomed the idea. That is how in the 1996 elections, the NRM got 75%vote. Ever since, the NRM always wins on the first round, with well above the 50% mark -for all levels Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Governments.

5However, we have always wanted to bring the 24% that did not vote for  us  in  1996,  organized  around  our  elder,  the  late  Paulo Ssemwogerere. This unity, has enabled Uganda to be an island of Peace in the Region. It has also enabled our economy to increase in size 37 times since 1986. Our Economy will be USD 55bn by the end of this financial year. There are quite a number of weaknesses in the NRM, including the elite abandoning the Wanainchi and the corruption.   However,   the   overall   framework   of   broad   unity, contains elements that keep Uganda moving forward in spite of the weakness.  Besides those  weaknesses,  are  curable. 

Where there are good local cadres, for instance, homestead incomes have been uplifted.  This  is  the  case  in  the  whole  of  the  cattle  corridor,  in Masaka,  in  Kalangala,  in  the  tea  growing  areas  of  Kigyezi  and Tooro, in Bundibugyo, etc.

Therefore, our closeworking relationships with  UPC and DP, are steps in the right direction. We also work closely with Sister Joyce Sebugwawo, a Mengo supporter. I am glad that the NRM has achieved what eluded IK Musaazi, Dr. Kununka, Jolly Joe Kiwanuka, Yokosofati Engur, Abdalla Anyulu, when they were struggling under the UNC.

Let all Patriots, Pan –Africanists and democrats that want and understand the dynamics of social –economic transformation to build a modern Uganda and Africa, unite. Apoyo bino Woda, Mao. Rubanga Kony.

Yoweri K. Museveni

SSABAALWANYI 

CHAIRMAN  NRM

Editor’s Notes

It should be remembered that Museveni and Norbert Mao signed a cooperation agreement last year, after which Mao was appointed Minister and DP Secretary General Gerald Blacks Siranda supported by NRM to become an EALA MP. (Read Stories Here, There and Over There).

Mao has been waxing lyrical about Museveni peacefully handing over power but the president has dismissed any talk of succession or transition. (See Details Here and There).

Months earlier, DP Vice President Joyce Ssebugwawo had been appointed minister in Museveni’s government, raising speculation that she had all along been a mole. A respected ally of Dr Kizza Besigye even claimed that the opposition strongman had shifted his base from Najjanankumbi to Katonga Road over infiltration. (See Details Here and There).

Currently, there are divisions in the FDC where party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat and Secretary General Nathan Nandala Mafabi are being accused of taking money from Museveni to buy posh cars and fight Bobi Wine’s NUP. Amuriat and Nandala have since fired back. (Read Stories Here, There and Over There).

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