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Which Side, Baba? Raila Odinga torn between Besigye & Museveni or Playing Both?

By Ronald Muhinda

The photos of President Kizza Besigye meeting Raila Amolo Odinga have got people talking – especially about Raila campaigning for Museveni in 2011.

Of course, the truth is Raila Odinga, who was Prime Minister of Kenya never came to Uganda to campaign for Museveni.

Raila had come as a chief Fundraiser for Busoga University in Iganga in Dec 2010.

Former Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga hosts Ugandan main opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye to Capitol Hill Square, Nairobi.

Museveni who was campaigning in the East, cunningly invited Raila Odinga to meet him on the campaign trail and even invited him to greet people at a rally.

That presence of Raila Odinga on Museveni’s rally was important because Museveni was desperate for his endorsement. Why?

In 2010, WikiLeaks had released volumes of cables where Uganda believed Raila Odinga was backing opposition to undermine the NRMilitary junta.

UPDF then Spokesperson Felix Kulaigye was quoted by WikiLeaks reporting to a US diplomat in Kampala. Kulaigye, in media interviews admitted meeting the diplomat but not talking about Raila supporting opposition.

Former Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga hosts Ugandan main opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye to Capitol Hill Square, Nairobi.

So Raila greeting people on Museveni rally in Namiyingo, a district with a significant Samia community that revere Odinga was a coup for Museveni.

But whatever it is, after this meeting, you can be sure the Junta intelligence will go into overdrive to understand what the meeting was all about.

Museveni regime is very paranoid of Raila Odinga to the extent that Museveni one time invited Odinga so that he can declare to him that Migingo island (you recall that?) that you Uganda claimed ownership belonged to Kenya.

Why do Ugandan forget so fast? Are we this gullible or its Museveni intelligence again misleading people?

The writer is a member of the FDC party

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Samuel Kamugisha

Samuel Kamugisha is a Ugandan journalist, editor, language instructor, poet, fiction and non-fiction writer. A Makerere University graduate of Journalism and Communication with a decade-long experience in news reporting, writing and editing, Kamugisha is Editor at The Pearl Times. Most of his previous work was published by The Observer. When he is not doing journalism work -- which is rare -- Kamugisha will be reading or writing a short story or a poem, or caught up in the writer's block.