By John V Sserwaniko
In late 2000s, Kyambogo academic staff rejected VC Prof Lutalo Bbosa and chaos ensued as the University was to remain closed for months. President Museveni delegated Prof Apollo Nsibambi to help then Education Minister Namirembe Bitamazire to pacify the situation.
Nsibambi wasn’t only PM but was also the Chancellor Makerere University and also former Minister of Education. He was also a former lecturer and academic staff leader at Makerere. These credentials must have made Museveni believe Nsibambi was most suited to tackle the situation.
I had just been recruited as education reporter at the Mighty Red Pepper and this naturally made Kyambogo one of the institutions I often reported about. I recall the KYUASA staff strike was being led by Dr. Victor Lucoro and Dr. Kirunda (father to famous lawyer Robert Kirunda) was his 2nd in command. Their unequivocal demand was Lutalo Bbosa had to go and a new VC recruited. A small faction of staff backed Bbosa.
Nsibambi set out to reconcile the two factions and ensure the University carries on with business. He called a public meeting at West End Main Hall inside Kyambogo University. He defended Bbosa and begged staff to resume work and allow government time to study their demands. In the middle of his speech, staff (who had been heckling since morning) unanimously walked out leaving Nsibambi behind with a few officials. The dramatic incident left much revered Nsibambi very humiliated as journalists too followed the striking dons.
I returned to Red Pepper and filed the story which Editor Ben Byarabaha characteristically dramatized. The headline was “Chaos as KYU Dons Walk out on Nsibambi.” Most hillarious was a phrase that graphically described how a “visibly shaken Nsibambi was whisked away by security to his waiting vehicle.” It had my byline and Nsibambi became extremely furious saying the headline was aimed at demystified him and portraying as a weakling. To us it was just a story like any other.
Yet to him, that isn’t what it was. He insisted it had been sponsored by people he believed were out to bring him down. “I know they are envious I have raised the profile of this office from obscurity to what it is today and it’s the job everyone wants,” Nsibambi was to later say. One evening he called me. “Mr. Sserwaniko. This is Prof Apollo Nsibambi the Prime Minister of Uganda. Why are you being used to fight me? That Kyambogo story wasn’t in good faith. It was meant to portray me to the President as a failure who has been demystified by a mere Kyambogo strike. You are building a narrative that what is he Prime Minister for if he can’t resolve a strike at the University,” he furiously said. “But God will punish you for being used to fight an efficient Prime Minister like myself.”
The more I spoke back trying to explain myself, the angrier he became. “I’m a Professor and a whole Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda. You must just listen because I’m the one who called you,” he barked. He referred to past journalists who ended badly because they wrote badly about big people. When done with his lecture, Nsibambi inquired if I was still on line and said “Good night & God bless you.”
The Kyambogo strike was prolonged and almost simultaneous with another at Makerere where he was Chancellor. He was involved in efforts to resolve both. These are two institutions my supervisors insisted I had to extensively report about as chief education reporter.
Inevitably I had to meet and cover Nsibambi many times especially at Makerere then under Prof Luboobi. And he always singled me out for scalding at Makerere public functions telling everyone how I was a very bad man never wishing him well. One time I spoke to Mr. Arinaitwe Rugyendo one of my immediate supervisors at Red Pepper suggesting someone else covers Makerere and Kyambogo. I wanted to demonstrate to Nsibambi there wasn’t anything personal. Rugyendo, corroborated by other mentors like Mzee Tony Owana and the indomitable Chris Obore, urged me to carry on saying those are occupational hazards any serious scribe must endure. “You are always going to be misunderstood as you go about your work. It’s your conscience that matters,” counseled Rugyendo renowned for his relentlessness when it comes to mentoring young scribes.
NSIBAMBI CHANGES
Through efforts of some officials in the education Ministry and Makerere, Nsibambi gradually eased up and began to understand my news articles. He began making occasional phone calls appreciating good news articles whenever we had them in the Red Pepper about him. At Makerere, ceremonies were many and as Chancellor we always wrote about him. Prof Lubobi was then VC before being replaced by Baryamureeba. “Ow’obutiiko [Butiiko clan member] that was a good article. It was a master piece. Thank you,” he would say in his occasional phone calls.
KABAKA-M7 WARS
Trust kept growing between us until 2009/2010 when bad blood escalated between Kabaka and President Museveni and by extension Mengo and Central government. The escalating tensions tremendously complicated things for big name Baganda serving in Museveni’s government. Being Premier, Nsibambi was among them the others being VP Bukenya and Sekandi who was Speaker of Parliament. Kabaka had just been blocked from travelling to Nakasongora and later on Bugerere/Kayunga where he respectively faced Sabaruuli Mwogeza Butamanya and Sabanyara Baker Kimeze. CBS hosted fiery debates on its Mambo Bado program resulting into its closure at the height of Kayunga riots. You had the likes of lawyer Joseph Balikuddembe, Damiano Lubega, Sebaana Kizito, Bwanika Bbale, Gideon Kisitu Kangawo, Sevume Musoke and others often spitting fire in the Lukiiko for which I had grown to become the Red Pepper correspondent.
Mengo simply became one place where we used to get sensational daily front page stories for the RP. Those things of the Lukiiko and Mengo officials like Nakirembeka Waligo bashing Museveni and his NRM were selling those days and the company made money on copy sales.
One time, Red Pepper ran a story (a cabinet leak) on the discussion that aimed at reviewing the law on cultural leaders with the overall goal being the curtailment of Kabaka Mutebi whose Buganda kingdom was increasingly becoming assertive on the eve of the 2021 elections which Besigye (riding on the Ssuubi wave championed by Mulwanyamuli) was vowing to win building on what he had scored in 2006. “Chaos as Nsibambi Criers in Cabinet,” screamed the Red Pepper headline. It was on a week day and Premier Nsibambi, who I hadn’t heard from for a while, was the first call I received that day. “Now you are back to being used again to fight me by people who want my job. Sserwaniko I have always been studying you to see if you changed and here is the proof to my beliefs that you are a very mischievous man,” he cursingly said.
The story had a byline of another reporter but Nsibambi insisted it was me. “I’m a professor and not a fool. I know your writing style and this is you trying to hide behind someone’s name.” I told him “Mzee I realize you are very angry; I suggest we can talk later when you have calmed down.” He shortly after called me back suggesting that I go to his office with (now) Hon Lutamaguzi Semakula (hoping Hon Luta still remembers this] at Pastel Building where we found him waiting. “Ooh you are here? I’m glad you kept time,” he said to which Semakula responded with a joke. “You are a whole Professor and Prime Minister; who are we not to keep time when you have sent for us?” Semakula joked back. He was then a vocal Nkoba Zambogo activist in command of a large group of disgruntled Baganda youth who used to call into radio talk shows and speak on Bimeezas (they hadn’t yet been banned) cursing the trio of Nsibambi, Sekandi and Bukenya for betraying Buganda.
In that meeting, Semakula told Nsibambi many things including pleading with him thus; “This Sserwaniko you see here isn’t the bad man you think he is; you just need to understand him more. Try to work with him and you will find he is very resourceful.”
As he served us bottles of mineral water, Nsibambi smiled saying “someone else told me so but I’m very cautious.” He then proceeded to tell us many things and urged us to be cautious in life. But he seemed vindictive and paranoid as he insisted there are haters in government who were bent at using the media to discredit him, make him look disposable (a political reject in Buganda) and cause Museveni to fire him from the PM job he ended up holding for 12 years.
“You see this office making them envious was there before me but it became coveted after I came here, set high standards and gave it clout. But it’s okay. There was Nsibambi before this office and there will always be one after,” he told us as he conceal his tearful emotions. Semakula responded: “Rt Honorable that is why you need allies like this man. His newspaper might have made mistakes and might report many other things that will annoy you but please don’t write him off. Keep him close.”
Nsibambi checked on his watch, smiled and said: “I will continue studying this man but you just know there is a lot of money being invested in journalists like him to bring me down.” I jokingly told him: “Professor you need to give me heads-up regarding where that money is; generally tipping on who I must talk to, to access my share.” He replied: “I’m telling you guys these things are real.”
He saw us off and promised to keep in touch which he did mostly on phone. He would call saying: “How are you? How have you been? What’s in Kampala? What are the people saying? Have a good day; have a good weekend.” His calls would be brief. Eventually he was fired in May 2011 and replaced with Mbabazi.
VISITING HIM TWICE
In his retirement, I called him often because I always expend my weekends visiting and interacting with retired senior citizens that previously held public office. He wouldn’t grant many meetings saying “I’m researching for my book [or] I’m preparing for a presentation I will be giving at a public lecture next week.” He only permitted me to visit him home twice and he would say “come in the morning before my day gets busy.”
I would get him in the morning like 9-10am when he is finishing his jogging sessions with policemen attached to his residence as a former Prime Minister. “This is what I always take for my breakfast. Come join me if you are sure you can manage taking this juice without sugar,” he would say while cleaning off sweat from his face on return from his rigorous morning jogging sessions. He would be eating carrots and sugarless juice served by his wife Ester whom he took on after the death of his first wife Rhoda. On the last visit I paid him, Prof Nsibambi jokingly said something that left me intrigued as to why he never forgot/forgave easily. “Meet my friend. He is called Sserwaniko one of those journalists who fought me until I left government. He isn’t a very good man though I forgave him,” he told his wife as she served him carrots on return from jogging.
He declined being interviewed or opening up on government secrets ever insisting the oath he took still bound him. “Please be at Makerere Friday afternoon. I will be freely giving my views on all those things you have been dying to interview me about,” he one time told me in a late evening phone call. The very last time I met him was at Imperial Royale (I don’t remember when) where they gave their views on the age limit debate as Elders Forum. I walked over and whispered to him “Professor that was powerful.” He smiled and said “webale Mutabani Sserwaniko but please don’t write a screaming headline tomorrow that Nsibambi declares was on Museveni.” Rest in peace Prof Apollo Robinson Nsibambi. (See related story on Mengo fallout).
