By John V Sserwaniko
Within NRM, there is remarkable discomfort amongst cadres regarding the cheerfulness with which President Museveni has responded to Beatrice Anywar’s well declared readiness to serve in the NRM government. And back home in the greater Kitgum, NRM supporters especially those who believe in Eng Hillary Onek are uncomfortable that Anywar’s arrival is going to displace some actors on the big table at which Museveni’s political bread is served. On a fundraising visit to Kitgum last week Museveni praised Anywar saying that even when she was in the opposition, his admiration for her always existed because she was always progressive and not very reactionary in her political approach.
THE GENESIS
But how did this political relationship begin? It started sometime back when Anywar was still a fire-brand FDC NEC member at Najjanankumbi & MP in the 8th Parliament. It all began in 2007 when Anywar, serving as Besigye-appointed shadow minister for environment, offered to lead an opposition demo denouncing President Museveni’s determination (then 2007/8) to authorize the Mhetta group to destroy part of Mabira forest replacing trees with a sugarcane plantation. His point was this was good to increase the production of sugar whose acute scarcity then almost caused political upheaval in Uganda. Museveni had just emerged from the very difficult 2006 elections which his former aides like Gen Sejusa maintain that Besigye won. So he was desperate to appease the public by working towards increasing sugar production so that in the long term Uganda never suffers sugar scarcity again. Prior to that demo, that was jointly organized by an alliance of opposition parties and CSOs like NAPE, Anywar was barely known beyond her FDC party and constituency as Kitgum woman MP. She had been among those hitherto very obscure political entities that rode on Besigye’s (2006) key (KB later called it Tsunami) to defeat giants and become members of Parliament. The demo, that then IGP Gen Kale Kayihura naively permitted not knowing it would turn violent resulting into loss of Indians’ lives, gave Anywar unprecedented publicity and her (then youthful) flamboyance enabled her to overshadow all the other actors with whom she had organized it. These include Mukasa Mbidde, Kenneth Kakande, Hussein Kyanjo, Ken Lukyamuzi and the others. Besigye, who then operated as FDC president and member of the so-called G6 Summit (with others like Kibirige Mayanja, Miria Obote, Ken Lukyamuzi, Sebaana Kizito & others), was in the background. The G6 leaders, desiring to make this seem a people nonpartisan cause to overwhelm Museveni on Mabira, remained in the background and only made solidarity statements at news conferences they used to address at Christ the King hall.
ARRESTED;
In the end, Anywar and other ring leaders were isolated and detained at different detention facilities. Of course you can’t discount her charisma and personal initiative to lead the demo and the leadership she offered demonstrated that the Besigyes don’t have to first retire or quit the stage for new alternative leaders to emerge in the opposition. Within no time, riding on the local and global publicity she enjoyed, Anywar had become a household name and her FDC diehard supporters christened her Mama Mabira. She was credited by the anti-Musevenists on the streets for being a leader who insisted on leading from the front as opposed to stopping at press conferences. She was at the front line at Clock Tower that rainy day as the Indians were being attacked and the opposition militants liked her for that (in fact that is the day Simon Kaggwa Njala/needs no introduction/ was short as he covered the riot for Radio one). This gave her a new recognition as she started being easily recognized at the FDC functions nationally and she clearly became a national figure with many referring to her as Uganda’s Wangari Mathai. This new found fame enabled Anywar to overshadow other top female politicians in FDC who had been around longer on the national political scene: these include Joyce Sebugwawo, Beti Kamya, Salaam Musumba, Alice Alaso, Nabillah Nagayi, Cecilia Ogwal, Stella Nambuya and others. Newspapers competed to write her profile showing the curious Ugandans who she exactly is. But Anywar was also very loyal, courteous and respectful of KB and his spouse Winnie. She also equally respected elders like Reagan Okumu and Ogenga Latigo who was LoP. She was also a stunts mistress and each time the party announced anything: be it a political activity or FDC MPs boycotting Museveni’s money (they called it bribery) channeled through Parliament, Anywar was always the first one to comply and she always complied with enthusiasm. And she always returned the money publicly. She was also not very greedy when it comes to fighting for positions; that’s how/why she cheerfully accepted what used to be an obscure position of FDC Secretary/Shadow Minister for environment. But her hard work and commitment ensured that it turned into gold. Within no time, journalists, researchers and development partners sought her views more often than those of the Museveni substantive environment minister. She always kept time for party meetings and until recently as 2015, she was always a Besigye diehard supporter for FDC internal elections. She always delivered a block vote from the Kitgum delegates for KB. During the walk to work and the preceding riots, Anywar manifested love for KB when she publicly cried seeing her mentor bring beaten up by police brutes like he was chicken thief. “Rt. Honorable Speaker I’m here to inform those NRM colleagues that if Dr. Besigye dies, we shall all die,” a tearful Anywar famously said during a parliamentary session that followed the violent attack Besigye endured at Mulago round about in April 2011. Ironically the attack was occasioned by a police man called Bwana Arinaitwe whom Besigye had looked after at some stage. Anywar’s role in saving Mabira (which by the way remains one of the few wars M7 has publicly lost in 32 years) saw her get more invitations to international climate change meetings than Museveni line ministers. As a key mobilizer in the opposition camp, very prayerful Anywar (she always walks to Christ the King for morning, lunch hour & evening prayers) always sat in front and participated in heckling (its allowed in Parliamentary practice) Museveni each time he came to address Parliament for things like state of the nation address or even budget. These attributes combined to endear her to so many FDC party faithfuls.
M7 BENCHES HER;
President Museveni too noted and liked these very credentials in Anywar. He started reaching out to her as early as 2007. When she got detained for the Mabira demo, Museveni whose security forces had brutally put her in and caused her to be criminally charged, rang and spoke to Anywar who was increasingly distinguishing herself as a high profile detainee. Apparently the big man from Rwakitura was under pressure from Western Embassies in Kampala that were as well opposed to the Mabira give-away. It seems this dialoguing worked because Anywar and other activists were released and the charges gradually dropped. Museveni at some point sought to meet Anywar and the guys she worked with to organize the demo. The meeting took place in the President’s upcountry childhood place of Ntugamo where Anywar led others like Ken Lukyamuzi, Frank Muramuzi etc. According to Lukyamuzi, the body language he saw at that meeting clearly indicated existence of some political chemistry between President Museveni and MP Anywar. Lukyamuzi tried to make some noise about it wondering whether Anywar was still part of the struggle. He later abandoned his inquisitiveness after he was advised that alleging political double-dealing against Anywar would potentially attract actionable defamation against him. It was also clear Ken risked discrediting himself because Anywar was still enjoying a lot of country wide popularity and nobody would believe Ken’s wolokoso. Some years later, Anywar fell sick and was admitted at IHK. For Museveni: this was an opportunity to demonstrate how well he meant for the Kitgum woman MP. She was still a fire-brand rioter within and outside Parliament. In fact some of her supporters were even insinuating the state could have had a hand in the circumstances that got her confined on that IHK hospital bed. And guess what? Museveni ignored all that and unexpectedly turned up at IHK. He was led straight to Anywar’s private room and the two leaders stayed inside there talking over what many speculated were the remaining sticking points regarding their potential political deal. That Anywar must have reflected on the old English saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed: she saw Museveni put this to work. Aides say the big man, who later endured attacks from his own NRM Kitgum supporters who accused him of treachery, even offered a prolonged prayer for the ailing Anywar during that IHK encounter. Sources say this prayer emotionally moved Anywar and broke her political resistance towards Sevo. Its also true that Anywar was struggling with some debts, something Museveni learnt about during that IHK encounter. In the subsequent days and months, insider sources say, the Museveni taps began flowing towards Anywar’s direction and the staunch opposition MP once again became debt-free. In the end, the female FDC MP accomplished a big house in Kakungulu estate along Entebbe road. She also got her son join a prestigious training institution abroad for a course to become a pilot. Its said State House contributed. As NRM female haters back home in Kitgum licked their swollen political wounds, Anywar unexpectedly purchased two prime properties in the Kyambogo residential area. The two housing properties were acquired at Shs1.6bn; each costing Shs800m. These are opposite Mrs. Omwony Ojok’s posh house which the UPDF rents for ex-CDF Gen Charles Angina. Nandala Mafabi, Jack Sabiiti and (formerly) Kenneth Omona too live in this same Kyambogo neighborhood. Anywar, who has always been business-minded, refurbished the two houses. Today she lives in one of them and the other is a commercial/hostel-like structure occupied by Kyambogo University students at an exorbitant fee. Its so posh whoever lives there is considered rich by his/her campus peers. In the Kyambogo campus speak: its an exclusive place for the rich.
M7 NEUTRALIZES ABER
But Museveni also politically has been there for Anywar when she needed him most. In 2016, partly because of frail health and political fatigue that comes with long incumbency, Museveni inadvertently favored her re-election to Parliament for 3rd term when he ordered for the urgent creation of Kitgum Municipality (Gen Kayihura has always been the contact person in case Anywar fails to urgently reach the H/E). Anywar, who was already sick and tired of campaigning in large district as woman MP, relocated to the new Municipality which she easily swept and thereby safely securing herself a seat in the 10th Parliament. In case the Municipality had failed or been delayed, Museveni had already secured/shielded her by wooing much younger Lillian Aber (a former very influential FDC student leader at Mak) not to stand for Kitgum woman MP Seat in 2016. Swaggeriffic Aber is an orator and her impending candidature was already giving incumbent Anywar sleepless nights. For comments, call/text/WhatsApp us on 0703164755!
