By John V Sserwaniko
In an eloquent submission this Saturday morning on CBS’ Parliament Yaffe program, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has candidly discussed the anomalous situation reigning in Uganda’s political parties including his own DP. He was appearing with panelists Kasule Sebunya (NRM), Imam Kasozi (JEEMA) and Yusuf Nsibambi of FDC. Lukwago, who the moderator Med Nsereko tasked to explain his strong relationship with Dr. Kizza Besigye, said there is one thing DP colleagues have deliberately refused to understand.And that’s the difference between multi-partism and a liberation struggle which he said is synonymous with a political revolution.
“That is simply impossible in a country where things have gone wrong for the last 32 years. I can tell you Med and listeners that in the last 32 years of Mr. Museveni’s rule, whatever can go wrong in a country has happened in Uganda,” said Lukwago who the moderator allowed more uninterrupted time being the day’s special guest. He said his relationship with Dr. KB is proof that two political allies can once in a time differ on small battles but remain focused and united on the bigger picture which is winning the overall war. “We have had areas where we differed with Dr. Besigye but nothing escalated.
Why? It’s because we are both genuine and have a shared understanding of what this country’s problem is. Its President Museveni and the bad governance he epitomizes,” Lukwago explained before giving examples of areas where he wasn’t unanimous with Dr. KB or his FDC party “but there was never an escalation similar to what we have seen before.” He said: “In 2011 I stood for Mayorship of Kampala and there was something called IPC to which my Ssuubi Group subscribed. We were a partner party with others like JEEMA, SDP and FDC. Maj Rubaramira Ruranga, who was the spokesperson of IPC came out and announced that their official candidate as IPC was Hon. Mike Mabike.
It was hurting as you know being in the middle of the campaign but I never came out to attack my allies like Dr. Besigye even when Rubaramira’s pronouncement meant even FDC was for Mabike. I ignored and remained focused on the bigger struggle and campaigned for Dr. Besigye because I’m genuinely in this struggle of change as opposed to colleagues who are lukewarm and are always looking for such small anomalies to justify their hostility to Dr. Besigye, the FDC and other partner parties. I stayed put and the reason simply was because I knew the voters are wiser. They look at all of us and they will know who is genuinely for the cause of political change in this country. In the end I won with a landslide but I never went on radio or anywhere on a rally to counter productively say I have defeated and demystified Dr. Besigye and his FDC.” The Lord Mayor gave many other examples where choice for candidates in lower elections could potentially have antagonized him with Dr. KB “but that never happened because we are both genuinely in this struggle and we never allow to be obstructed by small things.” Earlier in 2006, Lukwago recalled facing Jethrow Nuwagaba (who was one of KB’s assistants) for the Kampala Central MP Seat “but I never went anywhere attacking Dr. Besigye and saying the FDC party is bad.” He says he knew the ultimate decision lied with the voters and indeed he became Kampala MP (ahead of incumbent Babu and Nuwagaba). “There was no bad blood spilling over from the campaign because I joined Parliament and the FDC party made me the shadow Attorney General under Prof Ogenga Latigo who was the LoP,” Lukwago reminisced saying this is proof that those who say Dr. KB hates Baganda are telling deliberate falsehoods. KB was FDC president at that time and made him shadow AG.
KYOTERA POLL;
Lukwagoalso spoke about Kyotera woman MP Robinah Sentongo who was recently elected on the DP ticket. “We had our own DP candidate Hon. Robinah Sentongo and she competed against the FDC candidate whom Dr. Besigye backed. We marketed our respective candidates without clashing because what we have between us is mutual respect and the realization that there is a much bigger struggle which is the political liberation of this country. In fact we were led by Hon Betty Nambooze. The FDC candidate was okay but voters felt Hon Sentongo stood higher chance to defeat NRM and that’s what happened. Did you ever see Hon Nambooze speak anywhere to say Besigye is no more because we defeated his candidate in Kyotera? You won’t hear any of us say such things because it would be anomalous and we can’t do so. That’s what our friends in DP don’t like. They say we are conniving with non-Baganda to undermine politicians from the central region but Buganda too stands to benefit from a liberated Uganda like any other part of the country and to free our people, we need concerted efforts.
I gave all my heart to working with Dr. Besigye because he is the one leading us in this liberation struggle. And until we are done removing Mr. Museveni, the political situation in Uganda will remain Referendum-like each time we go for elections. You will always have two major candidates and never three. This is the point we made in 2016 as our friends said they have TDA and they have a big fish [JPAM] from NRM. The people of Uganda had the last word and the entire TDA grouping couldn’t raise even 150,000 votes,” Lukwago said claiming they achieved the objective of winning which can be verified once the audit, they are demanding for under the Defiance campaign, is ever granted. He gave the example of Medard Segona in Busiro East against whom FDC’s Emmanuel Matovu (a Bulooba-based tycoon) stood in 2016. “That still couldn’t collapse my relationship with Dr. Besigye because we are both genuine in the liberation struggle we are involved in. That same day we campaigned together with Dr. Besigye in Wakiso but later in the afternoon I informed him I have gone to join my candidate Medard Segona because yours is Matovu and I’m for Segona. This never complicated our relationship. I understood his situation as the FDC member and he understood my dilemma when it comes to Hon Medard Segona.”
SYMBIOTIC R/SHIP WITH KB;
Lukwago said this symbiotically beneficial relationship is what Dr. KB wishes to have with other opposition politicians “but I’m surprised colleagues in DP always choose to misunderstand him and in the process confuse many other people which derails our bigger struggle.” Lukwago said he isn’t a double dealer once he identifies a genuine leader. “That is why I was the one sticking with Dr. Semogerere before Dr. Besigye emerged. Many of my fellow young leaders in DP went with Hajji Sebaggala and denounced Dr. Semogerere for overstaying on DP leadership.
I was one of the few who stuck with him and they called me all sorts of names and we all know how the Sebaggalas ended. I have been with Dr. Besigye because I see no contradiction or dishonesty in the things he says and does,” said Lukwago whose views were later fortified by Makerere law don and city lawyer Yusuf Nsibambi who has actually known and worked with Dr. KB longer than even Erias Lukwago. Lukwago defended Besigye against claims that he planted Eunice Namatende in the Bugiri race deliberately to undermine Asuman Basalirwa. “Nothing could be further from the truth and for me Med I want to speak like a veteran who has been involved in many such very complicated negotiations. Let no body lie you. It’s really very difficult to convince a candidate to pull out for the other. Sometimes you just say let it go that way because you have nothing to do. It’s ideal to have one candidate but you can’t force someone out of the race. The moment they themselves can’t agree, there is little we leaders at the top can do. I was in many meetings of the People’s Government where Bugiri was discussed but we painfully couldn’t agree. We met day and night and it’s really painful when you hear what colleagues are saying about Dr. Besigye. I’m not knew in this because as TJ we had Shifrah Lukwago facing [Kampala woman MP] Nabillah of Dr. Besigye’s FDC party. They were both in the race and it really pained all of us. It was impossible to convince one to bow out. They both remained but we still worked with our FDC colleagues and both the TJ and FDC teams marketed Dr. Besigye for Presidency.”
SPEAKS ON BOBI WINE;
Lukwago said he has nothing but respect and acclaim for the Kyaddondo East MP who has demonstrated commitment and genuineness in the struggle by consistently resisting self-seekers who are out to deliberately antagonize him with other change-seeking leaders. “I thank my brother for that maturity and the new momentum he has brought to the struggle. He has inspired many young people who previously sat on the fence and in fact for me and Dr. Besigye we see him as a new player on the change team. We don’t see him as a foe in anyway contrary to what some self-seekers want to portray about him. He has given momentum to that reunion process and I’m sure by 2021 the country is clearly going to know how the three of us intend to work together with others to galvanize the voices of change,” Lukwago said adding that even the bickering in FDC will end one way or another and the “change forces will regroup.”He added: “I urge Ugandans not to worry. Its ideal and desirable that we agree on joint candidates but where this fails, we shall still carry on because Ugandans will always know from the multiple candidates who best represents the bigger struggle.” Lukwago also commended Bobi Wine for revitalizing the Clock symbol in the change struggle. “It was actually our TJ symbol but we said let’s not over promote it because it will overshadow DP and our colleagues in the DP mainstream will misunderstand us.”
DP REBRAND;
It was at this point that Lukwago advised the DP leadership to urgently rebrand and resolve to move with trending times as opposed to living on nostalgic feelings of the party’s glorious past. “It was us DP using the two finger [V] symbol during the days of Hajji Nasser Sebaggala. He is the one who popularized it in Uganda and it became the trending thing. Before FDC became a party and took it up, I told colleagues in DP lets rebrand and take this V to be our symbol. They hated me and said this man wants to kill our party by altering its history. This was in high level meetings and they saw my point when FDC used it to register its presence everywhere in the country. I’m advising my party once again that since Hon Bobi Wine’s Clock symbol has picked and its re-energizing the young people, kindly grab the opportunity. Use the ongoing reunion momentum to rebrand.
Abandon the hoe symbol and adopt the Clock before it gets too late. Someone very smart could go to the EC and reserve it as a symbol for his party yet DP has a chance to be the one to take it up.” Lukwago said rebranding is synonymous with the modern way of doing things “as seen in Kabaka’s K2 telecom which recently rebranded to reflect its new partnership with Airtel.” For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
