By Mulengera Reporters
In his hey days, Rev Peter Bakaluba Mukasa (aka Omwana w’Omwami) was a blue eyed boy to President Yoweri Museveni and the State House establishment of Amelia Kyambadde era. His Lutindo radio program on Radio Simba was simply the premier vernacular talk show in the evening. Riding on that fame, Bakaluba Mukasa in 2001 offered himself to run for Mukono North (now Municipality) MP Seat and easily won for the NRM. He had the backing of the President and people who matter in the NRM political establishment. Nambooze, who too was initially NRM, had to fight for 10 years to get him out but that was after Museveni personally fighting hard to keep Bakaluba in Parliament. People died and lives were lost as the NRM unleashed all manner of security forces on the hapless people of Mukono but in 2010, after unfairly losing to State-backed Bakaluba, Nambooze prevailed after a prolonged court battle that went up to Supreme Court. In fact, that landmark court case is what led to the government decision that all election petitions will stop at Court of Appeal after it was discovered that Mukono was represented by a wrong person for such a long time (2006-10). Nambooze, the rightful winner, served for only one year before the 2011 general elections beckoned. Bakaluba, who hails from a wealthy Ganda family, then relocated to Janet Mukwaya’s Mukono South where he too trailed. First he was defeated by Mukwaya and later on Muyanja Senyonga, a Nambooze ally though NRM.
THE NEW BAKALUBA
Bouyed by Bobi Wine’s People Power momentum and the events in Khartoum, the eloquent Reverand now says it’s time up for Museveni. Addressing a Sunday prayer gathering in Kyaggwe, Bakaluba said time has come for Museveni (like the Biblical Moses) to exit the stage so that a Joshua can take over the mantle. In the same address, Bakaluba announced his voluntary membership to the People Power Movement for which he says Museveni must give way “or else these children are going to sweep him off Bashir-style.” Bakaluba’s sudden pronouncement created spontaneous excitement in the audience and he got a standing ovation for denouncing Museveni who has been President for 34 years now. This is what Bakaluba: “I would like to inform my colleagues in government that this is the time. We of People Power are now in motion. You all see what happened to Bashir and even People Power we are organizing ourselves and getting set. We are now telling Museveni that please organise and find where to go. Things have changed. Time comes when people are tired. What are you waiting for? There is too much poverty. Land grabbing everywhere. However good you are, time comes and you have to live. We have many other problems and time has come to tell him point blank. Therefore we are telling you that the children who pushed off Bashir did a good thing. You must prepare now: even Moses prepared Joshua. So let all of us prepare because these children are going to sweep everything because this is now the era of People Power Our Power. I wish you all a good time and I urge you that let’s continue to be in these things for ourselves (twebereremu).” Bakaluba’s pronouncement created massive excitement and the ululations he attracted were simply unprecedented in his political life. Some skeptics have since dismissed him as opportunistically seeking to ride on People Power to bounce back in Parliament as MP Mukono South. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
