By Mulengera Reporters
In her speech at Katonga as PFF/Freedom Party was being inaugurated this Tuesday, ANT’s Alice Alaso sounded jubilant to have lived to see this day. She was happy that a group of well-intentioned Ugandans, who first came together more than 20 years and proclaimed readiness to struggle until Uganda becomes abetter-governed country, had finally regrouped while reflecting on past mistakes.
Alaso said that the zeal with which the Katonga group matched on and got a new party (PFF) registered, as opposed to wasting time fighting POA and Nandala Mafabi for FDC, a mere name, was proof that Gen Museveni’s plot to swallow up everyone and ensure there is no opposition by 2025 had ended in utter failure. She also thanked God for the wisdom he gave the Katonga leaders to go through the hard long way of “genuinely” registering a party organically as opposed to procuring one. She said all this shows their level of commitment and readiness to do the hard work as opposed to easy life of mere political posturing.
Alaso, who along with Gen Muntu and others fled FDC/Najjanankumbi in 2018 having realized the Musevenist state was beginning to infiltrate and annihilate the original FDC, loudly laughed at Gen Museveni saying the huge investment he deliberately made “in scattering the opposition [hadn’t returned much for him because] God, who is always all knowing, has proved him wrong.”
She said the fact that genuine fighters and strugglers can freely come together, regroup and assemble in such a powerful way as was done at Katonga on Tuesday was proof that Gen Museveni toiled in vain because this was a powerful indicator that the true genuine and high value opposition was still very much alive and determined to challenge him qualitatively like never before.
Alaso added that Gen Museveni’s investment to scatter the genuine and high-quality leaders inside FDC had totally flopped because they have since regrouped through the new political cooperation between PFF and ANT. Her conclusion was that what Museveni’s allies preside over at Najjanankumbi as of today is a mere shell or building because the real “FDC founding spirit” left that place long time ago.
Alaso said what Gen Museveni and his allies control now along Entebbe Road is a mere building and physical address as the real FDC left long time ago and has since relocated to operate from somewhere else. She added that what Gen Museveni miscalculated about was the fact that the original FDC was a spirit and a belief that resides in people’s hearts across the country and not at Najjanankumbi as members of the deep state seem to have thought.
She said the regrouping of PFF and ANT represents the real founding spirit of FDC, which Gen Museveni has always invested resources to destroy but he has clearly failed. She stressed that “the NRM can have Najjanankumbi if they want but the spirit of FDC left long time ago and it’s with us right here-and it’s what is ultimately going to deliver this country.”
GARUGA’S BACK: In a related development, it was revealed that veteran Kampala tycoon James Garuga Musinguzi (currently an ailing old man from Kanungu) had blessed and thrown his weight behind the newly formed PFF. A long time Besigye confidant, Garuga is the man the retired colonel started with in 2001 as he pioneered his Reform Agenda struggle which five years later morphed into FDC that was founded in October 2005.
What became FDC headquarters at Najjanankumbi was Garuga’s personal property which he sold to the party at mere give away price. Even the fraction he required them to pay was paid in instalments over a period roughly 10 years. The party, at some point, had to secure a facility from Centenary Bank which was used to finish the pending instalments.
Even when he is in the evening of his life, apparently Garuga hasn’t totally burned out. That he accepted to be included on the list of PFF’s founding Council of Eminent Persons (CEPs) speaks volumes. It shows it’s not true that he had fallen out with Dr. Besigye as had previously been indicated by some TV moderators and their arm chair panelists.
The Council of Founders (comprising of thousands), according to Wafula Ogutu who led the PFF registration process, has since delegated the role of overseeing the take off of the new party to CEPs whose role it will be to oversee the team of much younger leaders who will be running the party on a daily basis.
CEPs comprises of 25 leaders 15 of whom are to be selected from what Wafula described as the 15 Federal States of Uganda. Whereas the list of the 15 is in the process of being created, another 10 selected from heavyweights who operate mainly in Kampala/at national level is already in place. Wafula read these out to include Dr. Kiiza Besigye (the chairman) who is deputized by Amb Wasswa Birigwa.
Others are Chaapa Karuhanga (who donated Katonga premises to house PFF), Wafula Ogutu, Wyclif Bakandonda, James Garuga Musinguzi, Mzee William Mukaira (the wealthy FDC founder based in Bushenyi), Hon Ojok B’leo from Lango, Prof Dr Elizabeth Kiwalabye of Mukono, Amb Jack Wamai, Hajjat Sarah Sengendo from Butambala, ex-Busia MP Kevinah Taaka, Hajji Obed Lutale Kamulegeya and Mzee Saul Matte Commander from Kasese.
Wafula also read out names of some of the relentless PFF founders he worked with to run around the country collecting signatures and they include Hajjat Sarah Sengendo, Jenny Lubega Nakasolya from Rubaga, Stanley Katembeya from Mbarara City, Okot B’ileo, Ronald Samuel Wanda from Mbale, Opoka Kenneth Geofrey, Susan Nanyonjo from Mityana, Albert Okello Oduman from Bukedea and Ingrid Turinawe from Kigezi. Also thanked was the unnamed diehard Besigye supporter in Kumi town who has since donated a building to house the pioneer PFF offices in Teso sub region. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
