By Our Reporters
Sometime in 2016 President Museveni, who had just been re-elected, was invited by the clergy in greater Luwero where he attended a public meeting and listened to people with land problems including widows and orphans of NRA veterans who were continuing to be victims of grand scale land evictions. He was particularly intrigued that in most cases perpetrators were the financially powerful or the politically connected and that police and army were continuing to be abusively used in these land disputes yet even courts of law weren’t helping enough. It was even more disturbing that some of these actors often claimed to be working on behalf of people close to the President. People close to him say that on return to State House that day, Museveni was so furious to the extent that he failed to sleep that night.
RINGS BAMUGEMEREIRE
Consequently, as early as 6am Museveni rung Justice Catherine Bamugemereire and spoke to her for close to 30 minutes. He narrated to her the proceedings at the Luwero meeting and disclosed to her his plans to have a comprehensive Commission of Inquiry similar to what she had done on KCCA and UNRA. “I would like you to help us once again and chair this public inquiry into land matters if you don’t mind,” Museveni pleaded with Bamugemereire. “Your Excellency I wouldn’t have any problem but it would be a daunting task since no similar work has been done before in Uganda. There won’t any points of reference,” Bamugemereire replied. Museveni said she didn’t need to first do a PhD on that as there is always room to learn on the job. From that time, the two continued talking up to the point when Museveni started involving other stakeholders like Betty Amongi who became minister of lands that same year. In one of the interactions on the matter, Bamugemereire asked the President what he exactly expected or wanted her to do. “You go and sit with my people and work out something because as for me I just have a vague idea. I have told you my areas which you can fine-tune into terms of reference for the Commission,” Museveni replied. Upon completing the terms of reference, Bamugemereire sought to know the people she would be working with. Museveni told her that since this was a complicated mission touching interests of almost everybody, he would be the one to determine who the Commissioners would be in a manner representative of all the diverse interests. That’s how Bamugemereire accepted to work with Commissioners in whose selection she didn’t participate. In the end we had people like Owek. Robert Sebunya, ex-AG Fredrick Ruhindi, ex-Hoima LC5 Chairman George Bagonza, City Surveyor Joyce Habasa, Makerere Law Professor Rose Nakayi and Mary Ochan Oduka becoming Commissioners on the inquiry. Knowledgeable sources close to her say that if she had an opportunity, Bamugemereire would have preferred to lead a Commission with a different composition. As Museveni, who is understood to be preparing to become the next Chief Justice, persuaded her Bamugemereire at some point reportedly expressed reservations fearing to be envied by colleagues on the bench who the public might generally consider to be more appropriate to spearhead such an inquiry. At that point, Museveni is said to have turned and jokingly told her everything would be fine.
MORE DEVTS
Truth is many especially fellow judges felt uncomfortable seeing Museveni giving Bamugemereire so many crucial public assignments in such a short time (2013-2016: KCCA, UNRA & now Land). The feeling was that Museveni wasn’t appreciating other judicial officers with even stronger credentials for the job than Bamugemereire whose elevation to Court of Appeal too had rattled feathers among judges and some law makers. The feeling was she was being rushed for reasons many remained curious about. Since beginning the Land Inquiry, Museveni has publicly showed more fondness of the flamboyant female lawyer from Manafwa. Some of the things he has done to show his growing trust in her have left many colleagues at the bench with swollen faces. For example during the Lusanja fracas, Museveni kept approvingly referring to her as the line ministers uncomfortably looked on. He seemed to blame everybody for the violent eviction at Lusanja except Bamugemereire. The Judiciary leadership took much of the bashing during that public rally whereafter Museveni signaled Bamugemereire to jump into his car and drove with her all the way to Entebbe State House: through the newly constructed Expressway. The ride was televised live as the whole country watched. Knowledgeable sources say this unsettled many colleagues especially in the Judiciary where actors felt Museveni was provocatively elevating Bamugemereire while at the same time demonizing the rest of the bench before the public. Indeed Lusanja embarrassed the judiciary and this bad publicity was endured by the Judiciary as an institution at the time when Bamugemereire’s popularity with the public was increasing. It’s said haters that were unhappy with the way the President endorsed her after the Lusanja rally subsequently tried to isolate her by escalating the wedge between her and some Commissioners. Such groups got fodder to run around with following a meeting Bamugemereire had at State House. In there was the President trying to mediate between her on one hand and the Chief Justice Bart Katurebe and DAG Mwesigwa Rukutana on the other. Of course naturally everyone, including Commissioners, craves for an opportunity to go for such presidential meetings but Bamugemereire inadvertently discomforted some of her Commissioners when she opted to go with only Owek Sebunya to total exclusion of the rest. The Commissioners that were left behind were understood to be uneasy about their exclusion and Bamugemereire haters elsewhere unsuccessfully tried to ride on that to deepen the wedge between her and some Commissioners but the graceful God she serves prevailed and cohesion only strengthened among the Commission members. It’s said she took Sebunya because she thought the President would, out of respect and courtesy, be swayed to listen to him and get to understand that the complaints the Judiciary leadership was raising against her were anomalous after all. The trick worked as the President is said to have liked most of the things Sebunya said at the meeting to the extent that he clapped for him at some point. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
