By Our Reporters
Over the years, the Museveni political system has been serviced and replenished by cadres many of whom have often been used and abandoned leaving sour taste in their mouth. And in this inaugural part listing cadres that have been used and dumped (and are now disgruntled), we unleash the following names to pioneer what will be a series of news feature articles:
Asuman Kiyingi; As a young idealistic lawyer, he helped Museveni overcome Bugabula South MP Salaam Musumba who had become a thorn in the H.E’s fresh after leading a fight against his 3rd term in 2005. Musumba, a former Musevenist, led others to form PAFO which coalesced with Besigye to begin FDC in 2005. Kiyingi was immediately rewarded to become Lands State Minister in his 1st term as MP (2006-2011). From there he was posted at Foreign Affairs to Deputize Kutesa but this was never enough to shield him against local Kamuli political threats posed by Kadaga. The Kadaga forces fought him in 2011 off NRM primaries but voters returned him as an independent. In 2016, he faced similar forces and was felled paving way for Kadaga-backed Maurice Kibalya. Kiyingi has since that time been totally forgotten by Museveni who went on to fire him from cabinet in June 2016. Despite his strong credentials and experience, Kiyingi (who Kadaga fought making M7 think it was a JPAM man being hit) has remained undeployed resorting to social media activism. In Bugiri, he openly backed Asuman Basalirwa and shunned the NRM candidate Oketcho. Kiyingi has manifested anger even bashing the system once in a while in his social media rants. He these days does some legal work along with fellow disgruntled NRMs like Nava Nabegesera who spied on Seya in the 1990s on behalf of the Museveni state but was never adequately rewarded. Some time back, Kiyingi sat for interviews for the post of Court of Appeal Justice and was among the best 5 at the interviews. However, on religious considerations, some two powerful ladies in the land removed his name. Museveni was made aware of all this but did nothing fearing to offend those determined to keep him away. Museveni was later told that Kiyingi would use the CoA position to frustrate the work of Parliament whose leader Kadaga is often referred there by different litigants challenging some of her decisions. An impression was create to Museveni that Kiyingi would become another Steven Kavuma whom Kadaga one time bashed for issuing “stupid orders” trying to gag Parliament. Some of the powerful people resented Kiyingi for the way he promoted OIC interests, to the chagrin of Israel establishment, when still Minister Foreign Affairs.
Tamale Mirundi; He is on record complaining the Museveni system has always used him for image cleansing without adequately rewarding him. He says it’s the “Bakoto [whatever that means]” that are eating in this thing when the rest of cadres are grassing and sleeping on empty stomachs. Mirundi is only grateful Museveni paid fees for his children and cared for his mum. He these days survives off his private businesses including a very lucrative PR practice and books’ publishing on contemporary issues.
Deo Matsanga; In 2014/15, Jacqueline Mbabazi was interviewed by Daily Monitor’s Charles Bichach and in her narrative she attacked Gen Kale Kayihura and a group of “lumpens” she said were working with him to undermine her husband JPAM who was prime minister. She named someone called Deo Matsanga as the leader of the lumpens. Many wondered who this man was. Matsanga is a flamboyant guy from Mbale and works with Suleiman Lumolo’s Kampala Modernity business as an administrator. But some say he was just using this as cover to do intelligence work for security agencies. He has a history working for NRM since 1996 when he led a crowd that broke up PK Semogerere’s rally in Mbale town. He was very powerful with direct State House access especially when his friend Amelia Kyambadde was PPS. In that capacity he helped many NRM tycoons access the President whenever his personal intervention was required. Jacqueline called him a lumpen because he was suspected of being the man leaking all the JPAM clandestine mobilization secrets to Gen Kayihura in the Elgon zone. Matsanga is the man who brokered the defection of Henry Mayega and other UPCs in 2010. He used Mayega and got all the UPC chairpersons in Buganda to massively defect to Museveni, something that politically annihilated Olara Otunnu who had just returned from the US with lots of pomp and political rhetoric. Matsanga, who was recruited in NRM by late Wapa, was also deployed in demobilizing the Banyole anger after Butaleja MP Cerina Nebanda’s controversial death. He is the one who introduced Lumolo to JPAM then as powerful SG and JPAM contracted the tycoon to print campaign materials for the NRM. Yet following the weakening and eventual death of Felix Kaweesi, Matsanga has been struggling to make ends meet. He sometime back stumbled and injured his feet during his daily jogging on Kololo hill and was since diagnosed with a complex clotting in the feet. With nobody in the NRM coming to his rescue (and with his access to the President blocked), Matsanga recently run a message in New Vision calling on the public to contribute cash for his treatment in India. Even with all this adversity, Matsanga remains enthusiastic towards his party and he is always donning Museveni T-shirts and engaging with Bobi Wine’s militant supporters in the Nakawa suburbs where he lives. His jobless children keep taunting him at home wondering why he continues supporting a regime from which he has materially not benefited.
Ahamed Kateregga; The veteran journalist doesn’t need much introduction because he has been here and done many things already. He is an eloquent defender of the Museveni government and yet the guys he started with are now very far materially e.g. Betty Nambooze-and Kateregga can only envy their achievements. At Vision Group where he used to work, Kabushenga fired him because he went for elections in 2016 (targeting Makindye Ssaabagabo) and was there kweyiya (struggling with life) until Frank Tumwebaze gave him a job in the ICT Ministry where he now works. But his supporters still feel he hasn’t been adequately rewarded as the Tumwebaze job only gets him basic survival. Kateregga’s car was famously stolen as he attended a talk show inside radio star where he was busy defending the President at night. Kateregga wept for his car until tears couldn’t come anymore. He has since adjusted and moved on with life without a personal car. Sam Kutesa, his previous mentor, too abandoned him on grounds he was vague between his camp and that of Sekikubo. SK was bitter during a bye-lection when Kateregga stayed away from the Anifa Kawooya camp on grounds that as a journalist he was supposed to be neutral.
Vincent Kimbugwe; He is the long serving NRM cadre in Sembabule and his biggest undoing is that he is neither in the Sekikubo nor Kutesa camp. He is always on his own frolic and has paid dearly for his independent-mindedness. Kutesa hates him and yet the Sekikubos don’t trust him either. This explains why even when the anti-Kutesa camp members have been rewarded with juicy positions (Joy Kabatsi becoming Minister and Herman Sentongo becoming Masaka RDC), Kimbugwe has remained sidelined. He has lately been lecturing at Kyambogo University where he struggled and got a job besides sympathizing with JPAM’s Go Forward which unfortunately isn’t active with much political activity.
Patrick Nsanja; He was a vibrant Museveni supporter in the 9th Parliament where he represented Ntenjeru South in Kayunga. Nsanja however lost his MP Seat to Nantaba-backed Fred Baseke and has been benching President’s Office to at least make him RDC after brokenness became too much on him. His pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears prompting People Power/Bobi coordinators to reach out to him seeking that he becomes their overall coordinator for Bugerere. He is said to be considering this request very seriously to revenge the political neglect to which Museveni’s State House has condemned him.
Kamanda Batalingaya; He was a long serving minister in Museveni’s government and the very big NRM man from Bundibugyo but was in 2016 felled by Richard Gafabusa as MP and subsequently lost his cabinet slot. Kamanda has since sunk into political oblivion despite calls on him to bounce back riding on Gafabusa’s open hostility to the NRM whereby he voted for Togikwatako last December. Kamanda these days operates a Church in Kikoni near Makerere where he ministers the word of salvation. He is vastly experienced yet Museveni hasn’t remembered to make him even a board chair for any government parastatal. His Bundibugyo political relevancy was initially replaced by FDC defector Christopher Kibazanga (now Agriculture Minister) who too continues to politically trail after voters became hostile to him following child neglect allegations.
Patrick Nakabale: He was until 2021 the Buganda region youth MP on the NRM ticket and was also on the NRM caucus executive in Parliament. He hails from Kayunga were many have never forgiven him for betraying his mentor Adam Luzindana who introduced him to JPAM, Museveni and other big men in NRM. As per now, Nakabale is languishing in the villages of Kayunga having waited in vain for the appointment to become RDC. This is some form of betrayal because of the way he fought JPAM and the NRM Poor Youth Group in the service of President Museveni’s political interests. He was bashed by JPAM and other opposition supporters for being a weakling and failing to assertively oppose government like Gerald Karuhanga was doing.
Jessica Alupo; She did a lot in prolonging Museveni’s stay by neutralizing FDC in Teso and clandestinely worked with others like Saleh Kamba, Rose Namayanja etc in mobilizing numbers for Mzee’s Kisanja of 2011. She was indeed rewarded and became youth minister before heading the education docket. She had also previously worked well with JPAM in doing Mzee’s clandestine political intelligence assignments. But at education, she faced it rough as the PS Nassali Lukwago was used to undermine her and she eventually lost her MP Seat to Violet Akurut. Alupo was one time famously taunted by Ruth Nankabirwa during a cabinet meeting days after the death of her guarantor Aronda Nyakayirima. She was always thick-skinned and soldiered on but her closeness to Aronda mobilized many enemies for her including Gen Kale Kayihura whose lieutenants worked hard to fail her reelection in 2016. She remains undeployed despite her seniority and mostly lives on her farm in Katakwi as she strategizes to bounce back in 2021. To achieve that comeback ambition, Alupo will have to first overcome Peter Ogwang the strongman from Usuk County who is thickly working with Akurut for fail her political resurrection.
Sam Engora; He remains NRM vice chairman Northern region but economically very unempowered. His powerlessness manifested sometime back when Mzee’s guards chased him from Baralege State Lodge in Otuke where he led a crowd of angry NRM Lango district chairpersons who had come to protest the posting of UPC defector Betty Amongin to cabinet as Minister of Lands. He is a regional party chairman, having risked marketing NRM as early as the 1980s when Lango was still UPC stronghold, but remains dissatisfied with the way power (and therefore eating opportunities) is dispensed in this country. These days he lives in his home in Mutungo from where he supervises his protégés chasing after small real estate bu-deals in town.
Mike Mukula; In the 2016 campaigns, he availed his choppers to build morale and pomp around candidate Museveni’s rallies. He was doing all this on voluntary basis having previously denounced his presidential ambitions. After elections, many expected Mukula to be reimbursed with a ministerial appointment which never materialized and currently has nothing to show for his loyalty to Museveni beyond mere CEC membership. CEC would be okay but the powerlessness of its members is what leaves cadres demoralized. Mukula recently suffered a low moment when CAA refused to permit his private aviation operations after it turned his aircrafts were not air worthy and lacked proper authorization by CAA which maintains he failed to meet minimum aviation standards. Mukula, who is understood to be deeply indebted, continues to struggle with life in Kampala like any other ordinary soul. His vulnerability manifested recently at Hotel Africana where he made a modest financial contribution (merely pledged) towards Charles James Senkubuge’s foundation. Senkubuge was launching his book (titled Eddaala) and counted on Mukula as guest of honor but the man from Soroti let everybody down with his humble contribution.
Aggrey Kyobuguzi; This youthful cadre did a lot for the NRM for the years he served as youth coordinator at NAADS (2006-2011). A veterinary doctor from Makerere, highly qualified Kyobuguzi easily ranks among those the system hasn’t rewarded enough. In 2011 he came of age and stood for Western region MP but controversially lost to Gerald Karuhanga after being upstaged by some powerful people in the system. Some of the NRM youth leaders ganged up on him saying their choice was popular media guru Dan Kimosho (now eyeing Kazo MP Seat). In 2016, Kyobuguzi tried Mbarara Municipality and Kashari but the rigging machinery was too deep for him to assail. He was relegated to the political periphery and now operates his schools and Kentim University in Kyanja as he does mentoring of younger NRM youth leaders. The peers he operated with during his hey days include the likes of President’s personal doctor Dr. Diana Atwine who is also serving as the powerful PS to the Health Ministry. Yet so gracious is Kyobuguzi he has never manifested any disgruntlement. He remains a diehard Museveni supporter both in public and privacy. There are high expectations he could be posted at City Hall as one of the Directors in the post-Musisi era. He is sociable, learned and vastly experienced in political mobilization having been mentored by Moses Byaruhanga along with others like high-earning MP Peter Ogwang of Usuk County.
Mike Sebalu; Having been Busiro East MP since his youth days (in CA, Uganda and EALA) for an eternity, Sebalu is finally back home but remains politically undeployed despite all the experience and exposure he has accumulated over the years. In 2016, he was the chief spokesperson for the Museveni reelection campaign and this gave him publicity and catapulted him into national limelight once again. But that is as far as it went because thereafter, he was ignored and to this day remains unutilized yet he clearly remains energetic and mentally alert. He continues to defend the NRM on voluntary basis on CBS and Radio One where he regularly takes on opposition fire-brands like Erias Lukwago, Salaam Musumba, Yusuf Nsibambi, Betty Nambooze etc. He is mostly involved in charity and rotary besides chairing the governing council for late Mukiibi’s St. Lawrence University.
Steven Kavuma; As Ag CJ and substantive DCJ, Kavuma headed the Constitutional Court, a position he used to always do the bidding for Museveni and his NRM cronies. However, with time Kavuma became extremely discredited and his efforts to hold onto the DCJ office were thwarted by MPs and Benjamin Kabito’s JSC. He eventually was herded out of office to pave way for Owiny-Dollo who Museveni newly appointed. Kavuma now lives some obscure life besides struggling financially and having to live in a community that doesn’t like him that much. He must be a negative inspiration now to many would-be Museveni diehards.
Hajji Musa Katongole; In his hey days, his UTODA openly campaigned for Museveni and other NRM candidates. They always ensured hundreds of taxis were available to accompany candidate Museveni wherever he went. He also used the UTODA network always to brutalize opposition supporters and some say to rig for the NRM the very reason Erias Lukwago resented UTODA. The UTODA members also used to raise money to fund NRM candidates and would pay radio presenters not to be hostile to NRM. However, when Jennifer Musisi became ED, priority went on sorting out public transport in Kampala making UTODA the first victim. They lost the KCCA lucrative tender they had held for years to manage public transport in Kampala and things have never been the same again for Musa Katongole who these days is into real estate and milk business in his Namagabi home Kayunga. His down fall continues to demotivate many would-be diehard Musevenists. Not even the endless lobbying by Moses Kigongo would get Museveni to give UTODA 2nd chance in the face of Jennifer Musisi who wanted them out in favor of the Pioneer Buses.
Godfrey Kayongo Nkaja; As the life-chairman Owino market traders association, Kayongo has always endured bashing by opposition groups who have sometimes branded him a vote thief. Despite all that work Kayongo (whose consistency emboldened the likes of Godfrey Nyakana, Salim Uhuru and others) was never adequately rewarded beyond being designated Senior Presidential Advisor on markets which brings him a Shs2m monthly salary. He doesn’t have much influence in the government beyond that yet his supporters thought he would be part of the post-Nasser Sebaggala/Ruth Kijjambu KCCA which saw Musisi and other more than 10 directors smile all the way to the bank. Instead Kayongo was fought by a renegade faction of Owino vendors led by a one Susan Kusaba with the active patronage of Princess Pauline Nassolo from State House. To-date, Kayongo remains a financially struggling businessman in Owino market.
Francis Babu; As MP Kampala Central, Babu effectively dwarfed the opposition for more than 2 decades.
He ensured the opposition didn’t win seats in Kampala Central even when areas like Kawempe, Rubaga, Nakawa and Makindye were becoming opposition strongholds. Babu ensured his wife Margaret Zziwa (equally unrewarded) held onto the position of woman MP as other Movementists like Nyakana dominated KCCA Central Division. To understand his aggressive Musevenism one has to ask people like Charles Musoke Serunjogi, Bobi’s Brother Fred Nyanzi, Moses Katabu, John Mary Sebuwufu or even FDC’s Anne Mugisha. These suffered his wrath in the ballot box for so long. The man was always thorough in keeping NRM/M7 on top in Central Division until 2006 when Col Besigye brought his man Erias Lukwago who narrowly beat Babu and sent him into retirement. Babu went to Court where Lukwago found him and left him there-politically dead. He then tried to vie for Kampala Mayorship but says was frustrated by Amama Mbabazi who twice fronted Peter Sematimba. His original cracking from within the NRM was fermented by Mohammed Nsereko who had strong backing of YK Museveni and Amelia Kyambadde who was a very powerful PPS and a foe to Capt Babu. Babu cried foul when his wife Zziwa was ousted from EALA Speakership and Museveni wasn’t adequately supportive. Babu started his Metro fm which too continues to be starved of government advertising revenue even when his own party is in charge. He these days speaks very critical of the system especially on things like corruption and impunity.
Mugisha Mondo; Passing off as a State House operative and PA to equally flamboyant Mike Mukula, Mondo did a lot to cow and intimidate opposition officials. He always appeared on radio talk shows to provocatively contradict opposition panelists but the system never adequately rewarded him. At some point State House rewarded him by releasing a public statement warning the public to deal with him at their own peril. Mondo then became subdued and resorted to defending Robert Kayanja and other Pastors who Solomon Male, Micheal Kyazze and Martin Sempa were accusing of sodomizing their flock. When that didn’t get him enough attention and revitalization, Mondo retreated to doing ministry work and now runs a successful church ministry based in Kampala. He rarely talks about politics anymore and this is all because he was disappointed his voluntary contribution was never appreciated by the Museveni political dispensation. To be continued. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
