By Mulengera Reporters
As hundreds of MPs and Ministers descended on PLU headquarters Naguru to witness the handover of office to new PLU leaders, it became conspicuously clear that all Musevenist political actors in Kampala had pivoted and permanently moved on from the Anita Among era. It was clear that no one will have to ever go bench at Nakasero, where Anita Among lived large, in order to demonstrate proximity to power.
Many of the elected MPs, to whom being close to Anita Among had become synonymous with being powerful or close to power, thronged PLU headquarters and struggled for where to sit as everywhere was full (to the extent that Balaam Barugahara, one of the big people in PLU, joked that it was high time Gen MK considers looking for a bigger place to accommodate such growing numbers).
It was remarkable that the likes of Arinaitwe Rwakajara and Adrine Kobusingye (respectively representing Workers & Women League in the NRM CEC), who had always eaten directly from Anita Among’s palm, demonstrated excitement being part of Naguru as opposed to Nakasero (Among’s home) which many elected leaders used to frequent as a way of demonstrating proximity to power.
There are reports that some of the elected leaders, especially MPs, would even lower themselves to the extent of mopping the house, washing clothes and plates in order to demonstrate loyalty to the Bukedea Woman MP, who is now former Speaker. MPs were here at Naguru to demonstrate loyalty to new Speaker Jacob Oboth-Oboth, who ascended that office on the strength of Gen MK’s endorsement.
In their hundreds, the MPs who in the past used to fall over themselves to demonstrate their sycophancy to Anita Among whose power they had been duped to think would last forever, endlessly chanted Oboth-Oboth’s name, perhaps having become aware that Gen MK was keenly following the event via livestreaming from wherever he was. For he was physically not present at Naguru, ostensibly to avoid being seen as breaching army rules which require serving officers to be cautious.
David Kabanda said in a recent interview that there had been efforts to undermine the Oboth-Oboth speakership bid by people inside the Anita Among universe. This naturally means that Oboth-Oboth is someone who the Anita Among adherents wouldn’t like to see having a good time while enjoying his new position, which he wouldn’t have ascended without the decisiveness with which Gen MK acted. Kampala Central Mayor Salim Uhuru is another NRM CEC member who was a strong Anita Among diehard yet he too was at Naguru struggling to demonstrate loyalty to the CDF who is also the national chairman for PLU.
So close to Among was Salim Uhuru, as a fellow CEC member, to the extent that he was captured on cameras fleeing from the Nakasero residence that fateful Saturday afternoon when the dramatic raids on Anita Among’s residential properties started. He was depicted on live TV camera struggling to jump on a boda to flee from Anita Among as the heavily armed security officers made their way into her compound. He, like many other CEC members, has clearly pivoted and its clear he will never consider being part of the disgraced Anita Among universe again.
Knowledgeable insiders say that for Gen MK it’s very important to portray Oboth-Oboth as the very powerful Speaker of Parliament whose authority and leadership has been accepted by majority MPs, especially those from the NRM. So large was the number of MPs present to the extent that Balaam Barugahara and the day’s MC Jonam MP Martial Alenyo had to ask them to be brief and avoid the endless flattery they were engaging into to demonstrate loyalty to PLU, Gen MK and his new Secretary General Fadil Twalla. It was advised that in the interest of time, people merely mention their names and constituencies they represent as opposed to wasting time demonstrating their loyalty to Oboth-Oboth and Gen MK.
Led by Kabale Municipality MP Andrew Baryayanga, many of them MPs declared their loyalty and demanded PLU Patriotic Officer numbers in order to fortify their belonging and membership to the mighty PLU. Some of them vowed to give themselves numbers and become PLU self-appointed coordinators in their respective districts and constituencies. Kiwanuka Kiryowa, the new defense Minister, caused laughter when he said he too lacks a PLU number even when he is the new PLU CEC member serving as League Chairman for Buganda region.
In contrast, Jane Ruth Aceng and Frank Tumwebaze were admired for being well decorated PLU members with their respective Patriotic League Officer numbers being 13 and 15. Peter Ogwang, who for years was perceived as a pillar in the Anita Among universe, was also present and fellow Ministers must have wished they were him when he proudly read out his PLU number and reminded the crowd how he is the PLU overall coordinator for his native Teso sub region.
Even the pivoting of Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, who headed the organizing committee for the new SG inauguration on Wednesday, was an additional indicator that those things of being part of the Anita Among universe had clearly come to an end. A FORMER Anita Among diehard and enforcer, Mapenduzi spoke very well as always at the inauguration event and even bragged about his PLU Patriotic Officer number PO018. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
