By Our Reporters
In his Sunday brief address to thousands of mourners that converged at Mpambire Mpigi district to see off ASP Mohammed Kirumira, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago very combatively directed his verbal arsenal at Dr. Abed Bwanika who is the leader for the obscure People’s Development Party (PDP). Lukwago told cheerful mourners that Bwanika (who calls himself the architect of People Power & is trying to ride on Bobi’s back to oust Bukoto South MP Hajji Mbabali) lacked the requisite experience and political exposure to lecturer him about “People Power” politics. Referring to his own experience, Lukwago said: “I’m myself a beneficiary and practical implementer of people power and I don’t need lectures about it and how it operates.”
As the crowd wildly cheered, Lukwago said: “As you all remember I was forced out of office by Mr. Museveni for three solid years and I stood firm. I didn’t waver in my commitment to the struggle and Mr. Museveni bowed to people power that returned me to office with even a higher percentage years later [in 2016].” Lukwago, whose televised address left many wondering as to its context, was responding to what Bwanika had told the same gathering earlier but wasn’t televised perhaps because the TV managers didn’t consider him big enough to deserve live broadcast. “I want to beg my brother Bwanika that let this be the last time we are tolerating the making of statements that are clearly aimed at dividing our people at this critical moment when the struggle is gaining momentum,” Lukwago said directly responding to Bwanika. In his address, that wasn’t out of character going by what Bwanika has been uttering before, the three time badly trailing presidential candidate urged the crowd to shun Lukwago until he stops embracing initiatives like the defiance campaign which he branded problematic because those leading aren’t Baganda. “My brother Bwanika it’s very bad to make such utterances on the day we are grievingly sending off our brother Mohammed Kirumira whose body is lying before us right now. The Kirumira you say was very close to you related with all change-seeking forces and whoever stood for justice and fairness. He related with me the way he related with you. And he related with Dr. Kizza Besigye here the way he related to you. He never discriminated people basing on where they come from. He stood for justice for all regardless of tribe or where one came from. It will be misrepresenting him for you to say he despised so and so and instead was more allied to you,” Lukwago said attracting applause. Bwanika, whose utterances left many in great consternation, had called on the crowd to pressurize Lukwago to abandon Besigye and other like-minded politicians and defect to Bobi Wine’s People Power which people kept chanting. Bwanika said “Mr. Lukwago those you aren’t flocking with are politically not good people and I’m calling on you mourners to pressurize him to come and be part of People Power.” In his speech, Lukwago said it’s very unfair to discriminate activists like Besigye merely basing on where they come from because “the rod the regime uses to torture Bobi Wine, Francis Zzake and Nambooze is the same rod they are using on Erias Lukwago and Besigye.” Lukwago urged the crowd, that had cheerfully welcomed him and KB, to be politically sophisticated enough to understand that the enemy (meaning the NRM) might possibly be using some people to incite divisions to kill off the political momentum that is rising in the opposition camp. “My brother Bwanika I hope this is the last time you going to funerals like this one to make statements that are clearly aimed at dividing our struggle. It really doesn’t sound good for you to keep making such utterances and its disrespectful to Mohammed Kirumira whom we are here to see off because he stood for unity and justice,” said Lukwago whose views were subsequently fortified by Kizza Besigye who was the final political speaker at the highly charged event.
Besigye said: “We should remain cohesive and that’s the only way we are going to set ourselves free. Whoever is working for change and the fairness the late Mohammed Kirumira stood for must work for a united cause as opposed to seeking to divide ourselves on petty issues.” In what surprised many, who always considered Mubajje-led UMSC in Old Kampala to be a Musevenist platform, Besigye had equally addressed mourners at the Old Kampala Mosque and spoke after the Mufti, a manifestation that the organizers treated him courteously. At Old Kampala he urged Muslims, whose Mufti Mubajje had accused the state of discriminating and marginalizing Muslims, to remain outspoken against injustices saying that is the only way “we can ensure our brother Mohammed Kirumira doesn’t die in vain.” In a phone call, Lukwago told this news website he had no apologies to make for publicly confronting Bwanika whose politically very divisive public statements he said are clearly calculated at weakening the anti-Museveni struggle. Bwanika’s colleagues in hiding behind Bobi Wine to demonize Besigye have this morning taken to social media to brand Lukwago “an enemy within that must be dealt with.” Some of these are people Lukwago has politically been flooring in Kampala since 2011 when he faced Mike Mabikke and Peter Sematimba of the NRM party. It was a violent election campaign at whose height a group of Mabikke supporters raided CBS radio studios and assaulted Kiira MP Semujju Nganda who was a Lukwago supporter.
