By John V Sserwaniko
Thursday night, Gen Henry Tumukunde was hosted on NTV Patrick Kamara’s “On The Spot” program where he was interviewed on a range of things including the possibility that his ongoing Kampala Mayoral consultations could be “a dress rehearsal to run for Presidency.”
The General, who unlike before is now free to discuss any politics without being gagged subject to military law, cleverly used the opportunity to veiledly clarify on a number of things while defending his right to run for any political position in Uganda including Presidency. One had to be very sophisticated to understand what he was saying especially that he preferred answering many of the questions by raising his own rhetorical questions.
For instance, Tumukunde philosophically distanced himself from many of the regime failings for which President Museveni will always have to explain himself about by illustrating that contrary to what many people think, he has only been active in government for only 13 out of the near 35 years Museveni and his NRM has been leading Uganda.
As if to rebut the claims he is among those who have been enjoying opulent living as majority citizens agonize in poverty and deprivation, Tumukunde enumerated ways in which he has suffered torment and victimization under the Museveni administration.
He said he was kept under difficult detention and confinement for 1 and half years for merely expressing his views on the scrapping of term limits way back in 2005. Dissuading moderator Patrick Kamara from describing his predicament as being on Katebe, Tumukunde said “Katebe is polite” because he has been through much worse. Referencing on the news story, Chimpreports had published earlier in the day quoting people close to him showing he will challenge Museveni in 2021, Tumukunde said such stories are aimed at blackmailing people and put them on the defensive as if it is a crime being interested in becoming President.
He claimed the idea was to frighten him into coming out to deny having Presidential ambitions, something he said he wasn’t prepared to do because “we never went to the bush to make anyone President.” He said his joining the NRA war at just 22 years “where I lost part of my leg” was born out of the conviction that things had terribly gone wrong and Uganda needed redirecting into a much better country.
Refusing to accept responsibility for the rampant insecurity and violent murders even when he is the immediate former security Minister, Tumukunde said those currently holding government positions including his successor as security Minister are the ones to whom such questions should be directed. He said to tame the current crime wave, the intelligence people must become more sophisticated because Ugandans too (who he said were peasant graduates in 1986) have since become much more sophisticated.
He said many things must be done to enable the security apparatus overcome modern crime including “proper recruitment, training and remuneration.” He actually called for better pay for men in uniform saying the problem is the resource envelope being inadequate “yet everybody is competing for a small budget.” He said the LDU recruitment is a very “adhoc solution” which can’t defeat modern crime.
Despite being repeatedly cynically pushed by the moderator, Tumukunde categorically refused to defend or justify President Museveni’s right or mission to be President for 40 years (which will be the result of him winning in 2021). Each time the moderator raised such morally-conflicting questions, including how Museveni intends to run away from the well recorded NTV interview where he said he wouldn’t rule beyond 75, Tumukunde urged the moderator to seek out the big man so that he answers it himself. “President Museveni must answer that himself and not Henry Tumukunde,” he repeatedly asserted.
Asked whether having one President for 40 years is something he and other fighters anticipated as early as 1986, Tumukunde only said he wasn’t sure if the big man had kept the “faith of the group” he led through the bush war.
Referencing on his short stint as Security Minister, Kamara insisted Tumukunde has always been part of government and therefore can not be the same person approaching the people of Kampala as someone who can sort out the mess whose creation he has been participating into. Then Gen Tumukunde rhetorically asked: “Is that when all these wrong things were done?”
In his ongoing consultations, Gen Tumukunde (seated in black jacket) recently met Kampala Muslim Imams at Jamiyah Mosque-Namungoona who he says thanked him for standing up for their rights (whatever that means) and pledged political support to him in 2021
He said he was motivated by the fact that, unlike Kamara whom he faulted for not carrying out sufficient research, ordinary Ugandans are way more sophisticated and know what he [Tumukunde] has always stood for, what his views have always been on governance and many other things. He said as a very hard-working security Minister he would stay in office meeting people up to 1am and its during such engagements that he realized how deeply people understand him and the values he stands for.
Then one caller rang saying he was for People Power and they are tired being dominated by soldiers of the NRA bush war generation. He urged Gen Tumukunde to move on and leave politics to young ones like Bobi Wine. The General sternly said such angry Ugandans should correctly identify what has gone wrong in Uganda “rather than fighting people who fought in the bush.” Saying he has many other credentials beyond just being a Lt. General, Tumukunde wondered why anybody in a country where a Colonel (Besigye), a Maj General (Muntu) and a General (YK Museveni) has previously aspired to be President and run in elections, his Presidential ambitions (when he finally announces any) should excite anyone as if its something strange and unprecedented. “Did you know [ex-Cuban President] Castrol was a Major?”
He said much as he has been consulting for Kampala Mayorship, he is a free citizen who will let everybody know whichever other position he will be making up his mind for in 2021. Saying going by his age, time is still on his side and can still be President, Tumukunde said: “I’m only 60. Have I lost time? Do you know how old President Trump is?” In reference to Museveni who became President at 42, Tumukunde queried: “Who tells you everybody must become President when they are 40?”
Kamara tried referring to Col Kizza Besigye who saw the wrongs much earlier on and came out to speak against them and Tumukunde defensively said people “can choose when to understand that the system has lost track; I can understand later than others.” Referencing on PK Semogerere who, despite being DP, joined NRM and served under President Museveni, Tumukunde said there are many actors who served that way not necessarily because they weren’t aware of the imperfections in the Museveni system but largely for pragmatic reasons. He said in Semogerere’s case it was the realization that it was necessary to tolerate Museveni without challenging him because he needed time to recover/stabilize the country first.
This perhaps is the way Tumukunde could explain away his 2015/2016 decision to return to the Museveni system after many years in the cold. He could argue and say “as an intelligence guru I was privy to some classified information meaning supporting Museveni’s 2016 reelection was in the best interest of the country.” Maybe it was the only way Museveni (who had previously viciously punished him for speaking out while still serving in the army) could be soothed to finally retire him. It’s a point the flamboyant General could make and many could see sense in it.
He said serving as a leader in the military was one of the “revolutionary tasks” he had to take and shouldn’t imply becoming a General or serving in the various other capacities was his primary ambition.
Still in a veiled way, Tumukunde spoke of someone who recently drove to his home and begged him to declare support for someone running for Presidency in 2021: “He said I have come to ask you to support so and so’s bid for Presidency. I asked him why don’t you guys support me instead? He left very disappointed.” He stressed “we aren’t in politics to escort anybody but for well calculated reasons.”
As he prepares to announce and declare which position, he will be running for, Tumukunde said he had been emboldened by the findings of the research he has been undertaking for more than one year now. That he now realizes he is better understood and more acceptable to the electorate than he previously thought.
Encouraging a caller (voter) from Kireka, which isn’t part of Kampala, further gave away Tumukunde with many wondering why he would respond by encouraging the (praise-singing) caller to urge on many other willing mobilizers to prepare to join his team.
Likening being asked if he wants to become President to asking “if a Bishop is going to heaven,” Tumukunde said the question was misplaced because in any case “aren’t Bishops expected to go to heaven?” He carried on: “If I offer myself for President, why should that surprise anyone? Isn’t that the most expected of me even?”
At some point Kamara referred to his participation in partisan political campaigning for the incumbent, something serving army officers are legally barred from. But Tumukunde dismissively demanded for a record of that and the moderator didn’t have any.
He admitted flying to different parts of the country de-campaigning JPAM in 2016 but that was in order because he had properly been retired. When he said problems at KCCA can only be sorted by Parliament legislating a “proper law,” Kamara said he was part of the problem because all the years he has been powerful he never raised such issues but Tumukunde denied saying he has only been active in government for 13 years. He said this can be verified. He added Kampala being “the master bed room of the republic of Uganda,” it was shameful the city still has so much mess like unregulated Boda-Boda industry whose chaos he said can’t be blamed on riders but squarely on government.
“Are you therefore going to take on the system?” Kamara asked to which the general quickly responded: “What’s wrong with that? If I want to take on the system, must I announce it on NTV tonight?” He stressed there shouldn’t be any excitement if a revolutionary like himself offers himself for anything. He said it doesn’t have to be Mayorship but can be anything including “MP for my home town of Rukungiri or any other position.”
Kamara predicted it was going to be very hard for the general to ever make it in any opposition stronghold (the townships) “because you are very close to the first family and have lived the opulence of the palace.” And this is how Tumukunde answered: “I’m a versatile leader quite mathematical and I’m wide in scope.”
He said past establishment candidates were rejected by urbane voters because of obscure track record, not investing in research and sometimes being pushed into the race basing on a decision that is someone else’s and not their own. Referring to the comedy show he recently went for with over 5,000 in attendance, Tumukunde said Ugandans want very simple things from their governors-security, being able to go drink at a bar and safely return home anytime of the night. To some viewers, that sounded like giving a glimpse into his campaign manifesto.
He repeatedly said there shouldn’t be anything outrageous about him or anybody seeking to be president because “politics is like a lift; when you enter there, you want to go up.” He equally stressed: “What’s wrong with having presidential ambitions? I can’t wave it off. Its like asking a Christian if he can become born again.”
Responding to another caller, Tumukunde also rejected ever being unleashed to neutralize and trim fellow leaders like ex-IGP Gen Kale Kayihura. He said he has never been a points man or hatchet man for Mr. Museveni “because all I have done has always been in the service of my country based on proper convictions.”
He impliedly discouraged the idea of people exaggerating his links to the First Family and more so the President. He repeatedly said he was just ordinary like any other citizen with as much right to vie for any office like any other person.
He also cautioned Bobi Wine saying as he goes about his People Power wave, he should adequately reflect on whether he can manage things frequently bearing in mind what befell the post-Mubarak Egypt and Republic of Sudan after Gen El-Bashir. He was quite philosophical on this Mr. Wine point making it doubtable if majority even understood what he was saying. (For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
