Thursday 15 August 2024
“Uganda’s situation continues to get worse” , National Unity Platform President, Bobi Wine
By Tom Malaba, Editorial Associate
Over 100 supporters were on hand at the Preston Event Centre on St. Anthony Street, to welcome Uganda’s leading opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine on his first visit to Canada. In his keynote speech, Ssentamu, leader of the National Unity Platform, warned Ugandans living in Canada, that the situation in Uganda continues to worsen with every passing day, with new scandals of stealing money meant for public use being unearthed every day.
“The situation in Uganda continues to be dire. In Uganda you do not need to talk about things that happened a year ago, something new comes up every day. If it’s not a Bududa story, it’s the Karamoja story or Kasese ,” Mr. Kyagulanyi said during a short visit to Ottawa.
“Whatever is talked about should make any Ugandan angry enough to take up arms and fight the regime,” Mr. Kyagulanyi told NUP members in Ottawa.
He thanked the members for coming together to find ways to solve problems back home, it shows that you left Uganda but Uganda never left you.
“In Uganda one is not supposed to be understanding, anybody who dares try to show that s/he understands is murdered. I salute you for bringing your children. Thank you for bringing your children to the meeting and continue to tell them about the struggle. I can’t promise you that it’s me who will deliver you to the promised land but one issue is sure, we shall get there,” Kyagulanyi said urging members to stay the course.
He noted that if he were to die today, he would be satisfied that the struggle would continue.
“Every day we continue to wear Museveni out, science, the law is on our side. We are back to the 60s when young people fought for their country.”
He called on people distancing themselves from politics to desist saying that some of the residents of the residents of Kiteezi could have had no interest in politics but that did not stop garbage from burying them alive.
According to him, thirty bodies have been recovered and another 39 people are still missing following the August 9 incident, where the city garbage landfill collapsed and buried people inside their houses in Kiteezi. Excavators are still digging through the garbage and debris to retrieve bodies trapped under the rumble.
Kyagulanyi said he was visiting the NUP Chapter in Ottawa to rekindle their hope that one day Uganda would be freed from the grip of a dictator.
“The biggest question that we all must answer is what is going to be done and it must be answered by people in diaspora and those back home.”
The former musician turned politician urged the membership to sire above personal interests for a better Uganda.
“Many of you are here because your country is messed up, explain these concerns to your friends in Canada. Let them not think we are a batch of disgruntled young people. Our vision for our country is a new Uganda that is better,” Mr. Kyagulanyi said.
He noted that Uganda has more natural resources than most European countries but questioned why Ugandans remain poor.
According to him, every year Shs10trillion that should have been used to fix Uganda’s road network is stolen from Uganda Revenue Authority every year.
Mr. Kyagulanyi said that the money given to President Museveni as his classified expenditure could have done much.
According to Mr. Kyagulanyi, Uganda needs to exploit its young population, (the biggest in the world), a hospitable population that is enterprising and intelligent to spur development.
Mr. Kyagulanyi called on the diaspora community to have hope saying that Kenyans also were once discussing issues that were affecting their country just like Ugandans are doing today but it’s now in the past. “Even in the 70s, the Musevenis were discussing issues affecting Uganda then as the Ugandan diaspora community is doing today and even talked about the same issues we talk about today,” Mr. Kyagulanyi said and called on Ugandans to acquire knowledge that will spur development back home.
“Ours is a servant leadership, we want the population to hold their leaders accountable. So that when a leader messes up, he can be voted out,” Mr. Kyagulanyi said. He urged the NUP diaspora community to learn from their Canadians friends how they can transform their home country.
“Continue to unite knowing that Uganda’s problem has no tribe or religion. When you look at somebody don’t look at their language or their second name. Look at what they stand for. Keep giving us the image that you want people to identify us with,” Mr. Kyagulanyi said. He called on people to continue recruiting people for the cause.
“In a badly governed country like Uganda, everybody whether in Uganda or Canada we are all affected equally.” He urged the community to continue demonstrating saying that’s the only way to force the Kampala regime to listen.
Mr. Kyagulanyi thanked the NUP diaspora community for organizing resistance chapters. Mr. Kyagulanyi came to Ottawa through Toronto after touring the United States of America.
He was accompanied by among others by Uganda Parliament Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, Member of Parliament for Mityana Municipality, Francis Zaake, the NUP Secretary General, Mr. Lewis Rubongoya,
In Ottawa, Kyagulanyi was received by among others the NUP Ottawa Coordinator, Mr. Michael Kyobe amidst chants of the party slogan “People Power, Our Power. NUP Everywhere, Every Where NUP”. Mr. Kyobe condemned Uganda’s bad leadership and the continued kidnappings of party functionaries.
Draped in NUP party colors, the members could not hide their excitement on receiving their youthful President and took turns to take pictures with him.
On his part, the Secretary General Mr. Lewis Rubongoya expressed his disappointment that young educated Ugandans, who would be contributing to national development, had left Uganda fleeing bad leadership to live in Canada, because the environment back at home was not conducive. “Canada did not just happen but there were people who sacrificed for Canada to be where it is,” Mr. Rubongoya said, calling on the members to emulate the same for Uganda. According to him, People like President Yoweri Museveni who has been in power for 38 years made their contribution to Uganda, and should now give way to the younger generation to take charge. Mr. Rubongoya revealed that at least every year someone in KCCA has been eating Shs4 billion meant for Kiteezi.
The Leader of Opposition Mr. Joel Ssenyonyi, urged the members not to lose the connectedness they had displayed, adding that both in Ottawa and in Kampala, there were lots of diversions thrown at the party membership by the Government. “But we have decided to stay focused,” Mr. Ssenyonyi said.
According to him, a large number of NUP members had fled Uganda and are living in various cities in Canada, following a wave of kidnappings that left a large number of the party’s members killed, kidnapped or being held incommunicado.
Ms. Doreen Kajumba, the NUP Coordinator Toronto urged the party leadership to stay focused saying that the government would try to antagonize them but urged to remain focused. “Fighting for our rights is our obligation. They will do a lot of things but they will not put us down,” Kajumba said.
Bobi Wine’s visit to Ottawa was part of a Canada-wide tour to meet his numerous supporters, with Toronto and Edmonton included on his itinerary. In Toronto, he was interviewed on CBC Radio’s “Fresh Air” program, in addition to a press conference he held later in the day.
