Bukenya is a glimmer of light under the tunnel of M7's hegemony in Uganda!

The irony of professor Gilbert Bukenya's challenge to M7 is that Bukenya was one of the various Vice Presidents M7 has hand picked over the course of his perpetual 27 years in power.

Which begs the question, what took the former VP so long to realize the emperor has been running around with no clothes on?

This is either the smartest political scheme, the NRM has devised to cling to power or M7's hegemony is finally bearing the weight of his overextended stay in power!

As a challenger, professor Bukenya has considerable experience and knowledge not only of M7's government but also an insider knowledge of M7's strength & weaknesses!

M7 will be hard pressed to patronize Bukenya the way he decimated Otunnu in the 2011 campaign by accusing the distinguished former UN ambassador of staying outside the country while he, M7, was liberating the country.

The saddest legacy of M7's overextended stay in power is the bankrupting effect it has had on Uganda's capacity for leadership talent.

How can a nation of over thirty million people lack the capacity to come up with smart and able leadership talent to challenge M7's 30 year uninterrupted stay in power, in a democracy?

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Uganda needs the leverage of innovation, synergy & diversity in leadership to reach its fullest potential.

"Innovation, in the end, is far bigger than any one big idea" - Fareed Zakaria

When innovation occurs, change happens. Similarly, when change occurs, things adapt to the change in the form of innovation.

Uganda hasn't had a democratic change in leadership in more than 27 years, which means we are under utilizing our capacity to innovate.

M7's 27 year reign has created a majority of uncreative fanatical fawning followers that are deferential toward his delusional omnipotence; instead of a majority of independent minded innovators willing to challenge his overextended stay in power.

No single leader in any free democracy can stay in office as long as M7 has in Uganda without manipulating the system, even if its Hugo Chavez!

Innovation refers to the use of a better and, as a result, novel idea or method of solving problems. M7's overextended stay in power is stifling and withering these basic fundamental tenets of our democracy.

Synergy is the state in which two or more individuals interact together in a particularly fruitful way that produces an effect greater than the sum of their individual efforts. Expressed another way: "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Uganda needs the use of all its leadership talent capacity; But for the past 27 years, that capacity has amazingly been monoplized by only one man!

The harnessing of all Uganda's leadership talent capacity would provide the country a far better outcome than we have had under the 27 years of M7's overextended rule!

Open innovation is the idea that governments and organizations should make use of external ideas and technologies rather than merely rely on thier own devices alone.

We need to turn our nation into an ecosystem of innovativation that harnesses the full capacity of our leadership talent potential rather than the redundant stagnant status quo of anachronistic and paternalistic ideology of one man rule.

The underpining of open innovtion is the idea of abundancy. We live in a world of abundant diversity when it comes to leadership talent, knowledge and skills that needs to be given a chance to flourish rather than wither under the thumb of one man rule.

One of CNN's most distinguished reporters, Fareed Zakaria, a best selling author, Harvard and Yale educated, with a Phd; almost always ends up talking about the value of innovation and how its integral to vibrant successful democracies.

We are short changing ourselves by following only one man. Its blissful ignorance to follow only one man in todays information age!

Uganda needs the leverage of all its talented leaders, their innovation & creativity to reach its fullest potential.

President Kagame recently said something that undescores this point:

People say that I should stay because there is no one to replace me,” he said. “But if in all these years I have been unable to mentor a successor or successors that should be the reason I should not continue as president. It means that I have not created capacity for a post-me Rwanda. I see this as a personal failure

If the majority of Ugandans stubbornly cling to M7's one man rule ideology, then, the nation's innovative capacity will not be optimized!

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The best parody of M7's English grammar aberration!

M7's cavalier use of English exemplifies the soft bigotry of low expectations in leadership caliber.

A head of state, bludgeoning the proper use of English grammar is a very poor role model for young Ugandans learning the proper use of English in a highly competitive world that is increasingly using English as its main currency.

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American Presidential Debates: A lesson for Democracy!

Barack Obama vs John McCain during the 2008 presidential debates!

President Obama and his main challenger Mitt Romney are spending this weekend preparing for their first of three televised debates in the contest for the next president of the USA. It just exemplifies how high the stakes are for both men, and also how level, the playing field is in American democracy! Just because you're president in America does not absolve you from facing your challenger, face to face, person to person on the same stage. In these debates both candidates are equal; and that's the way democracy should be!

Contrast that with Uganda, where M7 arrogantly palaces himself above everyone competing for his job and refused to debate Besigye and got away with it!

To Prep For Debates, Stand-Ins Take The Stage

by NPR STAFF

When President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney stand on the debate stage this week, their campaign advisers and debate coaches want everything — from the stage lighting, to the audience, the room temperature and most importantly, their opponent — to feel very familiar.

Both men have spent weeks preparing for the debates by facing off against fake versions of their challengers played by stand-ins. Though it is easily overlooked, the work of a debate stand-in itself is grueling.

"It's an incredibly intense undertaking; I spent literally hundreds of hours," former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg told Weekend Edition host Rachel Martin.

Gregg played Al Gore in debate preparation for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. His counterpart that year was Democratic strategist Paul Begala, who was playing George W. Bush during Gore's debate prep.

"It was a multi-week commitment, where it was pretty much the biggest thing I did," Begala says.

In order to properly play their roles, Begala and Gregg started reading, listening and watching as much as they could about the men they would pretend to be on stage.

"[It] got to the point where my wife no longer wanted to turn on the car radio, I had so many tapes of Al Gore in it," Gregg says.

There were times, however, when all that research and preparation paid off. Gregg says that they realized that Gore, because of his physical size and character, would at some point try and walk into Bush's space during a debate. So when it happened in their third debate, they were prepared.

"He looked at me and smiled, and in a relaxed way went on with his answer," Gregg says. "I happened to think that was one of the turning points in the election, and it was interesting that it happened exactly as we'd scripted it."

But you can only script so much. Begala says this was true of Gore's performance. He says what the media picked up on was Gore's breathing pattern, in particular his audible sighing in the first debate.

"He really was appalled at notion that [Bush] was one step away from the White House," Begala says. "At least that's the sense I got."

It was something Begala didn't notice, though he wishes he had, in the debate prep.

Begala and Gregg have played the game of politics for a long time. They both said, often, debates are won or lost in the prep.

"It comes down to the candidate making a connection with the audience in a comfortable way," Gregg says. "It gives the audience two reactions: one that they like the person; and two, that they see the person as a leader."

And to do that, he says, you have to spend a lot of time preparing.

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Where are the adults from Usuk counnty?

From child soldiers to child MP!

The election of this 19 year old girl shows how low the NRM has set the bar for leadership in Uganda! For crying out loud, where are the adults from this county?

MP at 19: Alengot writes history

By Sheila Naturinda, Richard Otim, Fred Muzaale, Simon Peter Emwamu | Daily Monitor

Friday, September 14 2012

One of the country’s longest serving constituency representative, Sam Kuteesa (Mawogola), had been in active politics for 13 years by the time Uganda’s youngest MP-elect Proscovia Alengot Oromait was born in 1993. Mr Kuteesa, the present foreign affairs minister-designate, joined Parliament in 1980, having been elected member for Nyabushozi on the Democratic Party ticket. In that election, he defeated President Museveni who had been in power for seven years by the time the new Usuk County MP was brought into this world. A few months ago Ms Oromait was sitting her A-Level exams. Now she is headed to Parliament to represent the people after controversially winning Wednesday’s by-election. The 19-year-old becomes the youngest MP in the country’s history, taking up the seat on the ruling party ticket after it fell vacant following the death of her father. “It is not the age that matters,” she said on Wednesday in an interview with NTV Uganda. “I knew I was going to win because I had the support of the people. So I was not worried.” She was declared winner of the race by the Electoral Commission with 11,059 (54.2%) votes against her nearest challenger, independent and former MP Charles Oleny Ojok who returned 5,329 (26.1%). Forum for Democratic Change’s Charles Okure took 2,725 (13.3%) in the nine-horse race. Opio Edekep, who managed Ms Alengot’s campaign, says the MP-elect is supposed to join Uganda Christian University Mukono this year but will now have to divide her time between the lecture room and the parliamentary chambers. Despite her age, Ms Alengot is not a stranger to politics; her campaign manager says she was closely involved in her father’s campaign as well as the projects he had promised to initiate in the constituency, including lobbying for education and health infrastructure. What she lacks in age she makes up for in public speaking, according to people close to her. She spent two years working at a radio station in Jinja, chaired the debate club in her high school and participated in the Chogm debate in 2007 at Serena Hotel in Kampala. Not surprising, then, that she caught the eye during her father’s funeral. “She represented the family very well,” Mr Edekep says. “She was composed while her brothers collapsed and failed to talk.” Jude Kamanya, one of her guardians, describes her as social, committed and honest. School friends say she was the anchor and brains behind the school’s weekly news bulletin, leader of the patriotism club, and inclined to feminism. “She was a good leader and usually advised fellow students to study hard,” says Derrick Sserwada, who went to high school with her. “She loves the environment so much.” Ms Alengot admits to getting a lot of support from NRM party officials, including Education minister Jessica Alupo, who has been rumoured to have her own eye on the seat in the 2016 election. “Yes in anything you need people to back you up and yes they help me [sic],” Ms Alengot said yesterday. For now, however, her focus is on the tasks ahead. “My focus is to work on roads, fight cattle-rustling, elevate the education standard in the district,” she said, her lithe frame hardly filling the gomesi. At 19, she becomes probably the youngest MP in Africa. Yesterday, a number of MPs described her win as an absurdity, although others welcomed her win as a positive indicator to youth politics. “That shows people have realised the values [President] Museveni always preaches- he only says as long as one is capable of raising her hand to vote for NRM ideas, there is no need to have the intellectual ability to understand issues,” said FDC’s Ibrahim Ssemujju Others in the race were UPC’s Cecilia Anyakoit with 554 votes, Martin Anukur Okwakol also independent with 284 votes, DP’s Nicholas Oteger with 220, Bob Paul Akileng independent with 160, Loyola Ignatius Apuda independent with 59 and David Ariko tailing with seven votes. Article 80 of the Constitution states that an MP must “be a Ugandan, a registered voter and has completed A level or its equivalent as established by law.” Ms Oromait reportedly registered as voter just ahead of the by-election. Ms Alengot’s entry into politics following her father’s footsteps isn’t the first in Uganda. Other MPs like Martin Mugara (Ntoroko) and Robert Ssebunya (Kyaddondo North) occupied their respective seats following the demise of their parents. In the Eighth Parliament, Ms Susan Lukyamuzi also represented the people of Rubaga North to save her father’s seat from falling into the hands of another when Mr Ken Lukyamuzi was blocked by the IGG from running for Parliament. “For the NRM to merely attract a person on the basis of adding to numbers is unfortunate. By this time we expect NRM to have matured to bring people with sufficient material in Parliament,” said Mr Lukyamuzi yesterday. Nonetheless, the NRM party was happy with this second win in at least eight by-elections because “the people of Usuk chose the person they trust to represent them,” according to Ms Justine Lumumba, the party’ chief whip. “No leader is ever different from the community he or she represents. Her election shows that her community has a very small scope for selection and her win has broken the myth about youths and unemployment,” said Mr Ephraim Biraro (Buhweju). Parliamentarians essentially play the critical oversight role, write laws and represent their people. “For a person to get a job there must be some exposure and knowledge of that job. That she sat S.6 this year and is yet to enter an institution of higher learning isn’t sufficient knowledge to get her a job anywhere,” said Barnabas Tinkasimire (NRM, Buyaga). Mr Tinkasimire describes the NRM internal primaries which saw Ms Oromait win the official flag bearer as “an abortion of internal democracy in the whole party.” “Let’s not close our eyes to reality, is it value addition for legislation or for the people in Usuk?” said Katwiremu Yorokamu (NRM, Sheema) editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

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Chelsea Clinton puts M7's son, Muhoozi to shame!

All in the family: The president, commander of special forces & cabinet minister!

Chelsea Clinton puts M7's son, Muhoozi to shame. Unlike Muhoozi this daughter of former president Bill Clinton, graduated from a four year college and went on to earn an MBA.

You can tell how well someone is educated by how well and articulate they write. Chealse recently wrote an op-Ed about the trip she and her father made in Africa and the charitable work they've have done. Check it out at link below:

Building Tomorrow: one school at a time in Uganda

If Muhoozi earnestly got a worthwhile education from all those overseas schools he went to (most likely on Uganda tax payer money!) he can redeem himself from the specter of "the soft bigotry of low expectations" by writing at least an op-Ed about himself, his accomplishments and his views on democracy rather than having spin masters describe his worthiness!

Brig. Muhoozi

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The Price of Big man Rule in Africa!

M7's never ending terms in office, a contrasting view!

Big man rule breeds the soft bigotry of low expectations! And here is why:

"Bigotry is the characteristic of a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his own."

Many of these big men think they are better than anyone else. They are the smartest people in the room. The notion of synergy from diversity has no place in their universe. And will go any length, by any means, to make sure that remains the status quo!

In the process they stifle a nations range of vision & perspective: from individual initiative, creativity & innovation. Able and capable opposition leaders that could do the job just as well or better are simply marginalized. This type of leadership not only limits our ability to challenge the status quo, but also stifles our ability to reach our fullest potential.

Big man rule and its demagoguery are the biggest threat to African democracy!

This unfortunate & unquestioned paradigm of overextended one man rule in Africa is fundamentally undemocratic. It creates monster autocrats, instead of service oriented leaders! Its the soft bigotry of an untenable omniscient leadership! Africa deserves better than this cult of Big man rule! It's within our democratic ability to change this anachronistic paradigm!

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One man rule is not the best alternative for the future of our democracy!

M7 is not omniscient!

By enabling the rule of one man for more than 25 years, Ugandans are cheating themselves and the future of our democracy of its fullest potential: harnessing the synergy from its leadership diversity. No single leader, however smart or well meaning they may be can match the synergy derived from diversity in leadership ideas! By blindly insisting on the cult of big man rule, Ugandans are trapping their future in anachronism!

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Africa's Big Man Syndrome

As Africa’s development gradually opens up, the Big Man syndrome, a neo-traditional paternalistic autocratic practices where African elites, intellectuals, elders, rulers, wealthy folks and traditional kingpins believe they are the only ones destined to rule or have monopoly over ideas, has emerged. The Big Man syndrome is anti-democracy, anti-freedoms, anti-human rights, anti-the rule of law and anti diversity in leadership.

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Olympic Gold medal Relativism!

Museveni gave Kiprotich an $.80, 483 largess & called him a real member of his NRM political party! What would Uganda do if it won 46 gold olympic medals? If Uganda devoted as much attention & money as they are devoting to Kiprotich's gold medal win, it would mitigate the country's dilapidated infrastructure, education & health care system. The USA had 46 gold medals and yet the USA government has not convened a special session of congress in honor of their gold medalists! This does not mean the USA cares less for its gold medalists, their fiscal spending priorities are just different. Kiprotich deserves a special recognition but what he is getting so far is way overboard! What if Mr. Kiprotich was allowed to study sports medicine, physical education or nutrition with free room and board at Makerere university, and if he did well send him for further studies abroad! The government could also start recognizing our brightest in science & technology with the same zeal & enthusiasm & offer them phd scholarships to MIT, Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford! Private industry generously supports and sponsors the best performing athletes in the west, Uganda's private industry can do the same and save the taxpayers from this unnecessary fiscal spending.

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`Big Man' Rule Continues to Haunt Africa"

Although African villages are often models of democracy, the concentration of power at higher levels across much of the continent feeds the cult of personality and one-man rule. The leaders of Uganda and Rwanda, whom Clinton lauded as democratic reformers have only tightened their grips power!

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M7's absurd diatribe against Charles Obbo!

Charles Obbo filed a very positive account from a visit to Mogadishu late this past April that must have rubbed M7 off the wrong way; because M7 responded with an opEd diatribe in his government owned New vision newspaper by calling Obbo "One of the greatest enemies of the NRM" Then, in his usual fashion, M7 digresses to claiming the NRM "single handedly discovered oil in Uganda; even though his own government's website on oil and gas clearly states the hunt for oil in Uganda dates back to the 1920's. Judge for yourself from the attachments below: Charles Obbo's post on Mogadishu: MOGADISHU, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH UGANDAN & BURUNDIAN TROOPS - AND GETTING BLOWN AWAY If you are a critic of Uganda and Burundi's role in the Somalia peace-keeping (AMISOM), then stay away. If you come here, all your criticisms could melt away quickly. In Al Shabaab, the Ugandans and Burundians found an adversary who forced them to rise beyond the mediocrity of African armies. The challenges of having to win hearts and do urban warfare that both these armies were not familiar with, forced them to be creative and learn new tricks - which had the effect of bringing out the best in their officer ranks. The main AMISOM base camp is a tightly run place, spanning 12 kilometres, it is impressive to see the roads, the barricades, and the housing that was built from scratch. We managed to get rooms in their "hostel", and they have DSTv - from Nairobi! They have air conditioning, good wi-fi. They have a guest room with coffee and tea 24/7. Even as late as two years, "gut" opinion polls had 1 in 25 Somalians doubting that AMISOM could ever kick Al Shabaab out. They had a very restrictive Chapter 6 mandate that allowed them to fire back only when shot down. So every day, one officer told me, they took on average 3 injuries, and about a death every week, in attacks by an enemy that they couldn't fight back. Then the July 2010 World Cup Final bombs happened in Kampala. The two terrorist attacks, which Al Shabaab claimed, killed 70 people and wounded hundreds. The timing was ill-thought, because two weeks later an African Union summit was taking place in Kampala. A visibly angry President Yoweri Museveni spoke tough about Al Shabaab and its supporters, saying some over-the-edge about Arabs. The Summit tweaked the mandate, allowing AMISOM to launch "pre-emptive" attacks and to pursue the enemy when attacked. With that, the Ugandans and Burundians took the fight to the Shabaab. Urban warfare is nasty and is not for the faint of heart. You are tormented by snipers. In Somalia, to take Bakara Market - Somalia's biggest and one of Africa's largest - the Ugandans and Burundians often took only 100 metres. You are told stories of a 200 metre stretch that took 6 days to capture. The armies were face to face, and the casualties were high. In the words of a Ugandan officer, the taking of Bakara was "one of the most tactically accomplished battles fought by African armies anywhere". AMISOM prevailed. Two years ago, they and the transitional federal government (TFG) controlled about only 5 districts of Mogadishu. Today, as the baby-faced Uganda contingent commander Brig. Paul Lokech put it, "we control over 99%". All Mogadishu's 16 districts are in the bag, and they have fanned out moved out of the Mogadishu region. We went Maslah, the newest Ugandan front. It used to be the Shabaab's car bomb factory, among others. They are still building defences. Last night the Shabaab tried to fight back. They were beaten. We also went to the Burundi furthest front in Daynille. One can sometimes be carried away by narrow patriotism and nationalism, I will concede, but if truth be told, the Ugandan lines are far ahead. It is stunning to see. It is nothing like you see in most African armies. Of course, American money and training has helped. But Al Shabaab has just brought out the best in these guys. Mogadishu University is a beautiful campus that was abandoned shortly after it was open. Al Shabaab took it over and was lobbing bombs into Mogadishu from its rooftops. The Ugandans (UPDF) took them in an lightning operation that took a few hours. Now they control it. If you climb to the rooftops, you see the defence line, as far as the eyes can see, is a line of green sandbags and gun placements. You would think there were 2,000 soldiers lined up. No. For with the latest deployment, the Uganda contingent is just over 6,000. One art they have mastered, is looking and acting like they are actually twice their number. A fascinating African story is unfolding in Somalia. Two years ago, even among the AMISOM troops, there were some who doubted whether they could take Somalia. Today, they would be surprised if you suggested that they Shabaab will not be defeated everywhere, and that Somalia won't get its life back. Next up for the Ugandans is the city of Afgooye. The Shabaab is dug in big there. Many of its top leaders are there, and their elite fighters. There are no illusions what it will take. With the new UN resolution in February, the Ugandans are working on bringing in attack helicopters, fixed wing fighters, and to up surveillance by drones. "This one will the mother of all battles. There will be a lot of pain, and a high price to pay. But it has to be done". Along with the many body bags that will be flown home, the Ugandans and Burundians with that battle might just rewrite the book on African military history. Compare with M7's response diatribe: Mogadishu: Museveni responds to Obbo Publish Date: May 09, 2012 Share 401 By Yoweri K. Museveni ONE of the greatest enemies of NRM is Charles Obbo. When he was in the Daily Monitor newspaper and, more recently, while in the East African Newspaper ─ all belonging to H.H. AgaKhan – he always pours venom on the work of NRM that it is corrupt, it is led by greedy people who cling to power, etc, etc. The NRM, however, ignores such charlatans and continues with its historic mission of liberating Uganda, liberating Africa and modernizing Uganda. In spite of internal treachery that sometimes delays our work, Uganda is growing and is unstoppable. With the oil, which NRM, single-handedly, discovered for Uganda, the Obbos are going to hang themselves because we will, finally, easily get the US$ 13 billion we need to invest in infrastructure to turn Uganda into a middle income country. All the aid (in form of loans and grants) we have got from outside, ever since 1986, amounts to only US$ 18.9 billion. This aid is, of course, not always used for core areas. Quite a bit of it is used for non-core and arrogant areas such as the so-called ‘governance’ issues, ‘capacity’ building, etc. I call these non-core and arrogant because the people of Uganda do not need assistance in governance because we liberated ourselves from dictatorship, with only some help from our African brothers like the late Mwalimu Nyerere, Samora Machel, Kenneth Kaunda and the late Muammer Gaddafi (some little help of 96 rifles initially). The core areas where Uganda needs assistance is in electricity, roads, the railways, the water works, irrigation, ICT infrastructure, education and health. In spite of the obvious achievements by NRM, the Obbos are always maligning this great NRM and its leaders. The NRM, however, unbothered and supported by the people of Uganda, continues to execute its historical mission. Obbo, having run out of lies to tell from Nairobi, has now become “a war correspondent” writing from Mogadishu about the work of UPDF of defeating Al-Shabaab. This time, neither him nor his foreign masters in the form of the “the foreign diplomat he had coffee with before he went to Mogadishu”, can hide the great and unique work of UPDF in the very difficult situation of Somalia. The foreign diplomat was struck by “how different” the UPDF was from other Third World armies. That is what the Obbos should have realized long ago because NRA/UPDF is a revolutionary Army founded on the principles of nationalism, patriotism and pan-Africanism. It is very “professional”. What did our previous manifestos say? Was it not to professionalize the previously guerrilla army? However, professionalism is not the only point that distinguishes UPDF from other Armies, even the First World ones. It is the ideology that makes it unique. That is why we supported the restoration of monarchy although we are not monarchists ourselves. Regarding the quality of our military leaders and cadres, does Obbo remember that we deliberately recruited educated people (“A” level and degree-holders) into the Army? What was the practice of Obbo’s political group? Obbo’s foreign diplomat also observed that CDF Aronda “displayed a level of political astuteness that is rare among these African Generals”. Isn’t Obbo part of the groups that have been agitating that UPDF leaves Parliament (the 10 seats that are our listening post in the Parliament of our civilian members)? It is precisely because we know that NRA/UPDF is among the most ideologically advanced elements of the Ugandan society that we insist that a few of them should be in Parliament. Hasn’t Obbo ever heard that the whole of NRM/UPDF were armed political revolutionaries? We are always fighting for ideology and not pay. It is not a career for us, it is a cause. The only thing we avoid, especially those in uniform still, is partisanship. Even NRM, although a political party, we are not really partisan. Then, Obbo correctly compares the work of the 9,500 AMISON troops with the 38,000 US troops that were defeated by the Somalis in 1992. The US is our friend and it is not my job to make those comparisons. That job is for journalists like Obbo if only they were honest, were non-partisan and bothered to get informed instead of operating on prejudices. I can only talk about the discipline of NRA/UPDF right from the bush days. We followed Mao Tse Tung’s exhortation: “Never take a needle or thread from the people without paying for it”. If a UPDF soldier killed a mwanainchi in Mogadishu, we would not bring him for trial in Kampala. He/she would be tried and shot in Mogadishu in front of the relatives of the victims. This is what we did with Zabuloni and his friend in Mulule near Semuto in 1982. Has Obbo read that history of the NRA? Besides, NRA/UPDF only fights just wars. In the case of Somalia, we only went to guard the Airport and the Sea Port. It was the Al-Shabaab who foolishly, intoxicated by their bankrupt foreign ideology picked from the Middle East and Asia of Islamic chauvinism, that attacked us ─ that they wanted to drive out “infidels”. “Infidels” are their own African brothers and sisters. Who, then, are their brothers and sisters ─ Arabs, Asians? Somalis are part of the Cushitic people like the Oromos, the Nubians of ancient Egypt and many other African peoples who live in East Africa. The Somalis word for cow is: “sa”. In many of the Bantu dialects cow-dung is called “sa” ─ “busa”, “amasha”, etc. The Somali word for water is “pio”. What is the Luo word for water? “pii”! Yet these confused Al-Shabaab were calling us “infidels” just because many (not all) Ugandans are not Moslems. Besides, our military plans were not adventurist ─ trying to do too much at ago. Then, there is the question of handling civilians which Obbo has, for a change, described well. Then, Obbo relapses into his subjectivism by claiming that Al-Shabaab was an opponent like we have “never faced” before and tells lies about our intervention in Congo. First, Al-Shabaabs are no different from Lakwena – rushing and attacking in waves. Yes, Al-Shabaabs have got more technical capacity, using IEDs, mounted heavy machine guns (12.7mm), etc. However, remember that Al-Shabaabs were attacking by suicidal assaults a much more equipped Army (UPDF) with tanks, IFVs, etc., compared to the NRA of 1986/87 that defeated similar maniacal, mass assaults by the Lakwenas. At that time the NRA had no weapon advantage over the enemy. Our strongest weapons were the heavy machine guns (Nabissojo, 12.7mm, sometimes 14.5mm fired with flat trajectory). It was, again, the good command, correct tactics and a high ideological awareness that enabled us to defeat the Lakwenas just like we defeated the Al-Shabaabs recently. This time, though, we were much better equipped than when we fought the Lakwena suicidal fighters. About the so-called “disastrous” involvement in Congo, again, Obbo is wrong. Apart from the misunderstandings with Rwanda, we achieved many of our aims. First of all, the agent of foreign interests Mobutu was defeated by RPA. I think at that stage we made some material contribution. In the second phase, UPDF defeated all attempts by Angola, Chad and Kabila’s own forces to advance beyond Mbandaka. We used that time to defeat ADF and secure the peace for Western Uganda. We only withdrew voluntarily but not before we defeated Besigye’s group PRA in Ituri. Under the Lusaka Accord, we paved (along with others) the way for the democratization of Congo. It is only when the UN came in that they forgot about the Lusaka process. However, all parties in Congo came to know that we sought no hegemony in Congo. That is why our relations with almost all the Congolese parties, including President Joseph Kabila, improved and they began to trust us. Today, the trade with Congo is of the order of US$ 327.1 million (2010). It is the first time since the colonization of Africa that you have buses from Uganda going to Goma, etc. Congo now is an Afro-oriented country unlike in the past when it was a beach-head of foreign interests. The only difference, probably, that may be important for the likes of Obbo, our involvement in Congo was not supported by the Western countries. Our involvement in Somalia is now supported by all the countries of the world because all other efforts had failed. About the difference between urban warfare and the bush warfare, Obbo could be informed that, yes, urban warfare is different from bush warfare. Urban warfare needs a lot of vigilance and some specialized equipment and training. However, in terms of fatigue and energy expenditure, bush fighting is more exerting ─ walking long distances, crossing raging rivers, etc. Initially, in Mogadishu there was over sights in connection with acquiring some breaching means to break into walls. It problem was identified and solved. Besides, this is not the first time NRA/UPDF is fighting in the built up areas. Obbo needs to be reminded that Kampala is a city. How was it captured in 1986? 1st battalion, under Mugisha, assaulted Lubiri, Bakuli, Kampala road and Radio Uganda, 3rd battalion, under Lumumba, was my tactical reserve in the battle for Kampala. 11th battalion, under Chefe Ali, assaulted Nansana, Makerere, Wandegeya and, eventually, Summit View. 7th battalion, under Kyaligonza, assaulted Ndeeba and it took a whole day to capture Makindye barracks. 5th battalion, under Kashillingi blocked Entebbe Road at Kisubi. The Entebbe UNLA group, however, broke through the Kashillingi force because of some mistakes he had made in deployment. The UNLA group was 900 strong. I deployed my tactical Reserve, 3rd battalion, under Saleh and Lumumba, who stopped them at Zana. The whole group surrendered at 2100 hours. 13th battalion, under Ivan Koreta, blocked Bombo road. A special battalion, under Jet Mwebaze, captured Bwaise after clearing Sentema. Both the 19th battalion, under Peter Kerim and the 15th battalion, under Samson Monday were on the Western axis under Tinyefuuza. 21st battalion and 9th battalion, under Benon Tumukunde and Kihanda respectively, were part of my strategic Reserve. One was in Kabaale and the other one was in Kasese. Therefore, urban fighting is not that new to NRA/UPDF. Yes, the Al-Shabaab, intoxicated by ideological chauvinism, are more motivated in fighting than the UNLA; but the latter also tried to put up a strong fight. However, Lakwena’s group was as fanatical as the Al-Shabaab, the one using religion and the one using magic. Obbo, quoting Paddy Ankunda, writes of “pincer movement”; he says: “I don’t think any Army in Africa has ever done what we did for Al-Shabaab out of Bakara market”. That is not correct. How was Kampala captured? By blocking Entebbe road and Bombo road and assaulting from Masaka and Hoima roads. At that time, we did not have enough manpower to block Mukono road. Also the time to infiltrate up to Mukono road before the assault was not there even if we had the forces. What was that if not a pincer movement? However, NRA did more than merely executing pincer movements, threatening to encircle the enemy. It, actually, encircled big enemy groups both operationally and tactically. Operationally, we blocked Katonga Bridge, blocked Mityana road and blocked Fort Portal-Hoima road. Tactically, we sieged Masaka garrison and Mbarara garrison. There were about 1,000 soldiers in Masaka and 3,000 in Mbarara. The NRA encircled, in an assault attack, the huge Lakwena group at Corner Kilak and killed 1,000 rebels. The remnants only survived because they broke through one of the encircling battalions. In border operations against WNBF and LRA we effected lethal encirclement battles which I would not like to go into. Therefore, the battles of encirclement and annihilation, rather than merely routing the enemy, are part of the doctrine of NRA from the very beginning. It is only where we are limited by manpower that we attack from one side, two sides or three sides. Otherwise, with enough means, we encircle the enemy on four sides to fight decisive battles of annihilation. It is not correct to say that no African Army has ever done this. The TPDF, in our fight with Amin was, mainly, using encirclement. That is how we captured Gayaza hill on the 26th of February, 1979, under General Mayunga. That is how Entebbe town was captured by General Maarwa. He blocked the Libyans from retreating from Entebbe, at Bwebajja. That is why that area is called Kilibya ─ very many Libyan APCs were destroyed there and prisoners taken. That is how Brigades 208, 207 and 201 of TPDF destroyed the Palestinian Force that had come to support Amin at Lukaya. Maarwa, coming from Kanoni, Kabulasoke, encircled them at the Equator, while they were busy fighting 201 Brigade which was coming from Lukaya. Samora Machel effected a strategic encirclement against the Portuguese Army in Mozambique which was confronting FRELIMO in Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces on the Tanzanian border. Samora, using Zambia, opened the 3rd Front through Tete Province, emerging in the rear of the big Portuguese Army in Northern Mozambique, under General Kaulza D’Arriaga. Portugal was supported by the White Regimes of Ian Smith and the Boers in South Africa. Now comes Obbo’s evil spirit. He writes: “Because the UPDF in Mogadishu had to mollycoddle civilians in ways it has never done before and were involved in urban warfare that was largely alien to them, the Somalia operation opened doors for the appointment of some of the army’s most creative minds to work there”. He continues: “Even if President Museveni wanted to promote an officer from his village or a loyalist, he had to find one that was qualified. Appointing an incompetent one would be to condemn him to a quick death at the hands of the Al-Shabaab”. Poor Obbo, even now you do not understand UPDF. We always look for capable fighters ─ commanders. Most of the commanders who captured Kampala, attacked Masindi on the 20th of February, 1984, attacked Kabamba on the New Year’s Day of 1985, fought at Corner Kilak, fought in the border operations against Kony and Juma Oris were competent commanders. That is why we won victories. There are some who make mistakes ─ even in the Somali operation. These are, however, exceptions. Obbo’s pathetic attempt to distinguish between bush fighters and urban fighters is another fallacy. Lokech, who is now the contingent commander in Somalia, first distinguished himself as a bush fighter on the Gulu-Kitgum road and in Congo in the battles of Dungu. A commander who is only good in urban warfare and not good in bush warfare is not a good commander. Urban warfare is just an aspect of warfare. Marshal Zhukov, the principal commander of the 2nd World War given the large battles he fought, fought on the remote Russian-Mongolian border in 1939 against the Japanese, he fought in the Battle of Moscow in 1941 (not in the city itself but just to the West of it), he encircled and destroyed the German 6th Army in Stalingrad (partly rural, partly urban), he fought in the Kursk battle in 1943, in Leningrad, in the Vistula ─ Oder Operation, in the liberation of Byerorrussia and, finally, in the battle of Berlin (a big city). A good commander must be good for both rural and urban battles. It is only what we call mission training that is different. Then, Obbo takes on the SFG and Uganda Police. They are loyalist as opposed to “the neglected wife”, UPDF. SFG is part of UPDF if Obbo does not know. It started in the bush as a mere section to guard the Chairman of the High Command (CHC) whenever I would be moving from zone to zone in co-coordinating the war. We decided not to divert battalions to guard CHC as he moved around the war zone. This concept proved to be good. By the time we came into Government, it had become PPU (Presidential Protection Unit), then, PGB (Presidential Guard Brigade) and, finally, SFG. It has always done three things in one: it is a Protection Unit for the President; it is one of the Nurseries for leadership (Aronda whose astuteness impressed Obbo’s foreign friend is one of the graduates of this Nursery) and it is part of our strategic Reserve for war. Of course, Mr. Obbo would not know because our commanders would not trust telling him all. In that Mogadishu Force, there are SFG specialist units, whose work is exemplary. Therefore, both the “favourate” wife and the “neglected” wife are both on that frontline which Obbo visited recently. However, in fact there is only one “wife” ─ UPDF. The distinctions are Obbo’s problem. I will just give Obbo one incident. During Bashir’s proxy war against us, he gave Kony a recoilless 82mm cannon to destroy our Mambas. Kony, indeed, damaged a number of them. I sent an SFG unit to kill this gunner and capture this gun. They did not disappoint us; they caught up with the gunner at Barlegi in North Lango, killed the gunner and captured the cannon. Since this was a hot bed of Kony activities at that time, I decided to camp there with SFG elements. Although Kony was still around, he feared to attack us and SFG provided the security for the area ever since. This “massive and loyalist force” has a purpose. Obbo talks of “loyalists”. Are there soldiers who are not loyal to the President of Uganda whom Obbo knows? If he knows and does not report those un-loyal soldiers, then, he is committing misprison of treason. Soldiers are loyal to the President of Uganda because he is elected. Originally, they were loyal because of the just war against the killers. If, however, I had not been elected in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011, those soldiers would not be loyal to me. If there are soldiers who are not loyal to the elected President of Uganda, then, whom are they loyal to? Another pitiable position of the Obbos is that we are using our Army to ingratiate ourselves with the Americans, etc., so that they do not put pressure on us “on governance”. We do not need pressure to exercise good governance over our people. We fought for good governance ─ we are experts in that field. Since 1986, when I met President Reagan, we started working with the Americans and some of the Western countries. Before that time, we, however, had little contact with the Western countries because they had been on the side of our enemies (Boer South Africa, Portuguese colonialists, British, French colonialists). This capacity we built it by ourselves. We were slightly helped by our African brothers of Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and, to a small extent, Gaddaffi’s Libya although we had fought him when he was backing Idi Amin. We work with the Western countries where our interests coincide. We do not need to ingratiate ourselves with anybody for opportunistic reasons. In conclusion, I, in part, sympathize with poor Obbo. In spite of his hatred for NRM, NRM is growing stronger. Among other achievements, it has built a strong Army for Uganda for the first time. Remember, the British left only one battalion at Jinja (4th KAR). This Army has defeated terrorism in Uganda, disarmed the Karimojong cattle-rustlers and contributed to regional peace. Obbo, the hater of NRM, cannot stomach this credit going to NRM. Hence, “loyalist” Forces vs the “neglected wife”, mythical and comic “bush” and “urban” commanders. It is like somebody drowning in water. There is no coherence. Mr. Obbo, only patriots, revolutionaries can build an Army like UPDF. We are patriots, nationalists (non-sectarian as far as religion and tribes are concerned) and pan-Africanists. I was in Mozambique, as a student, in 1968, in the liberated areas of FRELIMO. What was I looking for? Money, power, term limits or what? In any epoch, nations have patriots and traitors. It is patriots who can build an Army like UPDF and we have done it. It is for the Obbos and even the foreigners who have got interest in Africa to decide whom they want to work with. Do they want to work with patriots or with quisling traitors? The patriots will march forward to victory whatever the obstacles. They need no sponsorship like the traitors do and are always groveling in the dust for that sponsorship.

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M7's bigotry is killing Uganda's leadership talent potential!

Uganda is a country endowed with imaginative, creative and innovative citizens with just as much or better than extraordinary leadership talents that the country hasn't realized for more than 25 years now, because of the single minded dominant rule of one man; Museveni Kaguta, who conveniently oversaw the changing of the country's constitution to favor his overextended stay in power. The idea of overextended stay in power is anachronistic simply because no single leader holds a monopoly of good ideas or talent. The more diversity in leadership a country has the better for the country. Its called synergy; and its an idea that one man rule ideologues in Uganda have yet to grasp. Its a myth that M7 is the only leader that could have lead Uganda best for the past 25 years. Its time for Ugandans to wake up and galvanize to shatter this fictitious idea of M7's leadership invincibility and unequivocally prove to the world that Uganda can go on without the scourge of one man rule!

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A Tribute to The Courage of Activists for Change (A4C)

“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” Robert Francis Kennedy ( U.S. attorney general and adviser, 1925-1968)

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Uganda is not Maximizing its leadership Talent Synergy!

one definition of the word Maximize is: to increase output or to make as great an outcome as possible. The best possible leadership talent maximizing position for any modern day nation is achieved through embracing synergistic diversity in leadership rather than stifling it by just following only one leader. Geese fly in V formation for a very pragmatic reason: a flock of geese flying in formation can move faster and maintain flight longer than any one goose flying alone. Synergy is a law of nature. What is synergy? How does it relate to leadership? Synergy is a dynamic state in which combined action is favored over the difference of individual component actions. We have a lot to learn from geese. By flying in "V " formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. By insisting or believing that he alone is the only leader that can govern Uganda for more than 25 years, M7 has way, way, fallen out of formation and the country has already began to feel the drag of one man leadership!

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The Perils of M7's Personality Cult in Uganda!

By enabling M7 to rule Uganda for more than 25 years, Ugandans have created a cult of personality they may live to regret. To appreciate the dangers of personality cults readers should click and read Xavier Marquez's blog attached below:

One of the main problems dictators face is that repression creates liars (preference falsification, in the jargon), yet it is necessary for them to remain in power. This is sometimes called the dictator’s dilemma: it is hard for dictators to gauge their true levels of support or whether or not officials below them are telling them the truth about what is going on in the country because repression gives everyone an incentive to lie, yet they need repression if they are to avoid being overthrown by people exploiting their tolerance to organize themselves. Moreover, repression is costly and works best when it is threatened rather than actually used"

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"How do some leaders create intelligence around them, while others diminish it?"

Click here to find out more about this book: Book


How the best leaders make evryone smarter!

"multipliers" is a new book that demonstrates how the best leaders make everyone achieve their fullest potential!

Such leaders don't see themseves as the smartest people in the room or the country as exemplified by M7's overextended stay in power.
Such leaders embrace diversity in leadership that enables nations to surpass expectations. Uganda desperately needs such leadership!

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A Myopic Viewpoint: Binyavanga on why Africa's international image is unfair

Binyavanga Wanaina myopic viewpoint expressed on the BBC for Africa website, is a well versed and articulate fiction rendition of an African apologist for Africa's woe's, that would rather embrace the Chinese path to development while it suppresses the basic human rights of its people for the sake of the status quo. Binyavanga epitomizes the egocentric habit of shooting one's foot while sticking the other foot in the mouth. What's unfair about reporting on the genocide in Rwanda, the civil war in Sudan; Mugabe's dictatorship in Zimbabwe or M7's hybrid democracy in Uganda? The Distinguished African writer would rather have the world not talk about the dark side of more than 40 years of kleptocratic self governance thats largely to blame for Africa's woes. Many of our brightest, innovative and creative sisters and brothers live in the diaspora because of the heavy handed, single minded ubiquitous systems of leadership found in most african countries. How can Mr. Binyavanga's viewpoint represent the reality in Africa in spite of the above incontrovertible facts?

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YouTube proves M7 wrong on Ugandans Kissing in public!

So, M7, what are you now going to do about these Ugandans Kissing in public exhibitionism? Outlaw them? Get a life man and retire from leadership! You've been in power too long! Its time for change!

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Now M7 Claims Ugandans Don't Kiss in Public!

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