Dr Besigyes account of
Mugabis death is telling
Sam B.
Kamanzi
Finally, Ugandans now
know that it was Commander Jack Muchunguzi, who killed Commander Mugabi over
a game of cards in the early days of the bush war, but instead of facing a
court martial, he was protected and President Museveni preferred to
eventually dismiss him with disgrace from the National Resistance
Army.
According to Dr Kizza Besigyes testimony, he was the only
witness to the
crime. He was also the medical doctor who confirmed the
victim died of
bullet wounds. These two facts qualified him to be a key
witness in the
case. The fact that he was never called to testify
against the killer may
mean that the murder was covered up and the
killer protected.
I have insisted on the exposure of the
circumstances surrounding the murder
of Mugabi because it reveals a lot
about the personality of President Yoweri
Museveni,and his style of
leadership.
In 2003, after the dismissal of Bidandi Ssali, Eriya
Kategaya and Miria
Matembe from Cabinet, for opposing a third term for
Museveni, one of the
ministers identified with the hegemonic faction of
the ruling elite declared
to his constituents in Kanungu: I know Yoweri
Museveni better than
Kategaya. When his people murmured, he added I
know what I am talking
about.
People who know the inside story
of the major actors in this government
agree that much as Museveni and
Kategaya have been friends since childhood, there is a side to Museveni´s
character which Kategaya doesnt know about.
That is why when it
emerged that Museveni had plotted to transform the
National Resistance
Movement (NRM) revolution into personal rule, he was
shocked. That is
what Kategaya means in his book where he wrote, the third term shook my
faith in my childhood friend.
The dangerous part of Museveni´s
character is known by very few people, who promote and protect his personal
interests. This is the group to which the unnamed honourable
belongs.
Dr Besigye confirms that the two officers (Mugabi and
Muchunguzi) were
friends. Why then did Muchunguzi shoot his friend
without any apparent
cause? Given the fact that around the same time,
Commander Sseguya,and
Commander Sam Magara had lost their lives in a
very high level plot to
unseat Museveni as the Commander in Chief of the
guerilla effort, it is
likely that the killing of Mugabi had everything
to do with the said plot.
It is possible that Muchunguzi had orders to
kill Mugabi. His relocation to
Nairobi could as well be interpreted as a
transfer from the Military wing,
to the External wing.
Why am I
saying this? This is because after capturing State power,
Museveni has
repeatedly used transfers as a method of protecting the
untouchables
in his government. When this group of people is implicated in corruption or
any other scandal, instead of punishing them, he simply
transfers them
and the issue is soon forgotten. Same goes for Commission of
Inquiry
reports.
Take the case of one of the untouchables in the succession
queue. This guy
allegedly messed up a critical department in the Office
of the President.
One cadre within the same department who had easy
access to the president,
studied the mess, and submitted a detailed
report. On receiving the report,
Museveni expressed shock. He called one
of his Generals and asked him to
investigate further. The General´s
report confirmed the mess.
In late 1992, Museveni appointed the same
General as head of that Department with instructions to restructure it. The
General suspended departmental operations and sent all the officers for
training for one year.
But the guy who messed up this department was
promoted to minister.
Meanwhile, the cadre, who uncovered the mess was
placed on Katebe for two years. He eventually got out of circulation.
Nobody knows where he is.
To me, this case is just like Muchunguzi´s
who later returned to reap the
fruits of the struggle after the
guerillas captured State power.
Then there are the cases of missing
billions in the Ministry of Defence, The
alleged perpetrators of the
thefts are reportedly helped to flee the country
by powerful military
figures. One wonders why they have never been
extradited to face the law
considering that most of them live in countries
friendly to
Uganda.
The Mucunguzi-Mugabi
case clearly demonstrates one of the most dangerous methods Museveni has
used to govern Uganda. One needs to be very close to the Mafia
group or to be their victim, to appreciate how dangerous this method of work
is. Sometimes I feel that those who were aware of this side of the president
should have released them to the public in time for our people to realise
the truth.
The writer regularly comments on
political
issues.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
