Around 2009/2010, I had just returned to Makerere University Business School (MUBS) to complete my Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) After an appeal against a disciplinary suspension for allegedly being involved in a students’ demonstration against the MUBS administration for introducing unfair new fees charges against private students.
One day, after I had left University, I was travelling in a Teso Coach Bus to Kampala from Katakwi where I had gone to bury one of my grandmothers, Tata Lucia Otuko the first wife of Mzee Augustino Otuko, a world war Veteran, builder and tutor at Teso Technical College present day Teso College Aloet in Soroti City. Midway our journey, I received a phone call from an MP in the 9th Parliament inviting me for a solidarity meeting the following day. The objective of the meeting was to mobilize great numbers to overwhelm Court and the President during the trial of one of the big wigs in Teso. According to the MP, I was a perfect person to help in this mission since I had been a student leader at various levels in the recent times.
Well, I attended the meeting where “Lovers of Teso Nation” were hatching a plan to flood the compounds of the Anti-Corruption Court with excessive numbers, a show of solidarity with our “hero” who was being tried for his involvement in the mismanagement of Global Fund. After a deep thought and consideration, I Submitted my apology saying I would not appear in their activity out of respect for institutional independence. Some of the young people whom I knew in that meeting also opted out. However, this earned us a name “Tribal traitors” of the time. The coordinators of the mass mobilization most of whom were MPs opted to use other alternatives in the University I had been to previously. Indeed, when the “hero” appeared in Court that fateful morning, Students, some in T-shirts emblazoned with his picture and holding up placards bearing messages of solidarity were out in force. They had been ferried by Taxis while poor and gullible supporters from Teso had apparently been transported by buses.
A few months later, there was celebration from some section of the population because they had successfully brought the court to its knees. Isn’t this how Anarchy starts? Anyway, A million-pound question that remains unanswered is whether court made its decision to acquit our “tribal chief” based on his supporters invading court or Not?
Around August 2016, Mankindye Court premises were put under Siege by alleged Supporters of an army General who was responding to Court Summons over alleged torture claims. The scenes angered the head of Judiciary then, Justice Bart Katurebe
Today, a number of cases relating to misuse of public funds/Offices have faced similar challenges. Every tribe or Sub-region is struggling to use their tribal grouping to protect their sons’/daughters’ misgivings against the law in the course of running public offices. It has become Normal for the benefactors of the loot to attack, intimidate, blackmail and harass anyone believed or perceived to be critical about the activities of their tribemate in a public office. In fact, it now presumably compulsory responsibility by benefactors of public loot to gag members of their tribe NOT to comment on any allegation against their “Tribal Corruption War Lords” in public offices.
It is also now common business for some Religious and Cultural leaders who are sometimes obvious benefactors of public loot through donations and fund raisings, to issue warnings and statements intended to politically or socially dissuade, intimidate, bias, blackmail or Sub-due institutions of government involved in the chain of corruption fight.
In the recent trial of top government officials in OPM, we saw Party Leaders from Kayunga District ferrying unsuspecting supporters of a minister from Kayunga to Anti-Corruption Court to exhibit solidarity with their Kayunga Kin. We were treated to a video clip where people supposedly from Kayunga were being paid cash for turning up to support their tithe man. We also saw statements from a religious Bishop in Elgon Region vouching for the discontinuation of trial for their own daughters, the two Karamoja Ministers.
To add salt to the wound, we saw a clip of Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament and Hon Kinyamatama Juliet Suubi, the Woman MP of Rakai District in central Uganda supposedly while in Lwengo District recently barefacedly announcing to Lwengo voters that there was no problem with what Hon Cisy Namujju was accused of so long as she carries the loot home to share with the Lwengo voters through her pseudo generosity. What this means is that as long as public officials are free to share their loot with the voters, the greater part of citizens should brace for bad roads, poor health care system, poor education services and infrastructure, poor renumeration, poor electricity to mention but a few. This is the batter trade we shall receive for sharing looted funds.
Therefore, the people of Uganda struggling to support and protect their tribal representatives in the rampant National Corruption Scandals should appreciate that we as a People are now responsible contributors to making Uganda a bad country. To the tribal Mob Justice crusaders, the future will judge us harshly. When people are stealing public funds, they steal as Individuals so should the corresponding responsibility be. Leaders should avoid using tribe or religion for convenience and as a cover for breaking the laws of the land. Institutions should be allowed to work. This way, we shall have a better Country.
Augustine Otuko
Private Secretary to the President in charge of Political Affairs, State House
auguotuko@gmail.com