Publicly, without mentioning names or dropping pointers, President Museveni subtly admits he is talking and working with some opposition people but privately, insider sources say, he has built nothing less than an empire of followers within the opposition.

On May 24, 2021, the ruling NRM muscled through parliament their choices for Speaker Jacob Oulanyah and his deputy Anita Annet Among with jubilant celebration after beating off stiff challenge from the opposition-backed former speaker Rebecca Kadaga. 

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of that victory, at Kololo Ceremonial grounds, President Yoweri Museveni revealed that he was on good talking terms with two grand old opposition political parties; the Democratic Party and Uganda People’s Congress.

He said that he has also started talking to some people within the Forum for Democratic Change, FDC, which before the January 14, 2021, general election, was the biggest opposition party in parliament. Museveni added that the only party, which is still elusive, was the Robert Kyagulanyi-led National Unity Platform- NUP, now the biggest opposition party in parliament. 

Museveni revelation jolted some FDC members who wondered how deep the NRM chairman had infiltrated their party. However, to some insiders, Museveni’s announcement didn’t come as a surprise. According to highly placed sources at the Najjanankumbi- based party, tensions within the party hierarchy have been bubbling for months, triggered largely by allegations that some top-tier officials are clandestinely dealing with President Museveni.

Dr Kizza Besigye, the founding president and four-time presidential candidate, is said to be very unhappy with the way the party is being run. Our sources said that towards this year’s general election (2021), two high-level party officials separately met with President Museveni to discuss the election. One party official reportedly asked the president to bankroll the party’s participation in the general election. 

“The president agreed to give him money, but he said he would send it through someone [name withheld]. Actually, the money came and you saw the party buying those big brand-new cars that were used in the campaign,” the source said.

Eventually, other top-tier officials including Besigye got to know that money had changed hands. Besigye is said to be very disappointed with the current party leadership. The source said Besigye’s initial angry reaction was to publicly denounce the dealings.

“He felt betrayed; he said it was important to rescue the party from what he called businessmen,” the source said.

However, the timing was bad for such a public denunciation, according to our source. The party was still recovering from months of negative publicity triggered by the defection of a number of MPs and the emergence of Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine as the most formidable political challenger to Museveni. 

The last thing the party needed, according to our source, was another self- inflicted crisis. With the intervention of trusted allies, the source said, Besigye was soothed out of speaking publicly against the implicated party leadership. However, he vowed never to play any active role in the campaigns.

“It’s true Besigye is very cautious about Covid-19 but it’s not the reason he stayed away from Amuriat’s campaigns. He just simply couldn’t take part in a campaign sponsored by Museveni,” the source said. Besigye joined Amuriat twice; during the FDC manifesto launch in Hoima district and when he campaigned in Rukungiri district.

Even at last month’s induction of members of parliament who were elected on the FDC ticket, Besigye was a noticeable Col Dr Kizza Besigye absentee, yet he was in the country.

“Do you think there was nothing Besigye could tell those MPs... he has just chosen to stay away because his relationship with some of the leaders in the party has really deteriorated. Don’t be surprised if he supports another person other than Amuriat in the coming party election,” the source said.

Besigye supported Patrick Amuriat in the 2017 party election that ousted the then president Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu. Elections for new leaders were supposed to be held last year but were shelved for another three years because of Covid-19 pandemic. It was impossible to interview Amuriat for this story. He neither picked nor returned our calls.

Interviewed for this story, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, the party spokesperson, said there has never been a party resolution to work with Museveni.

“I sit on all party organs and not once has a decision been taken to work with Museveni. If anyone is dealing with him, he/she is doing so in his or her personal capacity,” Ssemujju, the MP for Kira municipality, said.

BESIGYE RESPONDS

In response to our questions put to him through WhatsApp, Dr Besigye said he was sure Museveni never funded the FDC presidential candidate. In fact, Besigye said, Amuriat ran the most poorly funded presidential race that FDC has ever had.

“For the most part, he had no public address system and was using the hand-held loudspeaker - mukalakasa. He had to do with a very thin support team that hardly had any basic facilitation,” Besigye said.

The retired colonel said if indeed Amuriat was a friendly presidential candidate, he would not have exposed Museveni’s use of crude violence and harassment of opponents as he did.

“You should revisit his campaign trail and see what he went through,” Besigye said. Asked why he stayed away from Amuriat’s campaign, Besigye said he didn’t want to draw attention away from Amuriat and in the process intensify conflict with the NUP campaign.

“This, in turn, would cause or increase demoralization of our activists and supporters. You may have realized that even with my non-participation, my name was still being dragged into the contest with a view of inflaming conflict among “pro-change” activists and supporters,” Besigye said.

The other reason the four-time presidential candidate stayed away from the campaign trail was his strong conviction that the election outcome was predetermined by the state and the campaigns and electoral process was just intended to legitimize that fraud.

“I preferred to engage differently and quietly,” Besigye said.

He, however, conceded that President Museveni has infiltrated FDC just like he has done with all other parties. This, Besigye said, has been ongoing since the party was formed and only escalates towards elections.

“That’s how we lost senior leaders like Alex Onzima, John Butime, Beatrice Anywar, Christopher Kibanzanga, Anita Among, Michael Ocula, Jackson Kafuuzi, Agnes Akiror Eginyu, Francis Atugonza, Bernard Atiku, etc. These leaders are attracted by short-term personal gains and most of them regret in the end,” Besigye said.

He, however, added that despite buying off some leaders, the opposition against President Museveni countrywide is growing with more reliable and determined leaders emerging as others defect.

“I am personally, not discouraged; in fact, my optimism about the impending success of a people’s revolution intensifies. Now that the phase of ‘office seekers’ is over, the real struggle of our people is going to get more focused and intensified,” Besigye said.

After the 2016 general elections that Besigye and the FDC dismissed as rigged, there were attempts at mediation between FDC and the NRM. The talks were midwifed by the Women Situation Room with support from the Swedish government. However, after the tension that had been created by the arrest and detention of Dr Besigye ebbed, the talks suffered a stillbirth. The Observer

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has likened this month’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary to a wedding ceremony and termed himself as the groom.

With the clock ticking quickly to the championships that are just 10 days away, the Kenyan sprint sensation is buzzing with excitement for his second appearance at the global scene from August 19-27. 

He says all is aligned for his perfect ‘wedding’ in the Hungarian capital with the reception for an ecstatic celebration set for Nairobi after his big show at the World Championships.

“I am really excited heading to the World Championships in Budapest and I am taking this like a wedding. There is a big celebration coming, I don’t see anyone stopping the wedding, there will be a big party,” a confident Omanyala told People Daily Sport.

The 27-year-old has been training in Miramas, France for twenty-five days now and he notes that he is in great shape body-wise ahead of the epic showdown in Budapest. 

Omanyala, now a fans favourite in Kenya and beyond, is poised to secure his place at the pantheon should he get a podium finish at the World Championships to become the first African to achieve the feat. 

He carries the continent’s hopes of stopping the dominance of USA and Jamaica in the men’s 100m race, and going by his recent impressive runs,  history is nearing from the son of the land who has stood tests of time to announce his arrival at international athletics realm.

“God had prepared me for this history a long time ago. I have been very consistent with my times. I have run more races under 10 seconds than anyone else and am feeling good body wise.”

His open message to Kenyans and Africa: “I will deliver their first ever medal at the World Championships.”

Statistics favour the charismatic and ambitious Omanyala despite immense opposition from the Americans. 

His 9.84 seconds run at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi on May 14 keeps him second in the global men’s 100m ranking chart this year ahead of world champion Fred Kerley of USA.

Last year, he clocked 10.2 seconds at the Commonwealth Games in Bermingham taking home a gold medal that seemed to be imminent.

Kenya, Africa and the world is waiting to see if he will replicate his all season exemplary performance, brush off opponents to achieve his long time dream of becoming a world champion. By Vincent Voiyoh, People Daily

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has accused National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi of submitting false affidavits to in the ongoing Finance Act case.

Speaking on Monday, Omtatah claimed the two lied in their affidavits, a move he termed as a violation of the Constitution warranting their removal from office.

“The very sad thing that the speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi and his counterpart of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula decided to tell lies in affidavits, to cheat (sic) and if we were in a serious country that would have taken them out of office,” he said.

“Even Article 73 in the constitution does not allow them to do that.”

He said the rule of law should be respected so that the basic structure of democracy in the country is maintained and further strengthened.

Omtatah alleged that the two speakers had demonstrated a disregard for the rule of law by filing “false affidavits” in court and that the judges have unfairly protected them.

“Wetang’ula and Kingi should be sacked like yesterday, but Kenya being what it is the criminals will continue to stay in office, and it is a very sad day for this country,” he added.

“The lies told in the High Court by senior officials in the state are covered by the court (sic) it is sad, and I repeat that both told lies and they should not be in the office.”

Rejected application

Omtatah’s outburst followed a decision by the High Court on Monday rejecting an application to cross examine the two speakers on their affidavits in the petition challenging the Finance Act 2023. 

Justices David Majanja, Lawrence Mugambi and Christine Meoli denied Omtatah’s plea, declining to grant the orders sought.

“We reject the application to cross-examine the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Speaker of the Senate, and we will provide detailed reasons in our judgment,” the bench ruled.

The application had challenged the legality of the new tax measures arguing the Fiance bill did secure concurrence of the Senate as required of laws that touch on counties.

Both Wetangula and Kingi however swore affidavits saying there was concurrence.

Omtatah contested the Housing Levy saying it required the input of the Senate since housing is a devolved function.

The second petitioner, Eliud Matindi, also sought to have Wetangula cross-examined over the same.

Wetangula and Kingi’s lawyers opposed the application saying their affidavits were factual and supported by evidence. By Sharon Resian, Capital News

Haitians are expressing skepticism over an offer by Kenya to lead an international police force aimed at combating the gang violence that has wracked the Caribbean nation.

They say the sexual abuse and a devastating cholera outbreak that have accompanied foreign forces in past decades don't inspire much trust. But Haitians also say uncontrolled bloodshed in their country leaves them with few other options.

Florence Casimir, an elementary school teacher, said that while past international interventions have damaged Haiti, their abuses don't compare to the current brutality of gangs, which kidnap her students and force parents to pay hefty ransoms.

"It will never be better [than past interventions], but the Haitian people don't have a choice at this point," Casimir said. "The Haitian people can't fight it on their own."

After Prime Minister Ariel Henry urged the world in October to deploy an armed force to fight the gangs, the United Nations has struggled to persuade a nation to lead efforts to restore the order in the Caribbean country, in part due to past controversy over peacekeeping missions. There's been little appetite for a US- or UN-led force, and the United States unsuccessfully tried to persuade Canada to lead a force.

As the search continued, gang warfare worsened, leading to a wave of hundreds of kidnappings and the emergence of vigilante forces taking justice into their own hands. Today, armed groups control an estimated 80 per cent of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.

Kenya has offered to send 1,000 police officers to help train and assist an overwhelmed Haitian police force, saying it hopes to "restore normalcy in the country." The United States said it will put forward a resolution to the UN Security Council to authorize the force.

"This is not a traditional peacekeeping force," the US ambassador at the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said at a news conference.

Kenya's proposal has sparked debate among Haitians, many of whom distrust international interventions after the failures and abuses of UN peacekeeping missions over the decades. Haitians saw rounds of foreign interventions throughout the 1900s, often a response by nations like the US to political instability in Haiti.

In some cases, such missions helped ease chaos and in the 1990s led to the creation of the Haitian National Police. But successes are often overshadowed by scars that Haitians carry with them from abuses that came with those missions.

A UN peacekeeping mission from 2004 to 2017 was plagued with allegations of mass sexual abuse, including claims that peacekeepers raped and impregnated girls as young as 11. Investigations by The Associated Press found evidence of high levels of impunity.

In 2010, sewage runoff from a UN peacekeeper camp into the country's biggest river started a cholera epidemic that killed nearly 10,000 people.

"They left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Haitian people," said Valdo Cenè, who sells cooking gas. "Bringing in international forces could mean repeating our history."

The newly proposed international police force would not be a UN force. So, if deployed, Kenyan police would be in charge rather than answer to a UN force commander as they would be required to do in a UN peacekeeping mission.

Haiti's prime minister said that he spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to thank Kenya for the "demonstration of fraternal solidarity." Henry said Kenya plans to send a task force in the coming weeks to assess the mission's operational requirements.

Haitians aren't the only ones questioning the plan. Watchdog groups are raising alarms about the human rights track record of police in Kenya, saying the force may export their abuse.

Police in the East African nation have been long accused of killings and torture, including gunning down civilians during Kenya's COVID-19 curfew. One local group said officers fatally shot more than 30 people during protests in July, all of them in Kenya's poorest neighbourhoods.

Louis-Henri Mars, head of the Haitian grassroots peacekeeping organization Lakou Lapè, echoed those concerns.

"People are puzzled about this," Mars said. "It may just become just another big mess."

While Mars is among many who say a Kenyan force would be an important step to stabilizing Haiti, he expressed hope its deployment will be a temporary effort that paves the way to a longer process of untangling rampant violence in Haiti, such as the kidnapping of an American nurse and her daughter.

Others, like Jerthro Antoine, say Kenya's police can't come soon enough. The cellphone repairman said he dreams of once again setting foot on one of Haiti's beaches, but violence in his country has gotten so bad that even walking on the street is a risk.

"I feel trapped in my home. Any foreign force in support of Haitian police is more than welcome," Antoine said. "The Haitian people need it, we need a break and to have a life again."  By VOA