Pale red chairs litter the vast cream walled hall. A beautiful clock the silver shade of peacock plumes rests atop the sound control box. Upon a neatly mopped wooden floor; a pale red carpet snakes it’s way to a wooden lectern; where the man himself is meant to stand; Known for his brilliant judgements at his helm at the Ugandan bench. Rtd. Justice George William Kanyeihamba.
He had stood at the same spot previously. Not this time. He was debarred. The Makerere law society president; Mugumya Edwin, whisks out a letter sent by the legal don. The gist of the brief letter is clear. “I have been strongly advised by the Uganda police against meeting Makerere university students till after elections,” it reads.
Andrew Mwenda, the other discussant however is permitted to speak to the students. A sagely balding hairline rests over his rather mischief laden brow. He scans the room; his tiny sinister eyes dart around. He smiles at the full to capacity Makerere university main hall. He voices his disappointment in the absence of Kanyeihamba, in whose stead rises Daniel Ruhweza, a constitutional lawyer and lecturer at Makerere university. Edwin; the MLS president labels the prohibition against Kanyeihamba “Injustice against rule of law; injustice against the constitution of Uganda.”
He goes ahead to read Kanyeihamba’s paper for the day prior printed and entitled: Comment on presidential election of 2016, Fact or Fiction. The speech demonises the electoral commission and casts a rather grim image of the entire process as shambolic. His guttural voice rings in one’s head when one reads Kanyeihamba’s speech. He doesn’t mince word, accusing Kiggundu of bias in the three paged speech.
Andrew Mwenda takes his position at the lectern by remarking; Credit must be given to person in power for he fully understands dynamics of power. He faults Besigye for being weak. “Besigye claims to have won elections four times yet he never attains power, why? This to me points to Besigye’s weakness in strategy. He criticises Museveni for building a personality cult within NRM but gives him credit on his power appreciation abilities,” he adds.
Mwenda brands NRM a strong party for it has a military wing: the NRA. He however commends Museveni’s economic progress by making reference to Uganda’s annual 6.5% GDP rise. A student named BA Agoro poses a question that Andrew fails to fully answer. “You claim Uganda has progressed, you raise impressive stats. But I’ll give you one stat; 30 years ago, Uganda was a 3rd world economy, 30 years later, it’s still a 3rd world economy. Explain that.”
Mwenda trashes elections in Africa which he claims aren’t a vehicle of democratic change. He also raises the armed struggle option which he says would crumble at the magnitude of Museveni’s military might.
He further points out the faults of popular insurrection in Tunisia, Syria; his examples of them not working and therefore inapplicable in Uganda. The problem of Uganda youths is an issue of bread and butter not ideological in nature. Grand strategy requires emotional detachment,” he faults Besigye for failing to appreciate that principle.
Mwenda faults Besigye for; “Locking himself in the moment and therefore losing the bigger picture by his small and numerous defiance campaigns. These small tactical battles have obscured the vision of Besigye, won him fans but not power.”
The next speaker Daniel Ruhweza, merely agrees with Mwenda. He however notes that the issue of democracy is dynamic in Uganda.
He asks whether students would prefer negative peace Or sustainable peace in retort to the demand by students that all suit donning individuals join the road of demonstration and abandon their cosy offices.
Daniel equates Uganda problems to weeds which must be dug out not simply cut. A student arises and says; “We don’t have many weeds, we have just one: Museveni!”
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