Rise up for your rights – Otafiire

“Now, young people, I want to challenge you that you should support those of us who stand up and say ‘no’. The struggle for freedom, the struggle for justice shouldn’t be in vain,” he said in Kampala, suggesting he may have 10-15 years to live unlike young people with decades of a future.

Uganda is a predominantly young country, with seven out of every 10 citizens aged 30 or under, according to preliminary results of this year’s National Housing and Population Census.

The minister’s choice of the audience --- fresh graduates --- could not be more telling after he told them not to “accept to pay the price we have paid for you”, referring to the 1981-86 National Resistance Army/Movement (NRA/M) war.

“We went to fight, not to enrich people, but to correct the situation that was obtaining in this country. People died [in the war]. We didn’t die for the glorification of the corrupt. Down the road, we seem to have digressed to the extent that you people … love … the corrupt. You glorify inequity,” he said.

He added: “You don’t want to stand up and tell us - we in leadership - that we (citizens) deserve better … No. Stand up and tell us, ‘sorry, enough is enough. You [leaders] have to stop here,” he said.

Maj Gen Otafiire’s call to action of the young follows weeks of demonstration in neighbouring Kenya by Gen Zs - moniker for individuals born anywhere between 1995-2010 - which forced President William Ruto to dissolve his Cabinet and announce a raft of austerity measures.

It also comes in the wake of President Museveni’s renewed war on corruption which he described as the “biggest” problem facing the country, after the Inspectorate of Government disclosed that nearly Shs10 trillion is pilfered by thieving bureaucrats.

In his June 6 State of the Nation Address, the President said corruption is a “betrayal” and “these corrupt people insult our heroes …”

“They have now attracted our full attention … We shall crush this treachery,” Mr Museveni said at the national budget reading on June 13.

Days before and soon after, five lawmakers - Cissy Namujju (Lwengo District; NRM), Yusuf Mutembuli (Bunyole East, NRM) and Paul Akamba (Busiki South, NRM), Michael Mawanda (Igara East, NRM) and Ignatius Mudimi Wamakuyu (Elgon, NRM) – were on corruption charges remanded to prison where they remain.

Despite the Executive’s assault of graft, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, already sanctioned by both the British and American governments over corruption claims, told MP Namujju’s constituents at a June 22 event in Lwengo that “the President (Museveni) has heard your cries where you said that ‘when your child misbehaves, you beat and say go back and do something good’”.

“And you are better off having a child, even if she goes and eats something, so long as she brings [some] back home … That [Cissy Namujju currently on remand on corruption charges] is going to be your woman MP forever,” the Speaker said. 

This was after Rakai District Woman MP Juliet Ssuubi Kinyamatama and her Kasambya counter David Kabanda, who spoke just before Speaker Among, echoed that Ms Namujju’s generosity benefitted the electorate if even she acquired the resources in a questionable manner.

“If she stole as we all hear, she has been sharing [the loot] with people of Lwengo,” Ms Kinyamatama said amid yodeling by the crowd.  

In his Saturday address at KIU main campus in Kansanga in Kampala, Minister Otafiire, without naming names, told the fresh graduates and young Ugandans that “don’t allow people to tell you that we are stealing on your behalf. Leaders don’t steal. We don’t elect leaders to steal”.

“Nobody worth their salt should glorify corruption. Or, this person stole and shared with you. No. You steal money and say you stole on our behalf! Did we send you to steal? If you are in leadership, you ought to be upright and accountable. Upright and accountable,” he said.

Adding, “Those of you in authority stop confusing demand for accountability with hate speech. That’s digressing from democratic practice in leadership. [A] rule by the law. Our philosophy is rule of law, not [rule] by [the] law. When you digress from that then it means that you have digressed from the philosophy that took us to the bush.”

Nearly a dozen people who have been outspoken critics of high-level government officials named in graft are facing prosecution, or on remand in prison, if not out on bail or after serving a custodial sentence upon indictment for hate speech, cyber harassment and or promoting sectarianism. 

Charged

Mr Anderson Burora, outspoken for criticising the Speaker whom he accuses of being corrupt, was sacked as deputy resident city commissioner for Rubaga Division and has since been remanded to prison on charges of promoting hate speech and spreading malicious information against Ms Among, contrary to provisions of the Computer Misuse Act.

In March, Burora told this publication that he was asked to apologise to Speaker Among but he refused, and was suspended.  Subsequently, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Presidency, Hajj Yunus Kakande, asked Burora to hand over officer following the suspension.

Burora then said he had all the options to choose the job or to remain true to his conscience and he chose the latter.

The Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), Mr Malon Agaba, in comments on Maj Gen Otafiire’s strident remarks, tasked him to make good of his call for good governance by ensuring police and other security forces under his command do not brutalise or harass whistleblowers such as Mr Burora. “He (Otafiire) should first deal with his security agencies weaponised against those fighting corruption.

MP Anthony Akol (Kilak North, FDC) doubted the sincerity of the minister, questioning whether his comments showed the corrupt had stolen enough or make public proclamations against the corrupt as a smokescreen.

“The most corrupt in Uganda are well known. They are known to have grabbed land in the country,” he said, citing the minister Otafiire, named adversely over his acquisition of Njeru farm land in Buikwe District.

Mr Akol wondered how this could be the same official publicly condemning corruption and summoning the youth to stand up to fight it.

“There must be something going wrong in the country,” he said.

But Mr Otafiire in a May interview with this publication insisted: “The government has never owned that land, but was leasing it. Go to the former Njeru Stock Farm and ask what happened. My land is in Bukaya and I bought it during the day and have the land titles.” 

“I bought my land from a gentleman called Kato Rukwaju; look for him. Also, I didn’t participate in the buying but hired a law firm to do so on my behalf,” he added.

In a telephone interview last evening, Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi, who is the government spokesman, endorsed Maj Gen Otafiire’s positions.

“What he said was in line with what the government said. It isn’t the position of the government that one can steal as long as he or she shares with others. That is corruption. The General is right,” Dr Baryomunsi said.

Dr Baryomunsi said the government doesn’t glorify corruption and the fight against it was extensively discussed at last week’s Cabinet retreat at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwazi District.

President Museveni summoned his minister’s for a week-long caucusing there during which he broached the idea that courts should deny bail to persons accused of corruption.  

Just as the Internal Affairs minister received flowers from across the political aisle, reservations about his honesty notwithstanding, some lawmakers questioned his own credentials.

According to MP Michael Bayiga Lulume (Buikwe South, DP), Maj Gen Otafiire has no “moral authority” to call out the corrupt.

“He is the first leader to comment negatively against that and I would respect him if he did not have scandals himself. So, he is like a leper who is selling very good meat, but how many people can buy such meat?” Dr Bayiga said, citing land grab and Congo plunder allegations against the general.

Maj Gen Otafiire, who represents Ruhinda in the 11th Parliament, according to his colleague Lulume, “has a very good message [against corruption], but not a good messenger with a high moral ground to condemn corrupt leaders”.

The minister was not readily available to respond. In his Saturday address, he spoke out against primitive accumulation of wealth by leaders he did not name.  

Mr Brandon Kintu, the spokesman of the National Resistance Movement Parliamentary Caucus, said majority of the legislators are youth and Maj Gen Otafiire, who is their elder, was making a call to them.

Minister’s call to action speech

“Mr Chancellor, [the] Chairman Board of Trustees, [the] Chairperson Governing Council, Mr Vice Chancellor and your Deputy Chancellors, Chancellors for the affiliated Colleges of Kampala International University (KIU), visiting dignitaries, colleague ministers, Members of Parliament, teaching staff, graduands and graduates of KIU, alumni.

On [a] day like this 50 years ago, I also sat where you are sitting [as graduands]. Fifty years ago, that is 1975! I may not look very exciting, but I am not as dump as I appear. I graduated one day and I appreciate your anxiety to receive your degrees and go home and celebrate. 

I am renowned for talking for long. Today, I am not going to bore you. I was presented with a speech, which I had written, but when I went through, I found that it is joined in idealism and metaphysics. I am a materialist and, therefore, I am not going to have recourse to this speech. I will speak directly and from the heart and I will talk to you.  

Knowledge is a result of experience, accumulated knowledge and it is elastic. Knowledge is universal and eternal. Knowledge is the source of development and development is a result of contradictions. Where there is no contradiction, you are in doldrums. For a car to move forward, it must take grip of the road. The contradiction between the road and the tyres makes a car move forward.  

Therefore, you who are going out don’t fear contradiction. Embrace contradiction and use what is disadvantage to advantage. Turn what is disadvantage to advantage for the good of mankind. You are here as a result of the good deeds of your forebearers. We remember Jesus Christ and [Prophet] Muhammed for the good deeds, not the alcohol they drank. The good things they did for which we remember them.  

Therefore, as you go to the world, do good. Don’t be victims of the phenomenon of poverty of philosophy, the philosophy that has beset our region, Africa. The philosophy that has led to, well, in certain circumstances [to] development and inequality. The philosophy of primitive capitalism, which is corruption. Don’t embrace that philosophy of living off the sweat of others.  

I believe in this African world of resource from those who are able and distribute to those who are in need. Don’t allow people to tell you that we are stealing on your behalf. Leaders don’t steal. We don’t elect leaders to steal. Nobody worth their salt should glorify corruption. Or, this person stole and shared with you. No. 

You steal money and say you stole on our behalf! Did we send you to steal? If you are in leadership, you ought to be upright and accountable. Upright and accountable. Those of you in authority stop confusing demand for accountability with hate speech. That’s digressing from democratic practice in leadership. [A] rule by the law.  

Our philosophy is rule of law, not [rule] by [the] law. When you digress from that then it means that you have digressed from the philosophy that took us to the bush [to participate in the five-year National Resistance Army/Movement (NRA/M) guerrilla war that brought President Museveni to power in 1986]. We went to fight, not to enrich people, but to correct the situation that was obtaining in this country. 

People died. We didn’t die for the glorification of the corrupt. Down the road, we seem to have digressed to the extent that you people here in Uganda and elsewhere in East Africa, your love for the corrupt. You glorify inequity. You don’t want to stand up and tell us we in leadership that we deserve better. I feel bleeding when I see African people drowning in the Mediterranean [Sea], running away from the resource-rich Africa [and] going to exhausted Europe, just because our previous generations and our generation have failed to turn the resources of Africa into comfort for our people. 

To [fail to] convert the riches of Africa into solace and comfort for our people so much so that they have to run away from wealth to and become slaves. There was a time they took us on ropes [as slaves], especially people from West Africa. These days Africans are paying to go to become slaves. Paying, paying and drowning in the Mediterranean [Sea], to go and become slaves in Europe. The current and past regime[s] [on the] continent should say ‘sorry’ for letting you down. 

Now, young people, I want to challenge you that you should support those of us who stand up and say ‘no’. The struggle for freedom, the struggle for justice shouldn’t be in vain. I may not have long to go, but I have said I graduated 50 years ago; so, you can imagine how long I have to go. It is not very long. Maybe some 10-15 years. For you, you still have 50-60 years ahead of you. Don’t accept to pay the price we have paid for you to repay what we have paid on your behalf. No. Stand up and tell us sorry enough is enough. You have to stop here. 

What we are managing isn’t ours. It is not our own estate. It is your resources. We are managing your resources and we are in power with your will, your authority. None of us put themselves in power. We are in power because you vote us into power and, therefore, we should be accountable across the continent. Not only in Uganda, not only in Sudan, not only in Egypt, not only South Africa, the whole continent. We should be ashamed to be treated as third-world citizens of the world. 

We should work very hard to recover our dignity [and] stand up among people and, say, we are also civilised. You can’t be civilised when you are accused of corruption, of graft. There is enough to satisfy man’s need, but there isn’t enough to satisfy man’s greed because greed is elastic. Greed is elastic, infinitive ... Therefore, young people, I implore you to pick [up] a baton where we are dropping it and struggle for mankind and yourselves. I thank you.”     

Speech of Internal Affairs Minister, Maj Gen (rtd) Saverino Kahinda Otafiire, delivered at the 29th graduation ceremony of Kampala International University on July 13, 2024 in Kampala.