Prime
Ssemujju was wrong on Acholi meeting
Author: Robert Mugabe. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda is a respectable national leader not known for recklessness.
On the NBS Frontline programme of July 27, Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the MP of Kira Municipality and FDC party spokesperson, made the following comments:
“About a week ago, the Chief Justice, Owiny-Dollo, met senior leaders from Acholi. I got to know because one of my MPs was in that meeting and they were discussing how, of course they will tell you to work with government, but they are discussing how to serve Museveni and in their agreement – I don’t know if they will also be publishing it – he will build a very good city in Gulu.”
He continued: “So I think the people of Acholi have taken a decision to surrender – and (minister of Justice Norbert) Mao is collectively part of the group that is surrendering to the Museveni family.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. On February 12, a consultative meeting of Acholi leaders convened to examine the grave social collapse our land is facing. The meeting did not indulge in divisive partisan discussion at all. In fact, the meeting was non-political. This is precisely because unity is imperative to our recovery.
The meeting was co-chaired by former Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) president Olara Otunnu and Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo and participants were drawn from diverse backgrounds: the academia, civil society, political leaderships, professional associations, religious groups, business community, civil service as well as Acholi in the diaspora. The main agenda of the meeting was identification of the most critical issues afflicting our land and designing a response plan.
I can, therefore, state without any fear of contradiction that nobody mentioned NRM, President Museveni or Gulu City in that meeting. On July 16, we convened another consultative meeting in the format of the inaugural one held in February. Except, this time around, we invited a bigger number of participants and received reports on the assignments given in February. There was no political discussion in this meeting as well. None.
Sadly, on July 29, on the Capital Gang show on Capital Radio, Mr Ssemujju repeated similar comments. Let me set the record straight. This is an all-inclusive initiative that seeks to unite the people of Acholi to confront the aforementioned social collapse.
That is why, the meeting in reference was co-chaired by Mr Otunnu, Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo and Rt Rev McLeord Baker Ochola II, the retired Bishop of Kitgum Diocese.
I was the rapporteur of the meeting of February as well as the one of July that Mr Ssemujju is referring to. We never discussed any of the issues he alleged on the two media platforms. Both meetings had agendas and minutes recorded. There are also video recordings. These records can be accessed by anybody who is interested in knowing what transpired in these meetings.
Mr Ssemujju is a respectable national leader. He is not known for recklessness. He is usually rigorous and thorough in doing his homework. I was utterly shocked when I heard him speak without facts on this matter. I urge him to do the decent thing, retract these comments and apologise.
Robert Mugabe is a politician, trainer and writer [email protected]
