The rise and fall of Museveni’s fisherman project

Many readers may not have heard ‘Col Bangala’, the eponymous title of a song by Franco Luambo Makiadi of the TPOK Jazz. Intended for Congolese, the song may not have won any international acclaim.

But Col Bangala was a Congolese military officer. It is said he and President Mobutu had a deal: Col Bangala was supposed to organise a coup d’etat against Mobutu. The objective was to draw in military officers with motema ya soso (chicken’s heart).

Col Bangala rallied his colleagues and sold them on the coup idea. They bought in. They were later surprised to learn that Col Bangala had drawn them into a fake coup; and that he had been assigned by President Mobutu to do so. The ‘coup d’etat’ plotting officers were arrested and killed by firing squad. And Col Bangala, the organiser of the ‘coup’ was appointed governor of city of Kinshasa.

So, some fiends have been speculating: what if Mr Museveni uses the mabaati  scandal to hit at political leaders with whom he has been uncomfortable? Who are those politicians? Why is Mr Museveni very serious on this mabaati  thing? Does Mr Museveni want to do a Mobutu-Bangala thing?

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When President Museveni announced his Cabinet for this term of office, the names on the list shocked people. So, unexpected were the names on the Cabinet list that Mr Museveni had to publically explain his discretional choices. He likened his choice of Cabinet ministers to Jesus’ choice of disciples. He reasoned that Jesus had the option of choosing his disciple from the elite like the Pharisees, the Aaronite priests etc. But he chose fishermen.

Such was the outrage Mr Museveni’s choice of Cabinet ministers visited on Ugandans that Mr Ssemuju Nganda, the MP for Kiira Municipality, even doubted whether a low income garbage collection company would hire the lady Mr Museveni had appointed as prime minister of the Republic of Uganda.

It was disheartening when Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja claimed that she was ‘constrained’ supervising PhD-holding ministers like Mary Goreti Kitutu. It was clear some of us would start looking for audiovisual clips in which Mr Ssemuju made very uncharitable remarks on Museveni’s choice of prime minister. Museveni now holds the initiative and Ugandans are looking up to him with expectation. No Ugandan worth his or her interest in public affairs looks forward to a court process as the end of this mabaati matter.

The only action Mr Musevei can do worth exciting Ugandans is to ship out his fisherman Cabinet. Every Cabinet minister who received iron sheets should be fired from Cabinet (including heavy weights like Vice President Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Nabbanja, Deputy Premier Rebecca Kadaga and Finance Minister Matia Kasaija).

If Mr Museveni’s interest is to fight corruption, he should just embark on the re-constitution of his Cabinet and the sacking of the ministers who are involved in the iron sheets scandal.

Whereas we appreciate Museveni’s political arithmetic in cobbling a Cabinet together, he should not lose the initiative. He should not dispose himself to be taken hostage by his historical, geographical, biological and ethnic political interests. He now has the attention of the Ugandans; and Ugandans would support him on firing all the mabaati ministers.

Some simple analysis of the list of people who received mabaati shows that this was a well-cultivated heist organised in the Office of Prime Minister. Is it any wonder that most of the non-Cabinet recipients of the mabaati come from the Prime Minister’s region?

Bwana Museveni, just know that your fisherman project has collapsed. And the earlier you rally and reconstitute another Cabinet the better.

Mr Bisiika is the executive editor of the East African Flagpost. [email protected]