Your Letters

Last updated : 13 Jan 2009, Kampala

Hello Radio Katwe, I request you to print this article in order to rescue Ugandans from slavery in Iraq.

More than 6,000 Ugandans working as guards in Iraq are stranded there without their payment for the months of September, October, November and December 2008. As if that is not enough, they signs contracts of $700 & $600 per month but they now working for $480 per month.

This is the situation in camps of Taji, Fob Gabe and Fob Summer All. In addition to that whoever asks for his payment is handcuffed and put on a plane back to Uganda. The whole of this confusion arose from changing companies that brought us in Iraq. The affected camps were brought by Dreshak Security Solution but now sold to another illegal company called FHOTO which has no licence in Uganda. I am a guard from Fob Summer All who is a victim.

Dear Radio Katwe, thank you for your wonderful work, but we advise you to be balanced in all issues.

Secondly pray for ignorant Ugandans in the villages. Many villagers will never know that a UPDF helicopter and truck were all destroyed by Kony, will never know whether it is UPDF or the LRA which carried out genocide on Christmas Eve and even before.

Katwe, provide more means such that the real truth may reach all Ugandans. Unless the above is done, we don't expect to end ignorance.

I am from western but I am worried as I see genocide in future since our leaders are planting more hatred between the western region and other regions when there are few people (some few families) enjoying from Ugandan corruption and dictatorship. From your listener/reader in Kabale District.

Dear readers, M7 has ably used the bribery weapon. It is understood, that he had bribed Joseph Kony's deputy, Vincent Otti, supposedly to testify in the ICC against Kony and to give evidence to exonerate M7 against any accusations of complicity in genocide. As Kony's deputy, Otti's evidence was calculated to support the ICC prosecutor from not pursuing Museveni even with incriminating evidence.

Accordingly, Joseph Kony learnt of this development from Museveni's sponsored double dealing Nairobi based LRA chief negotiator one David Mutsanga. Otti was hastily court-martialed and executed. Museveni, shocked many people when he publicly condemned Kony for the execution. Many observers began to believe that Otti had most likely become Museveni's agent.

A senior intelligence chief has quoted Museveni as telling his security chiefs that the ICC was fully in his safe hands and none of them would ever be prosecuted at the ICC. Museveni boasts for as long as he has offered Uganda troops to fight in Somalia, nobody in the world would ever indict him. That was before Obama became a factor in the equation. It is however clear that one or two decision makers at the ICC have been compromised by Museveni.

When M7 recently threatened to lock up Northern Uganda MPs Okello Okello and Ronald Reagan Okumu, the later called his bluff saying they would provide impeccable evidence to the ICC for Museveni's indictment. This silenced Museveni.

Smart Musolin

Dear Editor,
Allow me to comment on the story "When Kenya rejected un welcome loots" (see Your Letters of jan 11 2009 -Ed)

The story is very accurate! The man/lady seems to be very knowledgable about Tibuhaburwa in the 1970s. Peace be upon him. I have cross checked and I have confirmed his statements.

Wanale, Mbale

To Yoweri Museveni
State House Entebbe

Dear Sir

RE: Northern Reconstruction Progam

Did you suspend the Northern Reconstruction program, so that you may lay strategies for you and your men to steal or divert the funds? How come you do not want to divert funds to activities that are dear to you, for so called CHOGOM where we did get value for the money spent? I hear you and your so called fellows benefited, the so called plane that you want to buy so that you can live luxurious life or let me remind you, how come you were quick to find money to bail out your friend the so called owner of Hides and skins, Tri-Star Textile the list is endless. But let me inform you that we know you did this for your selfish ends however much you say it vanished this is not possible. Just as you robbed the UCB bank during your bush war and later sold it off.

We Ugandans are tired of your lies and we can believe whatever you say and we observe each and every move and very soon we shall catch up with you so that you can pay for your pain you have caused Ugandans.

keeping the Ugandan citizery in poverty because you want to be in power won't help you but bring grief and unless you change your decision you remain a leader who makes empty promises and we are tired of this, because you have been doing this for the last 25 years. Our brothers and sisters in Northern Uganda have suffered enough and it high time they got a piece from the national cake since you and your people tend to use it for selfish ends.

In conclusion I want to tell you Ugandans are not fools and we are watching you. Your self-claimed being a demi-god or next to The Almighty God won't stop us because we know who you are.

I wish to thank ETOME for his analysis. Patriots must come up and save Uganda. But do we have them? For so many years after independent Uganda, we still import toilet papers from Kenya and the Bugisu firm may be by a foreigner. Our mothers and sisters still use unhealthy pieces of cloth or old patches of cloth as absorbents. Where are we?

Actually, every district should be having an industry of such things as sodas, beers, textilles, hoes, fabrication of spare parts, papers, pharmacies and the like. No reason for Kampala to host them. Reason for crowding and lack of packing! Every trading center should have supermarkets to cater for the daily needs. Why should Maurine Namatovu and others get marraied to Bazungu's? It is to have better lives because at home there is nothing. Love is not there at all, if one analysed.

These chaps, the Kutesa, Kahinda, Kajura and Kagutas' come up to hoodwink that Obote was bad. Prove his badness not in hoarding but in brotherhood!

Patriots, then come up and say No to mean no. writing in RK won't help at all. Ni ndoto za waginga, kila wakati, kila mahali!

Tuwasiliane badaye,

Kadogo Gimmy.
MUBENDE

Mr. Mukiibi Watson
I appreciate your contribution towards RK. However, criticism by the various people means there is something lacking. You should remember that Museveni had 10 years of love with the people but all he paid them was looting the economy while people were 'sleeping'. Its now that they have woken up and seeing what is happening.

In fact M7 spent time destroying and disorganising Amin and Obote's govts and then turned around to blame them. Are you aware that he started destroying our economy in 1971 through looting? (Read a book, "Yoweri Museveni" by Dr. Kiseka)

Infact he is a genius evil just equitable to Yasser Arafat and the present day Hamas. His death shall be welcomed with celebrations all over the Country. With this I bet.

Maggie

Dear Editor,
Mine is a comment to Mr. Mukiibi Watson's complaint that RK has never written anything constructive. Fellow Ugandas it is so sad that Uganda still has people like Mr. Mukiibi Watson. Honestly speaking, its now 23years of NRM rule what is there for us as Ugandans to see that should gives us the inspiration to think positively about our country? If Mr Mukiibi has anything to show then let him say it!! Its good that he has been reading Radio Katwe for years, then let him pick up the responsibility and start writing something that motivates the rest of us!! If not then its better for Mr Mukiibi to just keep quiet.

Also relating to the "Concerned Citizen's" observation that some of the Government's operatives hold sub-machine guns when in civillian clothes. The citizen is concerned that this could possibly make it difficult for the Police to differentiate robbers from security operatives.

I just want this fellow Ugandan to know that with Museveni's cowboy tactics anything goes!! Are you 100% sure that the attempted robbery at Garden City was a real criminal episode? These guys are only staging these things to play their political games. Unfortunately its always innocent Ugandans who fell victims of such barbarious games.

Fellow citizen let me tell you, Ugandans are generally peaceful and hardworking people by nature. I can suggest that all these sorts of crimes you hear like bank robbery, car robbery, the katayimbwa, school fires, the bus mpawoatalikaaba etc, are all staged robberies by selfish politicians to create havock in the country so as to give them cover to implement their evil political schemes. And believe me, Museveni is a star in this kind of dirty politics.

I personally have a conviction that Museveni is the most evil Politician /conman/criminal whatever you want to call him Uganda (if not the region or possibly Africa) has ever produced. The man has engaged our country in such dirty politics of crime, murder, assassinations, rape, treachery and war since the early 70s. It is regrettable that since the day Mr. Museveni decided to persue his political interests Uganda has never been the same and I can promise that the day President Museveni goes to the grave is the day Ugandans will ever see any positive change in Uganda. It is then and only then that Ugandans will ever hope for the rule of law, social/political order and civilisation and genuine democrasy. So long as he lives, with all his obsession for power and greed for money, don't even dream about it.

Nze Munnasingo.

In response to this Mr. Mukiibi Watson, I regret to say that some of us read Radio Katwes messages without understanding what we read. A good example is here Mukiibi writes how RK doesn't write anything positive about M7 and the family. I think they do write, but many of us read with casual interest and move on without getting fact as they are put. The contributions so far made have been spoken of. I have some here which Mr. Mukiibi if you wanted to read, you would understand and having any bias as you showed in your previous article.

In the 80s or early 90 the first lady formed UWESO, basically to take care of the children left alone. Yes this worked and did some good work but to date I don't know how much you can tell us on this. When M7 came to power and actually even before he criticized former leaders for shopping (private) outside the country, he continued to say that his bed would automatically be made in Katwe on Entebbe road. Mr. Mukiibi we are now seeing the guy who wont take an aspirin from a Ugandan Dr but instead fly to Europe for treatment. I said Radio Katwe forced the man to speak as a fool not knowing what to say and when to say it. Mukiibi ain't you exposing your innocence on the topic you choose to write about?

During Obote or even Amin roads where taken care of, every district had at least a grader to take care of the roads, all dispensaries and other medical facilities (on district) level were fully furnished with the basics, Mukiibi choose one dispensary in any district and tell us how things are. M7s govt has gone so low that even a paper (Medical form 5) to name one, has to be bought by a patient for the medical personnel to have something to write on!

Come on Mr Mukiibi you got to be totally dreaming to blame Radio katwe on this.

Now Mr. "Proactive" shall we name schools? Which level shall we start with? Primary, Secondary or? Look Mukiibi my dear you got no point at all to blame Radio Katwe about M7's failures. You might know this; the university is now changing Transcripts as the old ones were easy to manipulate ha ha hah, what a waste of time. Mr. Mukiibi the president's wife Janet failed exams but she's got a transcript from the university. Am sorry this is no "critize" as you write in your article, I guess you meant criticize.

Mr Mukiibi am ready to take lectures if you are willing to show me what I don't see, I mean wonder made by M7.

Lastly you put it "Ugandan politics is like that if another regime come to power you would still critize it the same way. We want you to talk about issues that help us as a nation we are not interested in your politicating ". Now I wish to point one thing, since Uganda has no parliament, should we be happy that at least some resistance is mounted by RK? You said that even if we get another regime RK would still write, YES and this would be great too. If that regime would be reasonable enough they would use such information to correct where they go wrong, this is done by opposition parties and the parliament in democratic countries. But in your favorite M7 government MP are puppets who wont have a say on anything, basically even Ministers are a bunch of fools looking for a way out financially, none of them will say a thing against M7.

Mr. Mukiibi, you really wanted to write and I salute you for that. I find your article non offensive but lacking in one way or another. Now I will ask you "WHAT IS IT YOU WANTED US TO UNDERSTAND FROM YOUR ARTICLE?" That we are all wrong on this or that you are myopic politically?

Extremism will not move us forward an inch. The two sides personified by two people; prophet of Doom and Mukiibi Watson, are a mirror of the unproductive polarity of discourse radio katwe propensity may degenerate into.

Prophet of doom should distance biblical legends from the reality we are experiencing in the LRA-GOU conflict. Lets discern the phenomena in its totality and then draw parallels with other phenomena and not the other way round.

For Mukiibi Watson, he seems spell bound my happenings that are beyond his comprehension although he presents his case pregnant with emotive presumptions. He is unwilling or simply not able to defend his case either because he is a victim of popularization or scientific mediocrity. This is a very dangerous trap whose scale of latent process is close to the disaster we are witnessing in the Middle East.

All of has have a responsibility to move our country towards freedom, independence and interdependence. We have participated in the exploitation and oppression of our latent configuration by commission or omission. President Museveni is no safer than the ordinary Ugandan because injustice never blesses the perpetrator.

San Korsin.
Kampala

Hi RK, am getting scared of events sorrounding media houses especialy the Monitor newspaper. These days New Vision vans are the ones taking Monitor papers upcountry, ferrying night workers back home and yet these two used to real competitors. It used to be that if a driver was found to have convinced a Vison driver to help drop papers when his own van is broken down at night, and story reaches the corridors of admn (power) that driver may be sacked. My question you think State H'se has reached the extent of killing the Monitor newspaper since it now brought her vans to do Monitor work and yet Monitor has a fleet of cars? Time will tell.

WORRIED P

I wish to thank and respond to Mr Solution seeker in 'your letters' (Jan 13th) section for his positive contribution to this debate. I totally agree and think that we need to find a solution to our EC under Eng Kiggundu and Chief Judge early enough before 2011.

And for that reason, like solution seeker and raising a few suggestions here, not because I dont have many but as of now i want to see what others have to say. And maybe latter i will come back in a more detailed way

Suggestion:
Let radio katwe publish the contacts (telephone numbers, emails etc) of All EC commissioners and I personally pledge to call, sms and mail all of them about the appaling situation in their hands.

If Kiggundu receives 1000 sms a day a million emails and 100 letters in his post office address requesting him to do a honourable job or resign hounourably I guess it can change something.

There is that 'sister' at EC called sister Magooba, she has been known by every male politician in Rukungiri and still calls herself a catholic Sister - give us her number and email.

We shall loby our friends in NSSF, Banks, URA, Aids information Centres, Universities, Hospitals, Secondary schools etc to gives us more info about these crooks after we have gotten their names here. In URA, we shall get to know the properties they own, NSSF will tell us how much they contribute, universities will tell us their academic performaces and armed with all that information, we can begin the 'lets shame them'......

Thank you solution seeker

Question. Who are the key people at the Electoral Commission? What are their respective roles and contacts?

Answer. The Electoral Commission is headed by the Chairman, Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu. The Commission divided the country into electoral regions, to be able to closely supervise elections.

The Chairman is responsible for the Northern Region and can be reached on telephone number 0414 255598.

The Deputy Chairperson, Sr. Margaret Magoba is in charge of Central South Region and can be reached on 041 259985.

The Electoral Commission has five other commissioners, namely; Dr. Jenny B. Okello, Mr. Stephen Ongaria, Mr. Joseph Biribonwa, Mr. Tom Buruku, and Ambassador Dr. Tomasi Sisye Kiryapawo.

Commissioner Dr. Jenny B. Okello is responsible for the South West region and can be reached on 041 345048.

Commissioner Stephen Ongaria oversees the Mid Western Region and can be reached on 0414 230148.

Commissioner Joseph N. Biribonwa is in charge of Near East Region, and can be reached on 0414 255597

Commissioner Tom. Buruku is in Charge of Central North Region, and can be reached on 0414 255580.

Commissioner Amb. Dr. Tomasi Sisye Kiryapawo is in charge of the Far East Region and can be reached on 0414 230580.

The Secretary to the Commission, and Chief Accounting Officer, is Mr. Sam A. Rwakoojo, can be reached on 0414 341299.

This's in reference to your piece regarding Ethiopian refugees in Uganda.Perhaps, you will find it more informative if you take a look at an article posted by an Ethiopian refugee on www.ethiomedia.com 3 months ago under the title "Notes from a passerby on the Horn of Africa & the Great lakes region." It reads in part:

Information from a reliable source about TPLF’s embassy in Kampala. According to the source, the regime in Addis castigated a diplomat named Tesfaye whose actual job is snooping around Ethiopian exiles for not doing enough to have them repressed from their activities. Hence, his masters decided to banish him to Djibouti while replacing him with a more ruthless one called Girmatsion who is leading a group of four consisting of a widow and three other young men.

Allegedly, these operatives have recruited some lowly Ugandan security agents to shadow some Ethiopian exiles for what purpose is only known to them and their God, if they have one. On several occasions, they've been sighted meeting furtively at a restaurant called Crocodile to exchange rubbish gossip which they think is intelligence.

One thing is sure, though. In the event that these hoodlums decide to throw some danger on any Ethiopian exile, they don't have to take elaborate measure like the Russian KGB did with Alexander Litvinenko in London. After all, Uganda along with the entire Great Lakes region is a country where even prominent figures suddenly drop dead and no amount of investigation will unearth the truth.

Isn't that the reason the murmurings of the late John Garang's widow fizzled out as quickly as it arose? Isn't Laurent Kabila's assassination still rife with speculation albeit a hush hush matter in Kampala? Isn't the story of the sudden collapse and death of Brig. Noble Mayombo one of the charges that caused the dragging of the flamboyant journalist, Andrew Mwenda, to court?

Considering all these, therefore, the editors of the Daily Monitor might have suppressed my articles to protect me from a possible second round blind flight or from being bitten by ferocious dogs unleashed by the police on WBS TV journalists. While being eternally grateful to them to whatever favor they did unbeknownst to me, I turn now to the issues I raised in my suppressed article titled "Will Ugandans ever distance themselves from cold-blooded killers?"

Find the rest of the article at
http://www.ethiomedia.com/accent/8204.html

I find it strange why my fellow diaspora pal is being so paranoid about this bank, first if Museveni wants details about you, the home office is open to him, DFCU would be a wrong place for such information bcos most of it's shares are British owned.

Secondly the likes of TooDwong are always in and out of here, don't you think all they needed would have reached him? My advice to you is to get some thing better to write and leave the innocent girl alone, from the information I got the bank is not only here for Acholi people but all Ugandans,

fellow in diaspora

Dear Rk, what you dont know is the story behind this Garden City complex in Kampala. During its construction 30 childen were sacrificed. According to one Nyanzi a builder, all heads and genitals came from victims in western region. One Rukanyangira a driver of a pick-up reg. no UC 723 did the deliveries at night and all tha rituals were done at night in the presence of Janet the owner of the building. So dont blame those doing it now, people in overnment started the bussines.

Chuckie Taylor led a notorious anti-terror unit while his father ruled Liberia "Chuckie" Taylor, the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been sentenced by a US court to 97 years in prison for torture. It is the first time a US court applied a 1994 law allowing the prosecution of citizens who commit torture overseas.

Chuckie Taylor, 31, who headed a notorious paramilitary unit during his father's rule, said he would appeal.

Charles Taylor is on trial at a court in The Hague - he denies 11 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

US District Judge Cecilia M Altonaga imposed the sentence on Chuckie Taylor - whose real name is Charles McArthur Emmanuel - at a hearing in a Miami court.

Shackled and dressed in a prison jumpsuit Taylor showed no emotion or reaction at the sentence, but told Judge Altonaga he would swiftly appeal.

He also said he rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence.

"My innocence was important to me then, as it is now," said Taylor.

"My sympathies go out to all the people who suffered in the conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone," he added.

"It is hard to conceive of any more serious offences against the dignity and the lives of human beings," Judge Altonaga said just before announcing the sentence. "The international community condemns torture," she added.

The prosecution had urged that Chuckie Taylor be sentenced to 147 years in prison.

Defence lawyers though had argued for leniency, arguing that many of the witnesses at his trial in October 2008 lied in a bid to win political asylum in the US or to settle political vendettas.

Chuckie Taylor as born in the US but after his father won Liberia's 1997 elections, he moved to the country and was made the head of the notorious Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU) while in his early 20s. Charles Taylor Snr faces war crimes charges in The Hague

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7820069.stm

Dear editor may I say that as Bemba is in the Hague does it mean that he is the only person who committed the attrocities in the Central Africa? What about the person who groomed him to reach at such level to kill at will? I think M7 should also be taken to the Hague because he helped this monster to kill. Plus those of Otafiire, Kazini and many others. When I was at Kinshasa I learned that a Rwandess woman who introduced Bemba to M7 was a girl-friend to the father of young Bemba, Bemba Saulona the father to the young Bemba who is from the tribe of Mabutu had monopoly in the coffe industry which gave them so much money. They alone used to trade the coffee in the Congo. Even the young Bemba had his mobile phone company. Even when he fled Congo he used his own plane. Now the problem is that as alot of killings took place and eating of people plus looting of money from the Banks does this not constitute to crime against humanity? Or at least robery?

Aluma UK

According to commentary by one Scott A Morgan, he thinks its Sudan.

Read the whole story on this website
http://www.allgambian.net/NewsDetails.aspx?id=792

RK,
Apologies for keeping readers in suspense is accepted. But never mind, I am sure no one could have done better than what you have done so far. Even if you would later fail because of surmounting constraints and odds against you, your failure will remain a success because posterity will remember your contribution to liberate Uganda via the cyberspace. As an ardent reader of RK, I am patient like a rainbow or phoenix from the ashes.

Now I want to thank the Daily Monitor thru RK because otherwise my response to the Sunday Monitor lead story, "Revealed: Saleh's bush war stand on corruption, rape" (see Monitor, 11th Jan 2009) would not be published for reasons best known to all sundries.

To me, the most important part of the revelation is not the corruption which dates back to the NRA 5-year Luwero bush war, but the blind and official hatred by Museveni, NRA/M cadres and co., directed against the people of Northern Uganda. Those who still doubt the deliberate marginalization of the people of Northern and Eastern Uganda should awaken to this fact, because Gen Salim Saleh put it in ink on paper for posterity read. Thank you DM for publishing Salehs historical confession letter.

In his letter to the bush Commanders, Saleh categorically called the northerners "Anyanya" and enemies. Literally, Anyanya is a Madi word for poison; but it is also understood as a slur, and the nickname for a Southern Sudan rebel group led by Joseph Lagu in the early 1960s. What you think about a person or people is what you express in words. In a nutshell, Saleh who was co-opted into the Fronasa and Luwero bush war echoed his elder step brother- Museveni's and the entire NRA/M raw sentiment and hatred for the greater North: from Arua to Busia.

This must come as a warning especially to some northerners sycophants like Otema Awany, Walter Ochora, Omara Atubo and especially Saleh's concubine who knows herself colluding with Salim Saleh to grab land in Amuru District or elsewhere. You can't go in bed with someone who calls your people names. These are traitors that the invisible hands of fate shall deal with them accordingly.

According to the DM story, if there was indiscipline of rampant corruption, looting, murder and rape in the South- especially in the Triangle: Masaka, Masindi, Hoima and Luwero; how much more looting and rape took place in Anyana's country (North and East)? That is why Joseph Kony is rebel with a cause. Saleh's letter is a testament (tip of the iceberg) of Genocide in Luwero and Northern and North Eastern Uganda.

It is on this basis that the truth is on its way out. It is also high time the international community especially the United States to remove (or in addition to?) Joseph Kony's name from the list of terrorists and add that of Museveni and his bush commanders; beginning with Gen Tinyefunza, Paul Kagame, Otafiire and others at large.

This is because Museveni and his brothers are trained Marxist terrorists, right from Mozambique. They practiced terrorism in the bushes of Luwero and also Kampala streets; but are now leading Americans on a wild goose chase (LRA), just for the money.

Many Ugandans, including the international community, do not know the personality disorder Museveni suffers from. He is a smart psychotic serial killer who reports to the police as the first eye witness to a murder scene and consequently leads the police on a wild goose chase. The more calculated and horrendous the accusation against Kony and the LRA the more the crime is with the accuser.

It is high time Ugandans knew where Museveni and his step brother Salim Saleh come from. "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bears good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from bramble bush. The good man out of the treasure of his heart produces good and the evil man out of his evil treasure; for out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:43-45).

I wanted to give a background of where from our current leaders come. Museveni must be told and reminded of his crimes against Ugandans until he becomes dizzy, fails to face the public and commits suicide like Hitler. If they were great leaders Uganda would be a great country by now. You cannot be good and corrupt at the same time. Once corrupt and brutal; always corrupt and brutal.

Crime against humanity is measured qualitatively not quantitatively; which is why a criminal need not kill a hundred people to qualify to be called a murderer; nor does one have to rob 10 banks to be called a robber. One incident of each is enough.

Prophet of Doom

Thanks RK. But stop tarnishing Bahima's name by calling Tubuhaburwa Yoseri a Muhima. The man is a Rwandese not a Ugandan. If he was a Ugandan, he would at least be having mercy on his country. I think that example is enough.

Patriot in Iraq

Radio Katwe has obtained technical details on the Uganda Airforce plane which crashed the day before Christmas crashed near Isiro Airport in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

It was a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis "Fishbed-L" model. Its "reporting name" (a technical military term for "code name") is "Fishbed"

It is medium altitude interceptor, air-to-air tactical fighter. In the U.S. Airforce it would therefore be classed under the F group, for fighters (like the F-15 and F-16). It has a maximum speed of 2,350 km/ph.

It first came into production in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), in 1958. It was first acquired by the Uganda Airforce in 1975.

Uganda's seven MiG-21 planes were upgraded by the Israeli Aircraft Industries in 2000 and given, or re-named Mikoyan MiG-21-2000.

It was being flown at the time by Flight Lieutenant Bosco Opio, aged 33, of Ongino village in Kumi district.

It was also flown by Lt. Colonel Ali Kiiza of the Uganda Airforce in 1975-1979. Available information suggests that the MiG-21 being flown by Lt. Opio was brought down by anti-aircraft fire and that it was not an accident.

There are some interesting quotes from the past to help Ugandans make sense of the way Museveni operates. You can judge for yourselves whether it fits the picture of the recent massacre of civilians in Congo around Christmas time.

Exhibit 1

This one is from the Voice of Uganda dated June 26, 1975. Voice of Uganda used to be the government newspaper in Amin's regime:

President Amin said "the highest rate of disappearance was during 1971 when many people were killing one another on political grounds because there were many political parties like DP, Kabaka Yekka, and UPC then. President Amin said there was a high rate of disappearances in September 1972. He explained that there was the FRONASA guerrilla organisations, then, creating confusion in Uganda by kidnapping many Ugandans.

General Amin said in 1972 Uganda was invaded from Tanzania by guerrillas who killed many Ugandans including the former Chief Justice, Mr Kiwanuka. President Amin said even is own brothers and relatives were killed during the confusion created by the FRONASA group and invasion by guerrillas.

General Amin reiterated that an evil organisation called FRONASA which led by a man called Musebeni was in the early years kidnapping important people in Uganda, on behalf of guerrillas, just to cause confusion and disunity. By then he said guerrillas were training hard to come and invade us amidst that confusion created by FRONASA for their benefit."

Exhibit 2

The former President Milton Obote, Daily Monitor, April 15, 2005, in an interview with Political Editor Andrew Mwenda:

"Museveni has for the last twenty three years fought different enemies in different parts of Uganda. In all these wars, the adversaries are different, the theatre of war different, the period different. There are only two elements that are constant: Museveni on the one hand and massive atrocities on the other. It is Museveni who employs atrocities against civilians to achieve military victory, but in a more subtle way by ensuring that his adversary instead takes blame for Museveni's atrocities."

Exhibit 3

Reasons given by Major Herbert Itongwa for starting a war against the government of President Yoweri Museveni, in March 1995: (for full story see Statement by Major Herbert Itongwa on his reasons for fighting Museveni of 23 Feb 2008 on Radio Katwe. - Editor)

"We would like to inform the general public why we decided to go to the bush to wage war against NRA/NRM government in general and Museveni in particular.

In 1980 when Museveni was Minister of Defence he ordered us to kill and rob people in order to discredit Binaisa who was the president by then. We used to operate using a bus which was locally known as mpaawo atalikaaba.

In 1982 on Museveni's orders we kidnapped and murdered UPC chairmen and their supporters in Luwero triangle in order to discredit Obote. We were always in UNLA uniform.

In 1988 on NRA/Museveni orders we were ordered to lock up civilians in a Railway wagon and burnt at Mukura in order to discourage civilians (Iteso) to support rebel activities.

In 1989 we were told to cut off people's lips, ears, noses and limbs in order to discredit Kony in Kitgum and Gulu districts. We did this on Museveni directive. We were doing all this in total ignorance. We did not realise Museveni's intentions. Many of us will never go back to our homes because we had committed many bloody atrocities against civilians and UPC supporters on orders of Museveni/NRA."

Dear readers, on the domestic front, Museveni faces political extinction first in Western Uganda which seems to be plotting for fronting Amanya Mushega and a compromise candidate. Buganda may vote for DP whose increasing popularity is scaring M7. Most recently, M7 has begun a flouting political partnership with his former enemy, Kampala Mayor Nasser Ssebagala popularly called Seeya.

M7 earlier planted an intelligence operative called Nava Nabagasera to marry Ssebagala who had won a hotly contested Kampala Mayoral election and humiliated Museveni's sponsored candidate Wasswa Birigwa. M7 later befriended Nava Nabagasera whom she later employed as a personal Legal Advisor. She divorced Mr Ssebagala who was jailed in the US for money laundering while on a private trip to Boston, clandestinely organised by M7's security services through Nava.

Seya completed his jail term, undertook some elementary studies abroad and was voted back as Kampala's Mayor. It seems that presently Museveni believes that by hanging onto Ssebagala's sleeves, he could find his oasis for survival in Buganda whose Kabaka is anxious to see M7's exit from power. The entire North including Teso and parts of Bugisu, Bukedi and Busoga would not vote for M7. Even if the elections were rigged, M7 would not win more than 30% of the electoral vote. With the emergent international demands on electoral transparency, power sharing, and conditional aid support, M7 is evidently counting his fortunes in the negative.

M7 has also used the overdue cabinet reshuffle to rally various MPs behind him with fake promises of ministerial jobs. This has rendered many of the otherwise noble rebels to snarl behind the tyrant both against their beliefs and M7's real intentions. Just like the army chiefs, these MPs may never know till M7 has used them to full exhaustion that he never valued them or held them in esteem at any time whatsoever.

A senior security officer has revealed that during the Temangalo corruption scandal towards end of 2008, Museveni had threatened to sack John Patrick Amama Mbabazi by rebuking him as "a mere Karya-sausage", a derogatory reference that Mbabazi who used to live in Sweden and Kenya during the Museveni's bush war days of 1981-86, was an avid consumer of fried sausages.

It is understood that Mbabazi then offered to resign from cabinet on two conditions that he would first and foremost retain the post of Secretary General of NRM for which he said he had been duly elected in accordance with the party constitution and laws of Uganda, and secondly that he would submit to the ICC, evidence which he had gathered over the years as security minister, proving that Museveni conducted genocide and abused child soldiers.

Mbabazi then told a shocked Museveni that he had actually banked the information in a few places in Europe and US and had signed a will that if he died in questionable circumstances, his heir should submit the evidence to the ICC on his behalf with his already sworn affidavit. Accordingly, the stunned Museveni opened his eyes wider as if he could not believe he was seeing Mbabazi. He promised that they would leave power together. Mbabazi announced in public that he would leave power only together with Museveni, to which public remark, Museveni bitterly swallowed.

From then, M7 arranged for a ceasefire between Mbabazi and the Muhwezi to which Muhwezi stubbornly refused citing his anger for M7's treating him as a sacrificial lamb while he baby lapped Mbabazi. Museveni accordingly then promptly ordered the end to any prosecutions against Muhwezi for the alleged bank robbery about which Mbabazi's police agent, one Francis Rwego had already submitted the prosecuting evidence to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Smart Musolin