Long before Winnie Byanyima, wife to Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader Col. Kizza Besigye, threatened to reveal President Museveni's secrets, her father had already exposed many of the "secrets" to The Weekly Observer.

On December 23, 2005, the Democratic Party (DP) veteran leader, MZEE BONIFACE BYANYIMA, bared all to journalist BENON HERBERT OLUKA in a special interview for the series 'The Museveni I know'. Museveni spent a good part of his early life at Mzee Byanyima's home and the two remained close until mid-1990 when they fell out:

First meeting

I don't remember the year but he came to Mbarara High School when I was teaching. It was in 1950s I think. He came in [Senior] One. That is when I first met him. It took me time to understand him because Museveni is secretive. You cannot understand him at once. There is one side, which he shows you, and another side he keeps to himself. So it took me time to understand him.

At first, he appeared to be friendly to me and my family. He visited us frequently. He liked me and my family, my children. We treated him as our child. Those were the first impressions we got; he was a friendly person, a friendly young man.

Even when he went to Ntare School, he used to come to my home. When he was staying in my home, he didn't appear to be political. But he was interested in learning like other students, like the [Eriya] Kategayas. He was an ordinary student. He was not actually one of the bright students, but he was trying to learn.

When he was staying at my home, I would give him little pocket money like all the [needy] students. We stayed with him but it was on and off. He used to come for holidays. Even when he went to Dar es Salaam, he used to come here to our home and we stayed with him.

First impressions

He was a young man of ambition, always trying to show that he was better than other students. And he appeared to be ambitious in small things. Whenever he got a chance, he wanted to show that he was an important person. He wanted to be respected.

For example, at one time when I was MP staying at Uganda Club, he came to see me. I had my nephew there and I wanted to give them lunch at Uganda Club where I was staying. I wanted to take them to the dinning room, but he said; "No. Me I can't go there. I can't dine with this young man who is a son of Kanyamunyu." Kanyamunyu was the treasurer of Ankole Kingdom. He said, "Me Museveni, you give me my small money, I will go and eat in Shauri Yako. I can't eat with big people." Small things like that. He wanted to show that he was different from others, to be recognised.

Signs of a politician

When he was in Dar es Salaam, he started coming to my home with communism literature. He was talking of Russian-type communism. He was praising Lenin and other communist leaders. He was talking about communist slogans and phrases like proletariat, common man...

He never told me of his political ambitions. He only told me that he was fighting for the common man. He was praising people like Che Guevara, a South American revolutionary. He was praising the [Julius] Nyerere leadership and talking of crushing capitalists. That kind of language.

One day he came to my home and said he had been to Mozambique. He came towards the end of his holidays, and I asked him why he was late. He told me he was in Mozambique fighting the Europeans who were grabbing African land. And he was boasting that he killed a white man there. I said I don't want that sort of language here. He kept quiet but whenever he got a chance, he would boast of his activities against capitalists.

First shot at politics

When he came back from Dar es Salaam, he joined [Milton] Obote's government. He was in the intelligence section, and I interacted with him at that time very often.

He was talking of overthrowing the Obote regime because Obote was a capitalist. Before [Idi] Amin overthrew Obote, there was talk of elections which Obote was proposing in 1970. They wanted a type of election where a candidate would have four constituencies, it was called three plus one.

He would have to stand in all regions of Uganda; his home constituency then plus three others in other regions. And Museveni took the opportunity to become a candidate, to stand against Vice President [John] Babiiha. He was trying to stand in North East Ankole against Babiiha because he was opposing Babiiha for establishing ranches in Ankole. Museveni said he did not want ranches because ranches were capitalist institutions. He was trying to show me that he was fighting for the common man. But I didn't believe him because I could see that he also wanted an opportunity to show that he was important. I thought that even if he took power, he wouldn't put into practice what he was talking about. I looked at him as the kind of person who wanted to promote himself rather than working for a principle because he would say one thing now, then another time a different thing. He didn't show me consistency.

Then one day he came to me to help him, to give him DP young men to campaign for him in my constituency because DP had been banned. I told him I could not because my party is banned and I am not practising politics at the moment, and in any case I don't want your party, UPC. It was 1970.

So he tried to campaign for himself against Babiiha. When they were campaigning, Amin overthrew their government. Obote ran to Tanzania and Museveni and others followed him there.

After Amin

I did not meet him throughout the time Amin was in power. I met him after they returned from Tanzania when Amin had been overthrown. Then he came here and deceived me. He told me that Obote was not coming to Uganda. Nyerere would not allow him because he knew that Obote had committed mistakes in Uganda.

He never revealed what kind of government Nyerere was intending to establish in Uganda. He only kept on saying that Obote would never come back here but Nyerere would restore democracy. At that time I had no other information...so I believed Museveni.

[Yusuf] Lule was appointed president, in two months he was overthrown. [Godfrey] Binaisa came. But Museveni kept on telling me that "Nyerere is going to bring democracy back in Uganda." How, I didn't know, but one day... one night, it was 9 O'clock, I saw a Tanzanian Land Rover coming into my compound here. Then [Chris] Rwakasisi (former Obote minister now on death row in Luzira) jumped out. He told me he was going to Bushenyi to prepare the way for Obote's return.

I said, "What? Obote is returning?" He said, "Yes. That is why I have come to tell you as Chairman of DP to start reviving DP so that we can compete." I told him what Museveni had been telling me. Rwakasisi told me it was a lie. "We know that Museveni has been lying to the people of Uganda, telling them a lot of lies. Museveni is trying to find his own political line in Uganda. We know him," Rwakasisi said.

The next morning Museveni came here. I told him Rwakasisi had been here at night and had told me Obote is coming. Museveni appeared shocked. He said, "What? Has Rwakasisi told you that? You see, these people are bad. He is revealing Mwalimu's secret." So I said, "Museveni, that means that you have been deceiving all this time. You knew that Obote was coming back. So you have been working for Obote. You always come to my house while you are working for Obote and you tell me Obote is not coming back?"

That is Museveni. He is secretive. He has got his own line of thinking and he can't reveal it to you. But he appears friendly, talks to one person one language, then talks to a different person another language. So from that time, I trusted Rwakasisi more than I trusted Museveni.

Obote is back!

After a few months, Obote arrived. He started campaigning. But all along, Museveni had been pursuing his own political line; he had been recruiting his own soldiers and calling them FRONASA, giving them guns... I was seeing that.

I think the money was coming from Tanzania. They were bringing money to recruit soldiers to replace Amin's soldiers.

Obote came like a president. He was accompanied by Tanzanian soldiers, he was treated like the president of Uganda, and Museveni was lying low. He was not meeting him. I could see that because he had been undermining Obote's plans of returning to power, and Mwalimu Nyerere's policy of returning Obote.

When the 1980 elections came, the elections were rigged in favour of Obote and Museveni went to the bush. He was already well-equipped. He had soldiers, he had guns. He was prepared.

I don't think [Museveni was right to got to the bush]. When you go to the bush, you go for a purpose and for a good purpose. Museveni said he went to the bush because elections were rigged. But do you think it is true? Then why does he rig elections himself?

Museveni in the bush

When Museveni was in the bush, I never saw him. He sent me his men, and he wrote to me a letter. This was about 1983-84. They continued to come here. For example, this [Maj. Gen. Jim] Muhwezi came here. In the letter, he was sending a message of co-operation. He was asking DP to co-operate with his soldiers.

I never believed in him but of course when his people came here, I wouldn't hand them over to Obote to be killed. For humanitarian reasons, I sent them away, but I avoided direct co-operation with Museveni because I knew that Museveni was a liar and a troublemaker. But whenever his men came here, I treated them nicely. I gave them food and transport to go back. These Muhwezis, until [Tito Okello] Lutwa overthrew the Obote government.

Then Lutwa asked Museveni and [Dr. Andrew Lutakoome] Kayiira to come from the bush and work with him to form a government. But when he came from the bush, he again undermined Okello's government. He overthrew Okello and took over power himself. I knew that was typical Museveni because by that time I had understood him. I wouldn't work with him.

Museveni and Winnie

Karagwa [Winnie Byanyima] joined Museveni in the bush [but] she did not tell me she was going to join them. She was at school. She had gone to Europe as a refugee. She was at Makerere University first. When her cousin, a young man called James Kanyamunyu, was killed by the Amin regime, Karagwa got frightened. She ran out of university and went to Europe. She joined Manchester University. She stayed there and took a course in engineering, and when she was finishing, she found Museveni.

I can't remember when or how she joined them, but she became one of the guerrillas, and then she was in their government.

When they came from the bush, she came here and I warned her. I told her not to join the Museveni government. I told her that Museveni was not a reliable character. But she wouldn't listen to me. Then Museveni came here proposing marriage. He wanted to marry her, which I opposed. I told my daughter Museveni was not a reliable character. I think it was in 1987. By then he was married to Janet [Kataha]. I knew that.

First, there came his father [Amos] Kaguta to propose. I said no. Then Museveni came here when he was president. I said I can't agree. I said if you are marrying her, if she wants, it will be her responsibility. Me I don't want that.

They stayed together for a while. When people are staying together, you can't know for how long [but] they were staying together at Entebbe. Then Karagwa realised that Museveni was not a good person to stay with. I think she discovered what I had told her about the character of Museveni, so she left Museveni and his government.

When Museveni became president, after a month or two, he started coming here. He was always coming here every week or every month to see me.

First, he came to ask me to marry my daughter, which I refused. He was not annoyed because he knew that I would not allow it. He took it lightly. That didn't prevent him from coming here often just to say hello. He continued to appear friendly.

Joining his regime

No. He knew I wouldn't because I was even trying to block DP from joining his government. I told [DP President General Paul] Ssemogerere never to join his government. When I heard that Ssemogerere had joined his government with some senior DP members, I went there and told them that they had made a mistake.

The Museveni government was not a proper government to join. They would be disappointed. I told Ssemogerere, [Robert] Kitariko, [Evaristo] Nyanzi and [Joseph] Mulenga that they had made a mistake because that was not a broad-based government.

He was deceiving them. He was only employing them as individuals. So I proposed approaching Museveni to make [an] agreement with him about a broad-based government so that all parties might work together with a purpose of having direct elections at a later stage.

Museveni kept on dodging us without agreeing to form an agreement as a basis of co-operation. I told Ssemogerere and others to quit but they didn't quit. They stayed until 10 years later when they were disappointed, and some of them were imprisoned like Nyanzi, some dismissed; Ssemogerere got out. He tried to stand against him, he was defeated and Museveni went on strengthening his regime and killing parties until now.

Falling out

At a personal level, when he attacked my ranch. It was in July 1990 when soldiers and many squatters entered my ranch with guns. They beat up my people, heaped [the squatters] everywhere. When I went there, I could see that they were [sent by] government because soldiers were driving the cattle of squatters which were entering the ranch.

Museveni had given me his telephone, the direct line, so I rang him and said I am being attacked. Museveni pretended not to know [about it]. He said "Who are they? I am sending my bodyguard, Kavuma, to check so that we can deal with them."

Kavuma came to my ranch. He found many people [camping with their cattle]. He was surprised and went back. I waited for two weeks, nothing happened. Then I rang Museveni again. Museveni pretended again not to know. He said, "Nothing has been done?". Even Police has done nothing? I am now sending another guard called Kabwisa." Kabwisa came here; I took him to the ranch. He saw people were still camping there, causing damage on the farm.

He went back to report.

I waited and another month passed, nothing happened. I telephoned him again. He said "Now I am sending a high-ranking soldier who will do something." But by that time, I had noticed squatters were not invading my ranch only, they were invading other ranches in central Uganda. The high-ranking soldier came, a man called Mugume Chagga. He found my cattle had started to die because of ticks, he was surprised. Then he went back.

I waited and nothing happened. So I knew that Museveni, well, it was not the first time of course to know that Museveni was treacherous. I had already formed an opinion that Museveni was not a man to trust.

So I went to Entebbe. I asked for audience. I went to his office. I told him, face-to-face, a piece of my mind. I told him I had now confirmed that he was not a leader. He couldn't lead Uganda because he was a tribalist, treacherous and not a person to trust.

And now I had ceased my co-operation with him altogether, and I would join forces to overthrow his regime.

Then he said, "How can you fight me? How can you fight my regime?" I said "I have no guns but I will join people who want to fight your regime because your regime is a bad regime." I said "I kept your mother when you went to the bush; you left your mother in Mbarara township, she was stranded. She was attacked by hooligans. I took her to my house, I kept her, looked after her while you were in the bush, until you came to government. And when you come to government; that is how you have paid me! You have been treacherous to me!" He kept quiet. I went out.

I went home, waited for him to remove the people he had put on my land. After two or three years, when he didn't, I took the matter to court. I won the case and the government appealed, I also won it. The court awarded me compensation of about [Shs] 100 million. But for the damages and animals which had died and the pasture destroyed, it was not enough. And these people are still there. Government has refused to remove them up to today. And it is not only my ranch. It occurred on all ranches, from Mbarara to Buruuli in central Uganda, which the government grabbed to settle in Bahima.

Not a nationalist

When he was young, he appeared to be friendly, but when you closely observe all his actions and moves, he is a selfish person. He works alone, is secretive and his politics is like that.

I wouldn't describe him as a nationalist because a nationalist works for the benefit of a nation as a whole but Museveni is selfish person...he is looking for the promotion of his own clan, his own family. He is not a straight kind of person.

Museveni vs past leaders

Past leaders were not selfish. Obote was a nationalist. Although I opposed him for 10 years, I can describe him as a nationalist. He was trying to work for a nation but he made blunders. Amin was a nationalist. People hated Amin but I thought Amin was more nationalist than Museveni. He was trying to work for Uganda, but they never gave him chance.

He made mistakes because he was not educated. All the mistakes Amin made were not intentional. He failed as a person who was not educated. But I would say the people he killed, he killed them in self-defence. They wanted to kill him too.

But in my view, he was genuine. He was not working for self-interest. He was not working for his family, for example.

I would say Museveni is like Amin in one respect. That he is using militarism to keep himself in power. But unlike Amin, he is promoting his family against the wishes of Ugandans.

He is too selfish, and I wouldn't say that Amin was selfish. And I wouldn't say that Amin, for example, was taking money from this country, or was looting Uganda, or was looting other countries around.

His contribution

Has Museveni done anything good of lasting importance? I don't see it. For example, he hasn't built hospitals like Obote.

Whatever Museveni does is of temporary value and it is to promote his interests. He does it for politics. This UPE is nothing to boast of because the schools have deteriorated. The quality of teaching has deteriorated because imagine one class containing 100 children! How does one teacher teach 100 children? He simply ordered that tomorrow, all schools are free. There were no preparations for it. So as a result, the quality of education in primary is poor.

If they say the army is disciplined, why are they slapping people? Is that discipline? No, his army is not disciplined. His army is politicised. I think it is even worse than Obote's because if you study the causes of the northern war, I think it is indiscipline in the army, which caused that...

I was told by my friends from the North that they had to take up arms again because they were being killed for tribal reasons. So the [Joseph] Konys and others went to the bush again. When Lutwa collapsed, Museveni's soldiers went up to the North and continued to hit these people, to kill them.

Even now, you hear Kony is killing. Do you think this killing is done by one side? I don't think so. So I don't see any good things he has done. If anything, he has caused tribalism because [in the past] an MP of UPC was recognised anywhere in Uganda. If he was a Langi, Ankole or easterner, he was accepted by Ugandans wherever he went.

But these Movementists in Parliament, they don't appear to be nationalists to me. An MP from Mbarara, for example, I don't think he is accepted in Acholi, or even in the East. He is being looked at as a Munyankole looter.

Whereas Obote was trying to unite the people of Uganda, I think Museveni has divided them. I think people of Uganda now are more tribalistic than they were during the Obote regime.

Museveni's strong points

When they went to the bush, they looted [commercial] banks. When they came here, they changed the money and for a man who had one million shillings, he came out with seven thousand shillings. I think this was looting. Where did this money go?

Now, neighbouring countries are not free from Museveni. I hear Congo has been looted. They are being accused.

They looted properties of Uganda that were set up by previous governments. [Uganda Development Corporation] is no more. Government houses are no more. Government institutions are no more. They sold them up cheaply. That is the strong point of Museveni. It is the only one.

His weak points

His greatest weakness is lying. When this man took over, he said he had come to bring democracy back, which we had been denied by Obote. And he set up a system which he called the all embracing Movement government.

But it was so funny that those people from other parties who went there found that it was not all embracing. They were elbowed outside. Only the hardcore Museveni men were inside.

Then in Parliament, he told Parliament that they were one family. There was no division, no debate. It was called a democracy of they were to discuss things as one family. But behind Parliament, he had what he called a caucus which he told his secret policies. And the caucus consisted of members of one tribe, who steered government policies. The rest of the MPs knew nothing.

Museveni's vision

First of all in Parliament, he said MPs were being elected on individual merit. Then he deceived them on that and they went to Parliament on individual merit so that they may not unite and discuss a point there. No, everybody should be for himself. He divided them like that so that he could push his [interests].

Now, when these people found that Museveni had divided them like that after 20 years in power, he brought this other element of one person with a vision. Now these people of individual merit are nothing. They are not being encouraged now. He is encouraging himself as a man of vision, and a man of vision is himself. That is why he says a man like Kizza [Besigye] cannot rule because he has no vision. Nobody [else] has a vision.

But who appoints this man of vision? He appoints himself. It is him who appoints a man of vision. And who is the man of vision? It is himself. No. Museveni has spoilt this country.

Dear RK,
I have read Mzee Byanyimas letter and its very frightening and too revealing. Some of us didn't know that land grabbing started long time ago that both private and government ranches were forcefully grabbed. Can some one list all the government and private ranches that were stolen may be one day the owners will claim them?

The "Akazu" caucus of one tribe is a worry for the country and i wonder who them is promoting sectarianism?.

Secondly I read in the economist that the President cannot allow 30,000 landlords to own all the land meant for 30M Ugandans. My question is were are these landlords? Are they distributed all over Uganda or they are only in Central Region. Are the people in Mbale, Bunyoro, Ankole, Busoga among the 30,000 landlords?

I carefully read Mzee Byanima's interview of 2005. What it did is that it exposed M7 as a diabolical figure, who hasn't essentially changed his character from childhood (refer to his boasting about having killed a White soldier in Mozambique)

IT also exposes the wrong mentality of us Ugandans that though there existed information from various sources about M7 and his goals, for example, Obote's 'Notes on the concealment of genocide in Uganda' published in the late eighties, Ugandans held their heads in the sand, unwilling to face the diabolical character that led them.

For most discerning Ugandans the events of misrule are NOT new; they are the defining characteristics of the regime, from the start in 86 to today.

What disturbs me as a patriotic Ugandan is that a new class of corrupt, vile, opportunistic,diabolical characters, still continue, like flies to feaces, attracted to and enabling this most vile of regimes

Nyofura

Dear RK Editors,

It was heartwrenching to read the flash-back on Muzee Byanyima's chronical of Museveni. I would like those knew Museveni to tell us how much land the man had before he came to power thru the barrel of the gun. According Muzee Byanyima's account, it is highly doubtfull the man even had an acre of land.

According the Weekly Observer of 24th July, in Gombe, Museveni bragged that he and his wife Kataha ara the biggest landlord in Uganda if not the whole world, which is shocking. I thought the biggest landlord in Uganda are the Kings of Buganda and Bunyoro. Where on earth did the man and his wife get the land from? The went on to

I was once told that Museveni didn't even own a Tom Tom bicycle, which was the cheapest, costling Shs.60 (sixty shillings only) in the 60s. The most expensive was the All Steel bicycle Ralieh that cost Shs.100.

RK, if you are to be objective try to publish also the other views from readers. it is a pity anything contra M7, you are quick t publish and the others, you deny accessibility. In line with this, kindly permit me to respond to Mzee Byanyima's interveiw which seems to reveal and expose M7's weaknesses.

1. Byanyima as an old and responsible teacher when M7 was a young boy of tender and formative years of growth and developement, this Mzee Byanyima had all the chances to offer formative education to M7, and he would have had an impact on his future life. That Byanyima failed in this may show how he contributed alot to M7's charachetr now. And did Jesus not say that a good fruit can be known by the good tree on which it grows? This implies Byanyima too has nothing to boast of as a parent through whose hands Museveni grew.

2. Winie Byanyinma the engineer a real daughter of Mzee Byanyima is shown as having traversed many many men, beginningwith M7 till she landed on a Doctor. What moral characterdid Mzee Byanyima offer to his children? He has no ground to demonise Museveni at all. Why point a bad finger whn the two examples above falsfiy your assertions??

3. it would be of interest to those who feel M7 baught Rwakitura land and did not pay them to complain. the others are just jealousy and that is the problem with us Ugandans. those who sold land to m7 are comfortable and do not complain but these guys sitted in London complain bze, they invest in night clubs and manifestations or call demonstrations. Then the balaalo comes buys land and you again complain. they also miss those night clubs my dears and have never complained about it.

Fianlly, those who have Uganda at heart can come down and join us in suuport of Museveni to develop our motherland. His programmes are clear, the space is open especially to law abiding citizens within and without. Ndotoza waginga hawezi kutufikisha kwa maelendeleo.

JARIBU, HOIMA.

Dear RK and Readers,
My letter is a response to the Idiotic views of JARIBU from Hoima. This is one of the few who is being decieved by Museveni and his cronies. Mark my words; SOON IT WILL BE JARIBU AND HIS BANYORO FAVORITES OF MUSEVENI CRYING and by then it will be too late.

Jaribu should read Mzee Byanyima's interview very carefully. Jaribu seems to have some difficulties with the English language judging from his own writing. Mzee Byanyima can't be held responsible for Museveni's behaviours or for his daughter's lifestyles. Mzee gave his daughters the best education and most of his children have done quite well accademically. Museveni is and was not Mzee's responsiblity. Mzee fed, clothed, and offered "the beast" some education and that was much more than you would have done for a stray evil, secretive child who is not appreciative.

How old is this Jaribu, does he have children of his own, and how much money is Museveni giving him to kill the Banyoro? Jaribu, don't bother speaking anymore since you don't know what you are talking about. The way Ugandans feel about Museveni now, you must be the only person who is still "eating" from him. Are you going to share the oil loot with Museveni? I tell you to enjoy it because your next meal might just be poison.

A lot of Bagandas felt the way you are feeling now and see what is happenning to them now!! Museveni is nobody's friend and next, the Balaalo will come and take your district and the rest will be history. Don't think that the Banyoros can still fight off Buganda like they did last time. This is 2008 not 1808 and people are more prepared now.

RESPONSE TO NO.5, IN REGARD TO mZEE BYANYIMA'S INTERVIEW.

Dear readers of RK, I wish to make it clear that what I was appealing to was to look at issues more objectively. i did not wish to display my linguistic styles since even many people would be more confortable in a Ugandan local language than a colonial tool of communication.

No.5's reponse is only full of pride and lacks logic in real sense. My issue was: if Mzee Byanyima as a teacher and responsible parent was giving education to children,then the world can judge by his family fruits in the characters of Byanyima the engineer.

The Kinyankole culture demonstrates that a child dependent on you should be taken as your real child, and this puts M7 in that category. The fruits we see are a result of the whole educative proceesses he and daughter Byanyima underwent during those crucial years of moral and human formation. Besides, the staggering(embariga) of the daughter Byanyima in relationships is but to add weight to this first point.

It is a pity for respondent no.5 to equate growth and human development in terms of academic excellency and may be degress one has acquired in life. Uganda's current experience can reveal to you no.5., that promotions in schools can be bought with out strong in-put. How many of our MP's and councillors were pulled out due to fake transcripts? Then I should use this occasion to tell you that Human growth and educative formation is a support tool for academic performancy. For our information Mugabe of Zimbabwe has more papers you may call academic transcripts honoured internationally, but as a person and leader, is now dishonoured due to lack of the formative element which is vital in service to society.

Can no. 5 by the way prove that he is a less idiot by showing or better sign his letters and show us his location as I, Jaribu have done with no fear or threat. Less than that demonstrates how coward he is and may be a disater of some sort from school.

The Balaalo are ugandans and are protected by the constitution of the Repulic of Uganda unless those who designed it were as you say idiots. But I am sure they were not. We the Banyoro under our ABLE AND MORE NOBLE LEADER Omukama Gafabusa Iguru I, and the NRM leadership, are conscious of the necessity of good neighbourliness and harmony in the development of our kingdom.

We are now looking for a way of mobilizing the balaalo into modern ways of farming then we can benefit not only from petrolium but also from milk and butter. After the smoke from the fumes at Buseruka, we shall need milk, you know?? And from hides and skins we shall get many other materials for handbags, belts, shoes, etc...This will make us proud as Ugandas for we shall have what to contribute to the East-African market and to Comesa countries as we look a head for the African Union. This should be our focus bwana, and not to eat one another like grasshoppers in a bottle! Ugandans on the ground know very well what the NRM government under our able leader Mzee M7, is doing to foster development. You guys in europe, atleast give us peace and you will appreciate, if you are not driven by jelousy against M7 and some tribes.

The bigger war we have is not physical but moral. To discuss with the kabaka of Buganda, and agree with him that the Baganda absent land lords should surrender our land titles for we can do well in development with the balaalo. How on earth should they sit on our land titles as if they are rightful owners. Let Mzee M7 assit us in this land issue and he has all our votes till eternity.

JARIBU, HOIMA

Dear Editor,
firstly thanks for the marvelous international work you are doing. Please allow me offer some correction to a few contributors to "our" golden website, often called daily bread!

To Jaribu- Hoima:
Please use your brains and not the principle of "survival for the fittest" to reason and air your views. I am a Munyoro but I cannot understand how Bunyoro decides to cooperate with this "beast" M7 against Buganda.

The point is Bunyoro and Buganda will be even long after M7 is gone! This should be the cornestone of our thinking!

Buganda raised M7 to presidentship, but what he is rewarding them is cannot be described in human language.

I am sorry to say this but, having owned cows and thereby employed many "Balaalo", I can rightfully assert that there are no undermining people (kujooga - sorry I cannot write Luganda), like these Balaalo. You see a poor man wearing a torn shirt talking to you and behaving like a king!

M7 transported this very culture to his presidential office! My warning to Ugandans and especially Bunyoro is....., when you deal with M7 please use a long spoon!

M7's stomach is so big that it can contain the whole Uganda, East Africa at the least. (Although his stoamch may be inversly proportional to his brain-matter).

If M7 could repay Buganda, which raised him to presidentship with theft, then what will he reward the Banyoro who ofered comparatively nothing in the struggle?

If Bunyoro sides with M7, then some of us are left with no alternative than to forfeit our heritage as Banyoro.

M7 has destroyed our education system, health system, security etc. If Ugandans side with him, sure I will not be a Ugandan any more!

Hands off Winnie Byanyima!

Dear RK,

I have read the diatribe about Winnie Byanyima which is being used by the CMI operative Jaribu to defend the indefensible notably M7's behaviour, greed and other negative traits.

Marriage life

I am sorry for you Jaribu you do not know the Winnie you are talking about. I do. Winnie may not be a nun but she is a happily married wife of Dr. Kizza Besigye and a mother to Anselm Kyamufumba. She had wanted to marry Museveni. Her father said no. She chose to obey the voice of her father. This is much more than you can ever say for Museveni. He has children all over and can never listen to anyone's advice. Certainly not advice from parents or elders. This is largely because M7 believes he is the most wise person.

Education

Winnie was educated like Museveni by Mzee Byanyima through Namagunga. She went to University and became the first woman Aeronautic Engineer Uganda ever produced. Museveni was given the same opportunity a good secondary school through Ntare School and on-ward to the University of Dar es Salaam. He found the academics in Political Science and Economics too difficult and instead, while still a student, started wondering (kuyayuka) all over the place and in all matters other than academic. Certainly there was no course at the University of Dar es Salaam in guerrilla welfare with fieldwork in the FRELIMO camps in Mozambique! The results were as expected, Museveni faced failure in the face and only managed to get a pass degree with compensation. Even that was with the help of friends he dares not acknowledge ever.

Politics

Winnie won in Mbarara Municipality as MP all the time she stood. Not even the entire state machinery with arms, the army, the generals, M7's media blitz could stop her support. Not even arrest and intimidation of her relatives and supporters could defeat this woman with a heart of steel. Reason? Winnie connects with people of all walks of life. Winnie is honest, believable and has virtues Museveni can only dream about. Compare this to Museveni in 1980 he tried his hand at the murky Parliamentary race. In Nyabushozi, Museveni is still smarting at the defeat the DP candidate Sam Kuteesa gave him.

Other career

Winnie is a Director of Gender at the UN after a similar role at the Africa Union. Tell me which Ugandan woman or man including you Jaribu would not be happy to have a CV similar to that of Winnie?

I say Winnie may not be an angel but certainly you cannot use her sterling career as a politician, woman leader, diplomat, and student to Museveni. Not even in obedience to parents are they comparable.

So, Bwana Jaribu and defender of Museveni sorry, go slow on Winnie and for that matter all the other children whom Mzee Byanyima as a parent, guardian and teacher has instructed. The hatred the ingrate Museveni may be handing to them is only widening their opportunities across the globe. The Banyankore have a saying that "Ku oyigusa enshaho ekuniga" meaning if you fill a sack it weighs you down. Jaribu, remember even the basic traits at civility that Museveni possesses have a lot to do with the little association he had in the Byanyima family. Let him dare deny this.

Rutanaama na Bigomba

JARIBU shouldn't mix things when it comes to land in Uganda. The absentee land lords he is talking about have a rightful ownership to that land. For instance we have Kagame (president of Rwanda), Late Rigyema and others the absentee land lords. This doesn't make them lose their land, coz they have land titles.

Who'ever this person is (JARIBU) is very myopic the matters of the Banyoro are dealt with according to how the Banyoro see fit so do the matters of Buganda. So please keep your opinions to your self as there only for trying to grab our land and resources. Soon we shall be looking at M7 taking all the land in Bunyoro because of the OIL in those places... your time is next...So please lets look at the bigger picture if the M7 anything to do with our land he should start by talking to our king then all will go well... but for using mouth pieces like you is a disgrace to every one that bares our flag...
MM...London

Dear RK Editors,

Now this Jaribu Hoima of a man, going by his name has sample tasted something hallucinating. To blame Muzee Byanyima for M7's waywardness, call it criminality is not only irrational but irritating. When Museveni was malingering in Muzee Byanyima's home, where was Muzee Kaguta whom M7 claims is his father?

I suppose Muzee Byanyima was just being a good Samaritan. If M7 was a victim of circumstances and got Muzee Kaguta for a surrogate father who probably couldn't give a damn, can Jaribu throw the blame on the Byanyima's?

Mr. Jaribu must realize that it is very difficult to adopt a street kid. After sniffing hallucinogens like glue and thinner, and having child sex on the streets; streets kids are damaged goods. Parental love and care is very important for a child's development. Museveni missed all that, which is why he does not care about human life, love and morals.

Dr RK,

I would like to comment on "Mzee Byanyima on Museveni"

From Mzee Byanyima's story, it shows that President Museveni would qualify for today's street child who was picked off the street by good Samaritans and helped but as you know, street kids are already damaged goods and however much you rehabilitate them, the effects persist even in old age.

What supprised me is that mzee Bayanyima does not mention about Amos Kaguta the man claimed to be Museveni's father. Where does Amos fit is this picture?

Is it true that Museveni came with his mother from somewhere beyond Rwanda and they both got married by Mzee Amosi Kaguta?

If that is the case, then that is why may be he was not well accepted at Kaguta's home and had to wander from home to home and that is why up to now he does not trust anybody and does not appreciate any love including his wife's love. He tries to fill the vaccum with power, wealth and women but all this won't help.

President Museveni is not so old that all the people who witnessed his birth are all dead. Can some one who witnessed his birth come out and tell us in which village he was born? If he came from afar with his wandering mother, can he let us know so that we can all sympthise with him?

This man lost alot as a child and in order to fill that vaccum he thinks power and wealth can fill the vaccum which is wrong. He just needs counselling. We need the best psycchologists in the world to counsel him. Power and wealth cannot help him. the more wealth he gets, the more he feels the missed childhood care and the more he revenge on innocent Ugandans.