Blow-by-blow account of dramatic showdown between Museveni and Amama Mbabazi To some witnesses, Amama Mbabazi’s ouster as secretary general on October 18 provoked the most intense exchange in the history of the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) probably since the party was officially formed in 2005. Sitting at Nakasero State Lodge, the day’s agenda was to break Mbabazi and possibly force him to resign immediately as NRM secretary general. Yet unknown to many, Mbabazi and his wife Jacqueline had assembled an arsenal of verbal artillery that would make the ouster harder. The main actors in Saturday’s meeting, according to our sources, were President Museveni and Jacqueline Mbabazi (head, Women League) with Maj Gen Matayo Kyaligonza (Vice chairman Western) playing the key supporting role for the president and Mbabazi lawyering for his wife. The setting in the conference room was perfect. Museveni sat at the tip of the long boardroom table next to Hajji Moses Kigongo, the NRM first national vice chairman. Mbabazi and Jacqueline sat on opposite sides of the table, almost directly facing each other. Meeting starts Museveni called the members to order at 11am and informed them that they wanted to resolve the Mbabazi question by close of the meeting, our sources said. “We are not leaving this meeting until we find a solution to this issue of secretary general. We spent so much time on Thursday [October 16] going around in circles but today we have to end it here,” Museveni said, alluding to the earlier CEC meeting. Museveni then motioned an aide who ferried in a number of voluminous files and placed them in front of him. “I got these from my American friends and they contain all the evidence to show that Mbabazi and Jacqueline have been working against me and the party,” he said as he tapped the files with both hands, our sources said. Museveni added that the documents before him had been compiled by Mbabazi and wife and kept at the American embassy. He reportedly said his “contacts” at the embassy helped him retrieve the files. He said each of the CEC members would receive a copy of the documents to learn the extent to which Mbabazi and Jacqueline had gone to undermine him. But Moses Kigongo advised against the distribution of the documents. There were also fears, according to sources, that if the documents were distributed, some of them would end up in the media. Museveni bought into Kigongo’s suggestion and decided, instead, to talk about the contents of some of the documents. He then brandished a document, reportedly written by Jacqueline and containing names of people the Mbabazis considered political adversaries. These names, our sources said, included Gen Kale Kayihura (police chief), Brig Moses Rwakitarate, and the First Son Muhoozi Kainerugaba. However, before he could reveal any more names, Jacqueline shot up. “You say we are campaigning against you. Is that a crime? You started campaigning immediately after the 2011 elections. You have been going around the country meeting people. What crime have we committed by campaigning?” she said, as the room fell into deafening silence. Museveni shot back saying his countrywide tours were part of his national duty, and not a campaign ploy At this point, our sources said, Museveni stopped referring to the files and the meeting took a trend similar to that of October 16. Self-importance Kyaligonza jumped into the fray and accused the Mbabazis of having the airs of self-importance. He said he had read with disgust an article in Daily Monitor in which Jacqueline’s father Reverend Geresomu Ruhindi, had accused Museveni of using and dumping Mbabazi. “Did Ruhindi fight? Does he know what we went through in the bush? You people were busy in Nairobi eating sausages and stealing our money. Should we have sympathy for you? Can I remove my trouser and show you the bullet wounds?”a charged Kyaligonza asked. Hassan Basajjabalaba (Entrepreneurs’ League) urged caution. He told Kyaligonza that he didn’t need to use harsh language to make his point. “President Museveni and Mbabazi have known each other for 43 years. In fact Museveni has known Mbabazi longer than he has known you (Kyaligonza). In my view, I think both of these people should sit together and reconcile,” Basajjabalaba said, ticking off an already livid Kyaligonza. The two engaged in a verbal exchange that ended with mineral water bottles being thrown. The meeting soon split into camps with five of the 24-members siding with the Mbabazis, while Mike Mukula (Eastern), Jim Muhwezi (Veterans), Francis Babu (Kampala), Amelia Kyambadde (Treasurer) and Kasule Lumumba (Chief Whip) joined Kyaligonza to lead the charge against the Mbabazis. Kirunda Kivejinja (elders) had a neutralizing effect. He went as far as accusing Museveni of using the NRM Parliamentary caucus to usurp powers of all the party organs. “The chairman should stop using his caucus to usurp the authority of all organs; I think the organs should be allowed to do their work,” Kivejinja reportedly said. All the while Museveni was looking on, occasionally taking some notes, the sources said. Later, Museveni invited Rebecca Garang, the widow of the founding president of South Sudan Dr (Col) John Garang to address the members, briefly. Rebecca told the members that disunity in NRM especially amongst its top leadership could create chaos. She gave the example of her country, South Sudan, now gripped by war that erupted last year partly because of disagreements within the leadership of SPLA/M. After her submission, Jacqueline retook the floor. She detailed how Museveni had orchestrated a campaign to fight her husband by proxy through other party members. She said Museveni always fights those with ambition in NRM, citing Dr Kizza Besigye as an example. She wondered whether the country would come to a standstill if Museveni was no longer president. “Why do you fear competition?” she queried, according to our sources. She said Museveni had now sent out some ministers to the countryside to meet NRM grassroots leaders, in an effort to demonize her husaband further. “I know that you gave them Shs 2 billion to go around. But let me hope that what they report back is the truth. The truth is that people are tired. People want change,” she reportedly said as Museveni took down a few notes. Jacqueline said the day presidential term limits were removed from the Constitution in 2005, was the day the country was buried, politically. “I know my husband and sister [Hope Mwesigye] were involved in this but I always opposed them. Ask him. I remember the day Parliament voted; I was at home watching television. Then when my husband and sister came home to celebrate, I told them there is no food for you,” she said. “I did not give him food,” she emphasized.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 16:42:53 +0000
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