By Mike Ssegawa
On Saturday morning, a message was shared on whatsapp groups that Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba was going to have a live interview on UBC at 9pm.
People who keenly follow the First Son waited for the hour and laboured to find UBC channel. Muhoozi has a following observing his every move, and after a series of interviews in the past over succession and his military career, an experienced journalist Tony Owana was supposed to direct questions to the President’s special advisor on special operations into another direction. Nay. They were expecting too much.
With 17 years in high security operations and a lifetime of VVIP proximity, Muhoozi would have ventured into real serious security threats facing this country and region. The historical Tony Owana whose imposing greying head, this time round got many things wrong on what should have been the biggest interview on UBC this Saturday.
One, the venue of the interview was wrong. The set in a boardroom was inappropriate. It was Owana’s domination of the interview, asking his questions as Muhoozi nodded in agreement, that also killed it.
As Muhoozi spoke about his life and his pursuits, the one hour show saw Owana telling us, rather, telling Muhoozi what he knows about him and his future.
The other thing was Mr Owana dwelling on answered questions in the past and specifically making his interview into a response to RUMOURS said about Muhoozi on the street. Muhoozi of course answered him like he has always done. He’s focusing on his job today, and the future is the future. The other questions, he just ignored the questions because they’re classified or too personal. The show ended up being an historical hour.
Owana would therefore have done better discussing actual security operations, including today’s threats.
Like he pointed out on the experience and education of Muhoozi, it was off topic for Owana to leave Muhoozi without responding to insecurity in the country, the threats of terrorism, the challenges in UPDF, the role of UPDF in Uganda’s development and the force after his father its founder.
In short, Owana killed a rather good opportunity his viewers could have learnt something new. In my opinion, Owana needs another appointment with Muhoozi to discuss more important things rather than rumours Muhoozi has dismissed over the years.
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