President Yoweri Museveni’s Communications Assistant Joseph Ssewava is contemplating on launching a fundraising campaign to have former Aruu county MP Odonga Otto sent to rehabilitation to manage what he termed as “a deteriorating mental condition” following his election loss.
Ssewava was responding to the troubled former lawmaker’s weekend dossier critiquing the deceased former Deputy Inspector General of Police Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech.
Otto, in the controversial dossier shamelessly tried to largely differ from the general public perception about the deceased as scandal-free military officials who served both police and the Army with an impeccable reputation.
Sewava now says he is contemplating on fundraising for the politician’s mental therapy in a mental rehabilitation center.
He also notes that Odonga Otto’s recent conduct clearly suggests he is undergoing some mental strife that could very soon escalate into real madness unless something is done.
Asked why as a cadre of the ruling NRM would be bothered about Otto who is an opposition stalwart, Museveni’s man retorted that gone were the days when one would wish another hell for simply subscribing to a different political ideology.
“Odonga Otto is an important citizen of this country. He has done a lot in his time as a member of Parliament. It would be shameful for us to look on as his mental health continues to degenerate. This is no longer the time to see political rivalry as enmity,” Ssewava told Watchdog on phone.
On the former MP’s confession that some people, including late Lokech, had reached out to Museveni to deploy embattled Otto, Ssewava’s answer was a cryptic one, insisting the politician’s mental health had better be sorted before talking about deployments.
Otto this week wrote a long dossier that castigated the fallen battle-hardened police boss of misusing his powers to frustrate his (Otto’s) parliamentary reelection bid in the January 14 polls.
He however said he had forgiven the deceased in death.
The issue of mental failure as a result of losing an election was first brought to light by former Kampala City Woman MP contestant Dr. Stella Nyanzi early this year.
Responding to an ugly scandal that rocked the family of former Kyadonho East MP Apollo Kantinti, Nyanzi highlighted the need for therapeutic outreach to election losers for it would graduate into real madness if not resolved early.
The former legislator was variously accused of irresponsible drug addiction and domestic violence, effects reported to have been caused by his ill-fated political experiences.
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