Countrymen and Country Women,
I, again, convey the condolence of all the Ugandans, the NRM fraternity, the Government and my own family, to the family of the Late Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, the former Speaker of Parliament and Vice-Chairman for the NRM for Northern Uganda.
As I said at Kololo, the coming up of people like the Rt. Hon, Oulanyah to high-level of leadership of the country, number 3 in the constitutional hierarchy of the country, is a direct result of the historic road- junction (masanganzira) Uganda experienced in 1965. Prior to 1965, Uganda’s political Parties had been based on the politics of identity. Identity of religion and also identity of tribes and gender-chauvinism (looking down or marginalizing women). Hence, you had DP as a Party for Catholics, UPC a Party for Protestants and KY a Party for Baganda Protestants. Although a Protestant, I had been a Member of DP on account of another strand of sectarianism in the Ankole area of that time. The marginalization of women could be seen by the fact that in the Parliament of 91 Members of Parliament (including the 9 Specially Elected), I can only remember two women – Florence Lubega and an Indian Lady, Visram.
On account of exposure to World historical events through the studies in Schools but also examining the phenomena in our villages, by 1965, some youth elements in those sectarian political Parties, had started seeing that the logic of politics of identity was pseudo-ideology-a false diagnosis of the problems our societies faced. Abroad, we had been exposed to the phenomena of the class politics of Europe such as the phenomenon of the great French Revolution that saw capitalism triumph over feudalism for the first time but also the unification of Germany (1871) and Italy (1860) from the smaller kingdoms of the Germanic and Latin Peoples, (respectively). Locally, we could see that hunger, thirst, poverty, lack of roads, lack of schools, diseases etc. were common to all and affecting everybody. You do not have Catholic, Protestant or Moslem malaria or female or male malaria. You do not have Banyankore, Baganda or Acholi malaria. Malaria is malaria regardless of religion, tribes or gender. If the needs of these people are similar, why, then, do you divide them? Why do you not unite them so that they can, together, tackle their common problems – common needs?
After thorough analysis, we came up with the four NRM principles that you are now familiar with: Patriotism (mwoyo gwa Uganda, love the whole of Uganda because you need it for your prosperity, uzalendo); Pan-Africanism (mwoyo gwa Africa, love the whole of Africa, because you need it for your prosperity and security); Social-economic transformation; and Democracy.
By the time we formed Fronasa in 1971 to fight Idi Amin, these were our guiding principles. We did not look at People’s identity but at their capability and contribution. We did not look at tribes, religions or whether one was a woman or man. What is your ideology (political beliefs); your capability and your contribution? That is how Kategaya and myself came here in Omoro in 1973, January and linked up with Jacob Okello who used to work with UDC. Jacob Okello linked us to 82 Acholi Ex-Soldiers and Police that were around a village to the right of Awere bridge as you face East, led by a former Uganda Army Sergeant Lino Okuya. I have been in touch with his family. This group had been introduced to Eriya Kategaya by Engineer Akena Pajok of UEB who had also linked us with the Atiak group of Maama Kinyera, my late Deputy Resident District Commissioner. The guns we had infiltrated into the country before the mistake of September, 17th, 1972 disrupted us, had been dispersed to different parts of Uganda. 20 of them had been brought by Akena Pajok to Atiak. Hence, in our meeting with Lino Okuya in the village near Awere bridge, we had arranged for those guns to be transferred from Atiak to the Awere area to arm the 82 Ex-Serviceman. Unfortunately, Lino Okuya, against my express advice, revealed our plan to one Latigo, a former Obote’s General Service (Intelligence) person, who had been briefly with us in Dar-es-salaam and, apparently, had come back. That is how Obwona and Labeja of Atiak and Awere respectively, were arrested with the guns while transferring them. Also arrested with them was David Kangire, a former Butobere Secondary School Student that we had attached to the Acholi group. Labeja and Obwona were part of the group of 12 that were publicly executed by Idi Amin as follows:
- Labeja and Obwona in Gulu;
- Some 2 thieves in Kampala that had nothing to do with us;
- Kasolo and Abwoli Malibo in Fort Portal;
- Ntale and Nkoko in Jinja;
- Namirundu and Masaba in Mbale;
- The Kyambogo Mathematics Teacher, Karuhaanga (Omuharabu because of his brown colour) in Mbarara;
- Bitwaari, Karambuzi and Kangire in Kabale.
Most of these were our Members except the thieves in Kampala. Kategaya, Jacob Okello and myself, also had a narrow escape when our Renault car knocked a sheep at Palenga Primary School and had its radiator damaged. It is that sheep that saved Kategaya because he did not arrive back at his Bat Valley Flats Residence when Amin’s operatives came with torches looking for his car which at that time, about 22:00 hours (ten p.m.), was safely parked behind the Teachers’ house at Palenga, damaged by the sheep and at that very hour our Party was departing Gulu in a hired mini-bus for Kampala.
It is that ideology of the four principles: Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Social-economic transformation and Democracy, that we introduced to the whole of Uganda when we won the civil war in 1986. Ekitetekatekyirwe, embwa ekahuunga omukaro. “Surprise caused a dog to run away from the spitted and dried meat, thinking somebody had thrown a stone at it.” However, after running away for a short distance, the dog stopped and started getting the scent of the delicious meat and came back to enjoy the mukaro (the spitted and dried meat). Similarly, visionary young people in the North, with time, started noticing the attractiveness of the correct principles of the NRM and joining. In return, the NRM also noticed the talents of these young people – starting with the Deputy Speaker Betty Okwir, Beatrice Lagada, Salim Bachou etc. Jacob Oulanyah, was one of them. On the Military/Police side, people like Otema, Oketta, Odwe; Akullo, Lokech etc., came up. Since the NRM is always after qualities and Oulanyah had a bunch of them, such as a sharp analytical brain, dedication, oratory, etc., NRM supported him for the position of Deputy Speaker in the years 2011 to 2021. Last year, 2021, the NRM forwarded his name to the Parliament as a sole candidate for Speakership having ruled out the other contenders. In the vote, NRM gave Oulanyah 310 votes against Maama Kadaga who had stood as an Independent. Maama Kadaga got 197 votes. In the same way, many other young and old Cadres are coming up backed by progressive forces of the NRM. Oulanyah, in Parliament, was strictly following the Constitution and avoiding non-legal actions. The new Speaker and Deputy Speaker have seen Oulanyah’s example although a brief one.
The people of Omoro, give us another good NRM. I salute Oulanyah, using the lessons he had learnt from the NRM of non-sectarianism, as Vice Chairperson NRM, united the peoples of Lango, Acholi and West Nile who had been wrongly polarized in 1971 (Amin against the Acholis and Langis), in 1980 (UPC revenging on the West Nilers on account of Amin’s mistakes) and 1985 (Okello Lutwa and Bazilio against Obote). The NRM had healed the bad feelings created in 1966 by the conflict between Obote and Mutesa. We have, therefore, lost a great asset. Get us a good replacement. We shall stand with Oulanyah’s children and continue to support the development and transformation of Northern Uganda, just as we do for the rest of the country. The outpouring of grief by all Ugandans towards Oulanyah’s death, shows that the NRM strategy of uniting all Ugandans has succeeded. If you are good, the Ugandans will appreciate you.
May his Soul rest in Eternal Peace.
Yoweri K. Museveni
PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN NRM
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