The ruling party NRM last weekend held it’s First European Diaspora Convention amid efforts by opposition elements working with some officials in Germany to block the meeting.The meeting was attended by cream de la cream of the party led by the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong and the NRM director for External Affair Maj Pollar Awich.
The meeting took place in Munich Germany and discussed a wide range of issues including tourism, duo citizenship, agriculture, education among others.
However, holding the meeting wasn’t as rosy as many might think. We understood from credible sources that the Mayor of Munich acting on a petition filed by novelist Kakwenza allegedly tried to block the meeting. It was alleged that Kakwenza in his petition claimed that the meeting was being organized by the same party that is tainted with blood and had to be stopped by the authorities in Munich.
Although it finally took place in top secrecy, we got full details of how the organisers managed to beat the saboteurs and successfully held it over the weekend in Munich as par the plan. The party is however, working on a strongly worded letter to be delivered to the Mayor protesting the decision to block the convention without giving a chance to the organizers to plead their case.
HOW THINGS PLAYED OUT
Initially, this convention was meant to take place between July 1-3 in Munich Germany but was postponed for two weeks after the planned guest of honor NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong got engaged in Kampala.
Everything was moving smoothly as planned with bookings being made for the venue and other necessary conference requirements.
Sources informed this website that the organizers had even booked one of the best hotels identified as West Inn Grand Hotel. However, on Monday last week, just four days to the meeting the organizers were called to break the sad news to them.
“They told the organizers that the hotel rooms were full. That their contact person at the hotel didn’t know the hotel was already overbooked before admitting us” says a source.
The organizers had already paid in advance 15000 Euros for the rooms and conference facilities. Shockingly, there wasn’t any refund of the money by press time.
At this point after being sabotaged from West Inn Grand Hotel in the heart of the City, the organisers struggled to look for another hotel.
Out of that panic with the conference date of July 15-17 knocking, the organisers decided to travel some good miles away from Munich and finally secured another hotel on Friday. The 5-star hotel was identified as Vierjahreszeiten. Here, they were very sure that at least the saboteurs had been delt a big blow since it was secured on the last minute and moreover about 47km far away from the city.
However, sources revealed that even as they warmed up to the event, the Police called the hotel managers informing them that that a big demonstration had been registered with police protesting the meeting that was going to take place there. The police claimed the demonstrators were over 2000 Ugandans who were going to storm that hotel.
“The hotel informed us on the last minute that our meeting couldn’t take place. They said they couldn’t risk having 2000 demonstrators around their hotel and also risk the lives of their other visitors. They feared for their image as a hotel and ordered us out. But from the beginning, everything with this hotel was going on smoothly until the sad police call came to the hotel” explained a source.
We’re told the police claimed they had registered this huge demo and alerted the hotel to be aware and take a decision. This was how even the second hotel flopped on the last minute.
“Our problem is not about the conference you intend to hold here but the big number of people (demonstrators). It will put the hotel name at risk and our guests. So, we cancel” a source quoted the hotel as telling the organizers.
Upon being evicted even here, the organizers made frantic calls again to pals who would know some places they could hold the meeting.
Eventually, according to sources, the organisers were informed of a certain executive restaurant with a conference facilities in town. This is how they ran there and finally settled to conduct the meeting successfully without any ugly scenes.
Totaling about 200 delegates, the participants were ushered into the conference room but with a warning that the staff weren’t enough to keep serving the guests.
Therefore, they served them with enough drinks at once until lunch and dinner came since the waitresses and waiters weren’t enough.
Eventually, the meeting took place with the SG also being able to hold side meetings with several people including potential investors.
KAKWENZA, STELLA NYANZI ACTIONS
We are told a few days to the convention, one of the Ugandans in Germany held meeting to launch a book. She invited exiled Dr. Stella Nyanzi as guest speaker. The chairman of Ugandans in Germany who’s also NRM chapter chairman for Germany-Micheal Lwanga was also invited.
While there, Nyanzi who was seen in constant chat with a certain mzungu identified as Conrad, allegedly asked Lwanga why he supported NRM, a party she called ugly and tainted with blood.
Speaking in Luganda, Nyanzi said thus: “Ggwe omusajja omulungi bw’ati, owagira otya ogubiina gwa NRM ogujjudde ebibi?” she asked meaning ‘a handsome man like you, how do you support a bad party NRM?’
Lwanga we’re told, informed Nyanzi that ‘madam, it’s not about the looks but ideology’.
During his time to give a speech, Lwanga had hinted on the impending plans to have the NRM Convention in Munich. He told Nyanzi that whereas it was being organized under the NRM banner, the issues for discussion weren’t political but were intended to allow Ugandans in Europe have a chance to interface with government officials and NRM as a party. Therefore, if was open to all Ugandans regardless of their political beliefs.
It was out of this statement that, even Nyanzi asked for an invite which was dully given to her through an email. We’re told she even asked who the guest of honor would be and they informed her the SG and the director of External Affairs at NRM secretariat were coming.
“Are you sure the SG is coming? I want to engage him in a discussion. If you give me an invite, I will come. I am tired of politics of fights. Why can’t we sit and dialogue? I want to engage with your SG if he’s coming (for the convention)” a source quoted her as telling Lwanga.
All along, her mzungu pal was nodding in approval severally saying that ‘its good to come together. Uganda needs people like you (Lwanga). Bringing people together to discuss issues affecting them. Dialogue helped Germany to come together’
As the discussion went on about the impending convention, Nyanzi kept asking for the venue of the convention but Lwanga became suspicious of her energies in asking for it and kept it a top secret.
“We suspect she wanted to know the venue to be able to launch her battles. When an invitation was sent to her, she posted it”
ORGANISERS’ TAKE
When contacted for a comment, the convention coordinator also the general secretary of NRM Germany chapter Lilian Ikulumet describes the meeting as successful but went on to say that there were hardships in holding it.
“What I can say is that the convention was successful. We held it but amid many challenges. Some people wanted to block the conference working with all sorts of groups here. We’re taking the matter to the leadership of Munich to tell us why it’s good for others to easily converge and it’s bad for us” she told us when contacted.
We also talked to Lwanga who confirmed our story.
“The so-called 2000 demonstrators were exaggerated until we learnt that it was sabotage. Uganda being a country that doesn’t agree with homosexuality yet those of Kakwenza were fronting them, this was a precursor to our ordeals. But good enough, we finally managed and we held it in Munich city center without their protests” he said. He added that SG Todwong said the matter would be addressed at government to government level.
He also wondered why Germany which issued the Visas to guests to the meeting in Kampala would be the same to block the guests from converging for their intended meeting.
“Our relationship with Germany goes beyond an individual like Kakwenza. I want to assure you, there was no protest at all. However, we went through a lot to have this meeting and the President must know this” he said.
He said whereas the convention was organized under the auspices of NRM chapters in Europe, it’s main objective was to enable Ugandans in those countries air out their concerns to government and the party so that they can be worked upon. Some of the issues included duo citizenship, acquiring national IDs, technology transfer, taxes among others. The conference attracted participants from Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Turkey, UK, Finland among others. They appreciated the president for organizing it to enable them share more with the party and government on issues affecting Ugandans in diaspora.
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