There is a saying in Luganda that: “Abalya tebogela- you eat in silence” which we can ascribe many meanings to. The obvious one is about etiquette- customary code of good behavior. You don’t want people to look inside your mouth when eating or spitting food at them.
But the best meaning of ‘eat in silence’ is for fear not to attract others: perhaps what you are eating is stolen therefore you avoid attracting unnecessary attention or you’re greedy therefore you don’t want to share with others.
The part of not wanting to attract unnecessary attention will form the basis for our discussion of today.
In it’s simplest meaning, CORRUPTION is a form of dishonest behavior that has a big impact on everyone. I will give one example here.
Some time in the 1990s, President Museveni selected a team of commanders or ‘experts’, if you like, to go to Eastern Europe and purchase weapons and other accessories of war.
– They came back with junk trucks named IFA (Imported For Accident as Ugandans termed them)
– They bought ‘dude’ bombs those which can’t explode (no chemical combination inside)
– They bought artillery pieces without firing pins
– They bought helicopters (military choppers) without rotor blades
– They bought undersized military uniforms fit for primary school pupils
– They came back with rifle bullets which were a few millimeters bigger than the muzzles of our AK- 47
– They bought Soviet- era T-tanks many of them left broken in the jungles of Bunia Congo, etc.
Their colleagues who never went to Europe decided to inflate the army payroll with ‘ghost’ soldiers. It was discovered that there was a battalion with only three soldiers but collecting salaries for 880 soldiers; they were getting promotions and medical supplies, including of course different assortments of weapons of war.
CORRUPTION therefore, occurs when an entrusted person (s) abuses his/ her position of power for own benefit. When this happens, the consequences are felt far and wide.
Imagine what happened to the northern war effort when the army was nearly starved of weapons!
Friends, this has been the story of Uganda since self-rule, where every group which takes power abuses that trust.
Gen. David Sejusa (Tinyefunza or flatfoot for those in the NRA) tells a story of how Kololo hill changes hands from one regime to another.
Those one-acre houses, I don’t think, the government has any left it owns. They have always been changing hands from one regime to another but now, it seems, are permanently converted.
This takes us back to why “you have to eat in silence.”
Ordinarily, you don’t attract attention to yourself if you know the dark source of your money. You have to be really an idiot to steal money and then drive an expensive car with your name on. How about fleecing some white fella and then throw an expensive wedding at a Kampala Hotel for the entire world to see?
The one credit Ugandans don’t give President Museveni is that he is an extraordinary father both literally and figuratively. We all know how he loves his children and will never shy away from giving them whatever a head of state can give to his children. And these ‘children’ extend beyond his biological 7 kids to entire districts.
Then of course he is a father to most Ugandans especially those fleecing state coffers. He is privy to the knowledge that most folks now abusing their position of authority (the corrupt), came from poor homes where they slept with “ebikku- bed bugs” and went to school on empty stomachs.
He has always known that these “actors” as he likes to call people he dislikes, own too much assets way above their pay grade. So he sympathizes with them because of the poverty they grew up in. But these same actors are openly and foolishly displaying the same wealthy he had allowed them to keep but with no noise!
So you know, everyday those same actors come up with stories about Museveni enriching himself and his family. Now the tables have turned: “Enswa yegoba enyonyi- the white ant is now chasing the bird!
Wow! Wonders will never cease to happen especially in Uganda.
Mr. Museveni has one of the richest cabinets in Africa and a Parliament full of former beggars but now billionaires. He has a party cadre ship whose leaders own nearly half of Uganda’s riches. Clever fellas. These NRA folks don’t even contribute to build a party headquarters la UPC -Uganda House- because they ‘eat in silence’ contrary to other myopic folks.
I hear that Bobi Wine’s folks are swimming in wealth because they openly display opulence. A certain fellow who controls the Ministry of Justice has just been brought to the dinning table and already he is reaching to grab the host’s choice piece!
Not to be accused of tribalism, or being insensitive, clever Banyankole keep away from most of these scandals. Look at Hon. Mawanda how much he is accused of stealing. We don’t even know his ‘mansion’ or whether he drives a monster land cruiser!
The clever Banyankole mastered one thing: “akabbe amagumba tosuula mumulyango- you can’t eat while displaying the bones of a stolen chicken!” A fellow with half-a- brain, will dig a hole and hide both the feathers and bones.
Not your Ugandan typical politician who is not from Western Uganda.
These fellows have houses in London and South Africa and some pay nearly US$250,000 (UGX1billion) in school fees per term for their Europe- schooling kids. They even own arcades but you will never find their names registered on them. You meet their kids on Emirates going to school in Dubai but you will never guess the names of their fathers.
The other actors, not Westerners, will seat in first class with their kids heading to Australia for schooling and making unnecessary noise showing off.
Back in the day when Mr. Museveni has just been in power for a couple of years, he was surprised at the same time pissed with Jim Muhwezi’s public display of wealth after a massive wedding and owning a palatial home in his village.
The president warned Affande Jim Muhwezi:
“What example are you showing to Ugandans? That you’re this rich? Where did you get the money?”
After that he burned such weddings by soldiers. Of course like the Bibles, that order is now old and no longer adhered to. Weddings of 600millions are taking place at Munyonyo resort every weekend!
This ‘clever’ lady from Bukedea is not getting flied for owning a house(s) in London. No Sir! Her punishment is daring to show that she has that or those houses. She is simply a victim of NOT eating in silence!
THE KILLING OF ZABULONI:
There is a true story often being told by President Museveni himself where a one NRA rebel fighter was sentenced to death and immediately executed for stealing a pig from a “Mwanainchi- ordinary person.” This was early into the Luweero bush war.
The killing of Zabuloni served this purpose:
The main purpose/ scenario can better be understood from a Baganda story called “Kapa efirawo- the cat must die” if things are to run smoothly.
‘Kapa efirawo’ narrates the idea of instilling fear early on in order to obtain good results or total submission. It is usually performed by husbands to instill fear hence total submission from their new wives.
Essentially when two newly- weds are alone in their home, a husband does things to prove to his bride that he expects no nonsense. Like he would gas (kunyampa) in bed and openly. Then kick around house pets including breaking cups and sauce pans at minor infringements. The end is getting a submissive wife.
This is the same fear rebel Museveni instilled in his combatants after the killing of comrade Zabuloni.
The NRA’s Zabuloni was therefore ordered killed in order to instill fear in other fighters. Whoever joined was told this story and right away you got scared of what Museveni will do to you if you transgressed. It was actually Rwanda’s Paul Kagame who was the chief enforcer during the NRA bush war. This is the same discipline in his Rwanda: you mess up, you get shot!
When I joined that outfit later- the NRA- I was surprised at the level of discipline it had. You could not steal anything, not even food when starving, let alone abuse a Mwanainchi. I cannot tell you how many times I saw comrades thrown in holes (Vietnam style holes half- filled with water) for even minor behaviors.
Interestingly, President Museveni is now coming hard on the corrupt and somehow trying to instill fear la Zabuloni example. Won’t it be a case of “too little, too late” because he forgot “Kapa efirawo” with the politicians?
Don’t ever get twisted into believing even for a second that President Museveni is now weak. People like Museveni are not born every day and you don’t come across them on street corners.
I have known President Museveni long enough to understand fully his anger. And when he is pissed, please, stay the hell out of his way.
The MPs including their Speaker Anita Anet Among who are facing a litany of corruption allegations will not be spared. All those fellows he allowed to ‘eat in silence’ instead opened their big mouth; now is time to get yourselves passports and go seek asylum elsewhere.
Fellow Ugandans, we have to join hands and help Mr. Museveni fight graft. It is not politics at play as we often interpret everything in Uganda. Nearly a third of our budget money is stolen and used to construct the many dingy apartments you now see in our suburbs. Who benefits when our hospitals have no drugs and many children study in run-down schools but a few fellows eats all that is meant for those purposes?
BY WAY OF CONCLUSION:
Fighting corruption is way harder than fighting a war. Corruption is actually like discovering that the person who has been stealing money from your wallet is actually your wife! How do you handle that?
Friends, I have always told you that Mr. Museveni’s 40 years rule has solely been anchored on DISTRIBUTION and not the CONSTITUTION.
He allowed everyone to eat except that many have over-eaten turning into embarrassments. But this is the bane of Ugandan people who don’t know when to stop. He is now going to remove their hands from the cookie jar with devastating consequences.
Again, Mr. Museveni is only touching the tip of a giant iceberg. Let him form an Asset Forfeiture Unit headed by a no-nonsense commander (Gen. MK can handle) to take away stolen money. We shouldn’t cut off people’s heads, as crazy Basajjamivule is proposing, but we can publicly shame them.
As it is evident; most corruption is in government and driven by elected politicians. Citizens of Uganda: let us reclaim our politics by shunning those who display ill-gotten wealth. You come to campaign with a land cruiser; we don’t vote for you. This will, in a small way, give us responsible leaders.
That Hon. Cissy Namujju “stole” in order to feed her Lwengo voters; this is preposterous and absolute rubbish. Politicians, those who have insatiable greed, please quit and join Nasser Road!
LAST WORD: “These corrupt people insult our heroes… we shall crush them!’
– Yoweri K. Museveni
Adam Kamulegeya
adamkam2003@gmail.com
0779 104 336
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