Why Gen. Kyaligonza's son cannot marry #Museveni's daughter - #Uganda

   "You have never really chaired L.C1 and you want to become Vice Chairman Western region? Your father in law is the Chairman of NRM, your mother in law sometimes attends CEC as an invited guest. Rwabwogo is like any other human being who marries from the first family. Maybe if Museveni was still producing, my son would marry a daughter from his family."

   The Observer - interview with Gen. Kyaligonza in Jan 2016.

Museveni's "permanent" Ambassador to Burundi, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Matayo Kyaligonza who also doubles as a member of the regime's Central Executive Committee (CEC) has added his voice on the list of eminent people who are opposed to Museveni's life Presidency scheme.

While appearing on the CBS FM Radio talk show last week, Kyaligonza called on Museveni to "stop pretending to be very busy and should listen to what people are saying.  He went ahead and said Museveni should use this chance to (to retire) now when we still love him and not to give a chance to everyone to say he is tired." He cautioned that the "age limit removal is taking the country down a road which spells doom." He blamed the parliamentarians for "bringing and forcing a bad bill on people".  He criticized the Speaker for the violence that ensued on the floor of parliament.

As a member of topmost regime organ, CEC, Vice Chairman for the Western Region, and member of the army High Command, his position reflects the views held by other members of CEC and other regime organs. This explains why Museveni feared subjecting the age limit motion to discussion by the top regime organs but instead hired a private member to move the bill. That way he hopes to get any easy sail using his hostage regime caucus and rubber stamp Parliament. It is for the same reason that he fears to subject the bill to the scrutiny of the general population and instead gives it to only sycophant regime cadres.

Gen. Kyaligonza belonged to the Save Uganda Movement (SUM) under Eteker Ejalu during the struggle against the Iddi Amin regime in the 1970s, linked with Museveni during his Bush War of 1981 - 1986. He became one of the few topmost commanders by taking charge of the urban terrorist squad dubbed Black Bombers that was responsible for much of the mayhem in the city that was blamed on the Obote regime. At Kisementi in Kampala he personally shot dead Hon. Bamuturaki, the D.P M. P for Mwenge after he mistook him for a UNLA senior officer.

At the fall of Kampala, Kyaligonza commanded 7th Battalion that overran Makindye Barracks before proceeding to the eastern region. His 151 Brigade set base at Mbale from where he was involved in ferrying to his home in Hoima truckloads of cattle looted from Teso.  Like Gen. Ssejusa and others who were humiliated by Museveni awarding them with lower ranks of Brigadiers as compared to the likes of Tumwine, Saleh and Rwigyema whom he made Maj. Generals, Kyaligonza was rated "disgruntled". Around late 1990s Museveni nabbed in the bud Kyaligonza's alleged treasonous plans by purging him from the army. He went into politics by representing the people of Buhaguzi.

When he lost the constituency, Kyaligonza's economic wellbeing became worse. Through the then CMI, Brig. Mayombo, Kyaligonza appealed for Museveni's intervention. In his letter to Museveni, he clearly wrote that his situation was so bad that he could not even afford to pay school fees for his children. Since it was at a time when senior army officers were fleeing to Rwanda, Museveni acted very fast by deploying Kyaligonza as Ambassador to Kenya. Later he moved him to the insignificant Burundi where he has become Uganda's " permanent " Ambassador. Museveni further went ahead to award him the rank of Maj. General in retirement after holding the rank of Brigadier for 26 years. He now has to humiliatingly salute among others, Gen. Mbadi who was completing his basic training at Kabamba when the former became a Brigadier in 1987.

Gen. Kyaligonza had anticipated much better from Museveni. During a CEC meeting in October 2014 to sort out Museveni's Sole Candidature scheme, Gen. Kyaligonza aggressively attacked Hassan Basajjabalaba who was in support of Amama Mbabazi by abusing him Kumanyoko. He went ahead to call Mbabazi's wife stupid. He told Mbabazi thus; "You are lucky that I am not the President; otherwise by now you and your wife would be in Luzira Prison."

Mbabazi was purged by removing him from the position of the regime Secretary Generalship on charges of vying to contest against Museveni. Shortly after it was Kyaligonza's turn to be purged from the influential CEC. Museveni sent his son-in-law, Odrek Rwabwogo to vie for the position of Vice Chairman Western Region against the incumbent, Gen. Kyaligonza. Treating it as a second betrayal by Museveni, Gen. Kyaligonza furiously protested forcing Museveni to rescind his decision.

In an interview with The Observer in September 2015, Gen. Kyaligonza had this to say; "But there is one thing which he (Museveni) might not be able to defeat, is age because time will come; age will catch up with him, with me; the young man (Rwabwogo) whom you call the Young Turk, will also join the old people; they will also go."  Hopping that Museveni would respect the age limit of 75 years, in another interview with The Observer in October 2014, Kyaligonza stated thus; "Museveni will step down, one, naturally; two, by law; three, by depreciation. In any case, he has declared his age."  

From the above, you can imagine the level of disappointment and frustration that drove Gen. Kyaligonza into his recent outburst against Museveni's manoeuvres to lift the constitutional age limit. Viva Gen, better late than never. However, as for intermarriage with the Museveni family, it’s impossible because your son is neither Tutsi nor Hima but more so you may end up feeding his daughter on beans because you are not Balalo. Equally important, the First Lady last week revealed that her daughters maintained their virginity till marriage.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND DEFIANCE IS THE WAY TO GO.