UGANDA: Gen. Otema on the security spotlight over Tadwong's "subversive remarks"

CHANGE OF GUARDS - "I am speaking to you because I know you are my shield, and I have to be honest, my church told me to be honest.  I have told this to the President – I am not scared if calling a spade, a spade.  If we don't restrain, if we don't control our greed on how we use public resources, how we steal with impunity, then Ugandans will push us out of power and that will be another transition.  The hills of Kampala are expanding with buildings yet the schools and health centres are shrinking, where do people get this money from?  And who are the owners of these structures ee see?  Commissioners, Directors, Ministers, M.Ps .... so, people get disgusted."

Richard Tadwong - the Museveni regime party Deputy Secretly General, addressing the Interreligious Council if Uganda conference in Entebbe recently.

In February 2018, Museveni issued a stern warning to religious leaders against cautioning his military dictatorship.  At a public function in Fort Portal he warned thus; “The religious leaders have been provoking us and me in particular, they should stop.  I don't want people to lecture me about what to do for Uganda."

Two months later Bishop Lwanga of the Catholic Church accused Museveni of planting spies in the church to report on the said Bishop's alleged plots to overthrow his (Museveni) government.  Two weeks later, Richard Tadwong who is a very top regime official is invited by the church to make "subversive" remarks!!!!

Richard Tadwong is a brother to Gen.  Charles Otema Awany the Commander of the non-existent Reserve Force. The Gen. joined the NRA from the UNLA after Museveni captured power in 1986.  He spent the better part of his service under the Directorate of Transport where he amassed a lot of ill gotten wealth.  He rose to become the Commander of the Gulu based 4th Division.  Being his home district, it was during his tenure as Division Commander that he ventured into active partisan politics.

In February 2002 he lead troops that stormed Gulu Prison where he ordered the extra judicial killing of Peter Oloya, an opposition activist.  In 2009 the High Court inquiry found him culpable of this murder but Museveni shielded him from prosecution.

In 2008 Acholi leaders accused him of undermining the peace process when he allegedly threatened to kill the leader of LRA, Joseph Kony. 

In February 2016 the Electoral Commission ordered the Police and the Election Returning Officer in Gulu to inquire into Gen. Otema's alleged involvement in campaigning for Museveni, intimidating the opposition supporters and bribery of voters.  As expected, the matter was swept under the carpet since all army officers were doing the same in their respective areas of command.  However, during the same time Gen. Ssejusa was arrested and arraigned before the court martial on accusations of involvement in partisan politics just because he had associated himself with the opposition.

In January 2017 Gen. Otema was moved from the prestigious position of Chief of Logistics to the position of Commander of the non-existent Reserve Force.

Gen. Otema has also been instrumental in land grabbing in northern Uganda.  He uses soldiers who are permanently guarding his 8,000-acre farm in Nwoya district to harass, intimidate and maim the victims.

As Richard Tadwong put it, the Museveni reign is characterized by nepotism.  Nepotism plays a supplementary role in the rise of both Tadwong and his brother Gen. Otema.  Obviously, the regime is shocked by Tadwong's courage to publicly state the obvious.  He must have first discussed it with his elder brother, Gen. Otema who gave him a go-ahead.

The development comes at a time when northern Uganda is threatening to secede from Uganda.  In December 2017 Hon. Reagan Okumu told Parliament thus; “My people have said that we either go federal or we secede from this country.  You have sat on us for a long time."   He was supported by the majority of M.Ps from northern Uganda.  Indeed, different statistical findings have indicated that the region is lagging in many aspects.  In the late 1990s Museveni regime's chief ideologist, Kajabago Karusoke described the people of northern Uganda as mere "biological substances".

To make matters worse another Luo, Ofwono Opondo who heads the government Media Centre and also doubles as the Deputy regime party Spokesman vehemently supported Tadwong's assertion.  He said; “There is nothing strange in what he is saying.  The truth of the matter is supervision in government is weak, if not absent - even in NRM, supervision is not there.  NRM has failed to supervise the government, and if we in the NRM and government don't raise these issues, then we shall cede to opposition propaganda." 

Over to you comrade Tadwong, get ready for disciplinary measures for "talking in the wrong forum".  For Ofwono Opondo, it will be by God's grace if you survive the incoming clean-up.  For Gen. Otema, it’s high treason to incite your brother to caution the system that has " made you what you are".

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM.