UGANDA: Basoga defy Museveni's sectarian greed

BASOGA DEFY MUSEVENI'S SECTARIAN GREED

CHANGE OF GUARDS - A Musoga, Prof. Waswa Balunywa has been the Principal of Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Nakawa for the last 21 years. He has successfully developed the institution to acceptable standards. When he clocked his statutory retirement age of 60 years in 2015 in accordance with S.12 of the Pensions Act Cap 286, nobody raised the issue.

It is only three years later when the greedy Mafias embarked on having their usual own take over MUBS. The First Lady who is the Minister of Education ganged up with the Chairman of the governing council of MUBS, Prof. Venancias Baryamureba to have Prof. Moses Muhwezi takeover from Prof. Waswa Balunywa. The First Lady directed the Education Service Commission to speed up "the process of getting a replacement for Prof. Balunywa to avoid a leadership vacuum."

The plan was to have Prof. Muhwezi takeover as the Principal while MUBS is elevated to the University level where Prof. Baryamureba would become the Vice Chancellor. You will recall that the same Prof. Baryamureba vied for the just concluded process of selecting a Vice Chancellor for Makerere University. Instead it was Prof. Nawangwe from the eastern region who was selected.

Prof. Waswa Balunywa put up a spirited fight that included the general public from other regions and his Basoga tribesmen in particular. The matter took a sectarian tone when the public overwhelmingly expressed its disgust over the regime's calculated schemes to have every top public office go to Museveni's western region. Prof. Balunywa engaged the aid of his top tribesman and former Minister Asuman Kiyingi who lead underground manoeuvres and lobbying. As the fierce battle raged on, the Prof Baryamureba camp moved fast and appointed Prof. Moses Muhwezi as the Acting Pr,ncipal.

Mindful of political repercussions and driven by the quest for cheep political capital, as usual, in the midst of the bloody contest, Museveni moved in by directing that Prof. Balunywa be reappointed as the Principal of MUBS. In private, the aftermath of the clashes are in Museveni's bedroom; in public we are yet to see if Prof. Baryamureba will stick to his guns by either of going to court to challenge the renewal of Prof. Balunywa's contract or resigning as Chairman of the MUBS governing council.

The other day when the Judicial Service Commission stood its ground against Museveni's reappointment of  Chief Justice Ben Odoch beyond his retirement age, Museveni had to give in.

The saga is a classic example of what Tamale Mirundi refers to as "sectarian arrogance" where the Mafias feel that every top public office should be "theirs". For now, Prof. Waswa Balunywa's Mpa Enkoni (posh government car) will continue to take Jinja Road as opposed to the traditional Busega Round about and Katonga Bridge.

Defiance and Tubalemese has worked.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM