UGANDA: Why Museveni's top most female Gen. Nalweyiso is a corporal (PHOTOS)

WHY MUSEVENI'S TOP MOST FEMALE GEN. NALWEYISO IS A CORPORAL

CHANGE OF GUARDS - Lt. Gen. Priscivia Nalweyiso was born in 1954 in Gombe. She is an illiterate who only knows how to write and read her name in capital letters. In 1974, she separated from her only marriage to a soldier which marriage had been blessed with four children. During the 1980 general elections she was a local DP mobliser in one of the villages in Gombe. In 1982 she joined Museveni's NRA Bush War in Lueero and became one of the few female combatants. Already, there had been other females in the bush notably Mrs. Gertrude Njuba and Oliver Zizinga who were Museveni's aides, Jovia Saleh, Dora Kuteesa and a few others. There was also a group of teenage girls who had been kidnapped from Masulita Secondary School with the aid of their headmaster now Col. Jacob Asiimwe who was an NRA collaborator.

NRA soldiers and more especially the top commanders prayed on these females for sexual satisfaction thus causing friction and conflicts. In 1983 it was decided to expell all the females out of the NRA bush camps save for Dora and Jovia who were wives to Pecos Kuteesa and Saleh. The development caused a lot of discontent with some if the top commanders accusing Museveni of discrimination and dictatorial tendencies. Leading the aggrieved party was now Gen. Ssejusa who was consequently reprimanded. Some of the expelled females left with babies fathered by top Commanders.

The non combatant females were facilitated to leave the Bush while the female combatants were quarantined under the watchful eye and supervision of now Gen. Nalweyiso. Female combatants would rarely engage in active combat but would help the sick in the sick bay. These few female combatants were part of the NRA group that moved to Rwenzori mountains in 1984/85. After the fall of Fort Portal and other parts of western region, the quarantine on these female combatants was lifted. They were dispersed in different units just to excite the public. That is how in a single battle for Mbarara barracks the NRA lost five female combatants before all females were pulled back from combat actions. Nonetheless, quite a good number of young girls from the Batooro, Bamba, Bakonjo and a few Kanyankole flocked the NRA. The sexually starving NRA soldiers pounced on them since there was no policy to protect them. They could not even be allowed to concentrate on training as many were being sexually abused with impunity. A few found some solace in being involved in the once infamous NRA Choir. Nalweyiso was at this time involved with the welfare of the sick and injured in different hospitals in Kilembe and Fort Portal.

Upon the capture of Kampala in January 1986, the presence of female combatants and kids within the NRA ranks was the most attractive. Consequently, girls from all parts of the country enlisted to join the NRA. Still there was not in place a clear policy on ensuring protection of these female teenagers from sexual abuse. The NRM Vice Chairman, Moses Kigondo had been mandated to grant permission to any male combatant who wished to marry a female combatant. The frictions amongst the combatants over relationships with these females continued. A number of civilians also admired and made advances on some of these female combatants. Because of poor welfare, the female combatants also found it more paying to enter into relationships with civilian men.

A few much younger female combatants were taken to Mbarara as pioneers of the Kadogoo School. For the rest, a fresh quarantine was put in place that saw about 800 female combatants hoarded into Bombo barracks under the supervision of now Gen. Nalweyiso in what came to be known as the Women's Wing.

Around 1987 the NRA registered its first university graduate, Agnes Kasami. Upon completion of her basic training, Gen. Tumwine who was the Army Chief took her up as his Aide but only to end up fathering a kid with her. Consequently, Agnes disappeared without trace from the military scene. The Women's Wing at Bombo simply faded away as many such female combatants simply deserted, married off, died of AIDS and redeployed in different units. For Nalweyiso, she could not get any serious assignment/posting. She would only be made a member of different administrative committees and court Martial.

She was not afforded any kind of formal military training either locally or overseas. Instead, she kept rising in ranks without holding a single administrative or command position. By 2000, Nalweyiso,  like many other Bush War fighters on Katebe (rendered redundant) ran out of patience and requested to leave the army. As usual, her request was turned down but Museveni realised her source of anger and hunger. Museveni made her a Senior Presidential Advisor on Defence and security around 2001. Her role has been changing over time; from Museveni's Private Secretary In-charge of classified expenditures to Principal Secretary In-charge of the welfare of Veterans and serving soldiers.

As for the "classified expenditures", State House has a Comptroller who is In-charge of Finance. However, given that the source of much of Museveni's huge amounts of money that he randomly dishes out is the army and security sector in general, Nalweyiso is well suited to coordinate the flow of cash. For quite some time now, Museveni has been claiming to promote the professionalisation of the army. Among other measures in this regard is the recruitment and placement of more educated men and women into administrative command positions. Nalweyiso has never had any substantial military training. She has never been exposed to administrative or command positions. She can't effectively command any field military formation - Section (11 soldiers) to a Division (10,000+ soldiers). She can't represent the army in parliament because she is an illiterate. She can't lead a peace keeping operation in a foreign country. She can't be a Military Attache at any of Uganda's Embassies abroad. She has been appearing on local Luganda language radio programmes mobilising for Museveni but she can't appear on any English program to articulate national issues.

Nalweyiso is simply a General in the army just because she participated in Museveni's sectarian Bush War. The best package for Nalweyiso after capturing power should have been to award her with a rank of a Corporal and a retirement package into civilian life. Otherwise continuing parading her as a rare female General from Uganda just because she only knows how to fire a gun, salute Museveni and handle his secret finances is a big shame. What if top world academies start inviting her to deliver lectures!!! Will she be delivering papers in Luganda language or Kiswahili which she doesn't know but above all whose contents she doesn't comprehend.

The good news is that the Baganda have a top General in the army.

INFORMATION IS POWER AND THE PROBLEM OF UGANDA IS MUSEVENISM