Ugandans-At-Heart

Guys,
I think we should not at this moment equate Otunnu’s apparent lack of  crowd appeal on his arrival date, as representative of of him being a paper tigre afterall.

Let’s wait and see the kind of appeal he generates in the former and current UPC strongholds as he tours the country before making judgement.

Besides, the the guy has a well documented international stature and his return to Uganda can only be of help to the country, whether you like him, support his party or not.

I am waiting to see though, how he copes with local Acholi politicians who
had carved for themselves political influence in his absence and see how he relates to them.

I think the guy is an asset to Uganda, as an opposition politician, a mere observer or even just a private citizen.

I don’t know about Otunnu trying to cut a deal with the NRM while he was with the Military Council. I was however told by Sam Kutesa in the presence of John Nasasira, the late Wapakhabulo and John Nagenda in the presence of American journalist Elizabeth Rubin in Kampala, that Otunnu schemed with Bazilio Okello to kick out Paulo Muwanga as Executive Prime Minister of the Military Council, and the plan was for Otunnu himself to become the Executive Prime Minister of the Military Council. However because there were more DP ministers and schemers in the Military Council cabinet, and because Bazilio Okello was taking much of his advice from DP Vice President Andrew Adimola, Otunnu’s ambition to become PM was sabotaged by Kutesa and the group. He has some other salacious details of how it was done but maybe Ahmed Kateregga can ask Kutesa for the details.

As a compromise Bazilio then retained Otunnu’s other brother Dr Amii Omara Otunnu as his advisor (Special Advisor to CDF). Kutesa claims Otunnu was never happy with being denied the PM’s position which eventually went to Abraham Waliggo.But those were his words, not mine.

DP was not only the dominant party in the military, but it is a matter of public record and ‘Lord’ Andrew Adimola publicly boasted to us one time in Gulu that no cabinet appointment in the Military Council took place without his stamp of approval, literally.That is why Dr Henry Obonyo one time help acting cabinet appointments for five ministries when substantive ministers were out of the country.

The initial leaders of the military council were presumed UPC supporters but those who finally forced it depose Obote were largely DPs. You remember that Bazilio Okello was never really in good books of real UPCs in Kampala.

When the first batch of the Special Forces graduated and were marching in Kampala in late 1981, UNLA opened fire on them and there wee clashes and Lt. Col. Bazilio Okello, as Commanding Officer of 15th Batallion Kampala, justified the incident by saying he was not informed who these ‘strangely dressed’ troops were. This was one of the reasons he was transfered away from Kampala. Besides, many people in government then were not amused that Bazilio used to have green mercedes, with civilian number plates.

You know how sensititive our politics was regarding the colour you use.

Tito Okello was never the planner of the 1985 coup. He simply went with the wind. When the mutineers were moving out of Gulu to march on Kampala, it was Bazilio who addressed the crowd opposite Gulu market place accompanied by DP Vice president Andrew Adimola. The DPs simply saw a perfect opportunity to hit back at UPC.

That explains why although the coup was an action informed more by inflamed ethnic passion and the dislike of Opon Acak by many junior and senior Acholi officers,  one of the most pro-Obote and very senior Acholi officers, Eastern Brigade Commander Brig. George William Nyero, never joined the coup bandwagon and never featured in the junta. He now lives in Texas.

Billie Kademeri
Ugndan in Paris