Candidates run last lap as February18 closes in

Uganda has come a long way; 1962, 1980, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and now 2016.

On Thursday February 18, more than 15 million registered voters shall by the stroke of a pen and thumbprint determine how and by whom they want to be governed for the next five years.

One step at a time, three steps forward, one step backward, a fall here, a crawl there, Uganda’s democratic journey continues. Every process, every person a building block to this house under construction.

So, first a toast to all the seven men and one woman who have walked the journey to its end; Abed Bwanika, Amama Mbabazi, Venansius Baryamureeba, Benon Biraaro, Joseph Mabirizi, Kizza Besigye, Maureen Kyalya and Yoweri Museveni. The race had more than 30 Ugandans picking nomination forms. Running a presidential campaign, however small, is no mean feat, another round applause.

First, we had former prime minister Amama Mbabazi on the dawn of mid last year break his silence after anxiety built around his presidential bid that he often told journalists “I will tell you when I will tell you”.

Dr Kizza Besigye too was not very sure he wanted to contest for the presidency again, not after vowing in print and broadcast media he would not offer himself to a process under the current electoral system. In fact, his nomination forms for the Forum for Democratic Change flag bearer were picked by an aide as he was out of the country.

Some doubts lingered on Mr Museveni’s candidature to the extent that rumours in the political corridors toyed with the idea that First Lady Janet Museveni, who pulled out of the Ruhaama County seat and elective politics at large, would run for president.

The President turned up at the NRM secretariat right on the deadline for nominations, partaking of Evelyn Anite’s sole candidature project, attributing his decision to throw his hat in the ring for the fourth time since 1996 and fifth time since 1980 election, to the army’s historical High Command and the party’s own elders’ league.

Largely peaceful is no adulteration of the reality of this year’s election, even with Ntungamo, a skirmish here and there and a few claims of kidnap, mysterious deaths and unexplained disappearances. And yet that exactly is why Thursday and whatever happens thereafter could be the make or break of the process.

At any rate, this has been an interesting election. Makerere University School of Law chief Prof John-Jean Barya thinks this is one of the “most critical elections we have had in the last 20 years”.

The enthusiasm from the citizenry is self-evident. And yet the political atmosphere reeks of uncertainty. One of the banks circulated security advisories to its staff, asking them to stock sufficient food, take every phone call just in case it is an emergency from a loved one and avoid walking late in the night.

A member of the NRM chairman’s media desk took to social media, breathing fire and pushing for the bank to be given some strokes of the cane for the security precautions.

“We are going for an election not war,” the NRM Johnny come lately, quipped.

But let’s hold the fire for a second and take a deep breath. How did we get here? Both the Opposition and ruling party, in word spoken and written, direct and implied have sounded war drums from opening to closure of campaigns.
Kasule Lumumba, who succeeded the NRM secretariat from a bitter political separation between the party and now presidential candidate Mbabazi, uttered a few scary things.
“Don’t bring your children to demonstrate, government will shoot your children,” she was quoted saying by the media.

Days later, Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura was quoted by The Observer allegedly telling crime preventers in Kapchorwa they should be on their marks, ready for war: “We shall not hand over power to the Opposition to destabilise the peace we have fought for.”

The most attempt there was to explain these comments was by police spokesman Fred Enanga as with Mike Sebalu, the NRM campaign taskforce spokesman.

The principals have not complained and alleged they were misquoted or bothered to clarify their remarks; perhaps because they are statements plucked right from the President’s political tool box, “I will not hand over to wolves,” who want, “my oil.”

Africa’s journey
For the record, Africa, described once as the Dark Continent by Eurocentric writers, has witnessed incumbents bow out of office when voters read them the riot act.

Elections, as USA statesman Abraham Lincoln put it, “Belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters” and above all, again as this great man, fore father of the template of democracy we operate on today opined, “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”
Aden Abdullah Osman Daar, first president of Somalia (July 1, 1960-June 10, 1967) in the 1967 presidential election appreciated that when he was defeated by Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, his former prime minister.

He accepted the loss graciously, “making history as the first head of state in Africa to peacefully hand over power to a democratically elected successor.”

There is also Kenneth Kaunda, first president of Zambia who ruled from 1964 to 1991. In the multi-party elections in 1991, in which Frederick Chiluba, the leader of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy won, Kaunda who being the leader of Zambia since independence could have rigged or might have not taken the outcome of the election shocked the world by stepping down for Chiluba in 1991. He is not alone.

Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wade of the famous statement in the Wolof language ‘’Ma waxoon waxeet (I said it, I can take it back) in March 2012, conceded defeat after a second round to Macky Sall as did Zambia’s Rupiah Banda in 2011.

And of course more recently Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria gave way to Muhammadu Buahari.
In 2007, the fate of Kenyans lay in the hands of Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki as with former electoral commission of Kenya chairman Samuel Mutua Kivuitu (RIP).

Critics say he messed up the election, announcing the wrong result that took Kenya down the trodden path. At Dr Badru Kiggundu, chairman of the EC, lies the fate of 35 million Ugandans.
But the Opposition too, promising, as one leading FDC activist told this writer on Friday, “not to accept any result other than a win” should take the back seat and listen to their hearts.

Controversial as they are, every opinion poll gives Mr Museveni a lead and yet the support poured unto Dr Besigye speaks to his high chances at the fourth shot at the presidency.
Whichever candidates Ugandans elect, a peaceful election unto us all.

Maj Gen Benon Biraaro

The Farmers Party of Uganda presidential candidate, Maj Gen (rtd) Benon Biraaro, advised his rival incumbent NRM’s Yoweri Museveni to retire saying he is aged.

“Mr Museveni is now like an old bull in a kraal. When a bull gets old, you remove it from the herd and let a young one take over.

He should be removed by using votes and retired to his home in Rwakitura. A new president can always consult him as an advisor,” said Gen Biraaro.

He was addressing a rally in Ibanda Town last Friday. His rally was attended by few people as most businessmen and women remained busy with their engagements.