Kadaga, Namuganza fight should be left to Busoga

Minister Persis Namuganza and Speaker Rebecca Kadaga are in the news. What the feud seems to be pointing at is rivalry in Busoga politics. What picture does it paint of politics in the region?
It’s a familiar picture in my view. Namuganza was an RDC, she makes it to Parliament and then is identified by the appointing authority. As it happens, some people become uncomfortable because a new voice has emerged and is becoming a point of reference, hence the struggle to bring her down starts in earnest.
I am not saying Namuganza is spotless, but I’m just giving context. She happens to be born in a region where people think it belongs to them, where anyone coming up should be blessed by them. The question should be thus; why is it every rising star in Busoga should be on a collision path with the Speaker? It can’t be that everybody is wrong because Kirunda Kivejinja, Kasule Lumumba, Daudi Migereko and myself when I was in Cabinet, have encountered the same challenge before.
The problem isn’t with the people, but the way politics has been structured; the politics of patronage and domination. That’s the context in which I see Busoga politics.
Of course they have dragged in the Kyabazinga. The true Kyabazinga of Busoga is Gabula Nadiope but there are forces which have tried to hijack that institution so that they can use it to advance their personal interests and subjugate others.

But why would you accuse the Speaker, a big figure in both local and international politics, of trying to pull down a rising star in Busoga?
The Speaker benefits by being the unchallenged voice of Busoga because she bargains big for it. The nature of our politics is that the bigger the territory you control, the bigger the piece of bread you will grab from the high table and that’s why she wants to have control so that she has ground to bargain.
That’s why if a person gets to a higher job without her specific endorsement, chances are that she will pull her down, and getting anywhere in this current system without her approval is an uphill task.

Are you accusing the Speaker of being the problem in Busoga?
I wouldn’t want to put it that way, but I think she is trying to fight for her personal interests in a particular way.

The matter is before a committee of Parliament. You were the chairperson of the same committee when some MPs were dragged before the committee on charges of having peddled lies against the Speaker.

Do you think the committee’s work will amount to much?
That matter shouldn’t have been taken before that committee because there are issues which ought to be handled by Basoga themselves. That committee will not do much other than looking at the surface and at the end of the day, the Speaker will carry the day because that’s her House, just like some people have said the Busoga Caucus is like her walking stick since she is the one who founded it.
I don’t want to prejudge the committee because they have so far begun well. However, the challenge would be in exercising their maturity and independence when it comes to the boss of the House. Technically speaking, the legislators on the committee are under the Speaker. That the Speaker is going to appear before them and answer some of the questions which Namuganza presented to them, is really doubtable.

Most of these fights have been between supporters of the NRM. What are the implications for the party and the region?
NRM is still strong in Busoga, largely because it has a powerful brand in the name of President Museveni. But I can assure you that that brand will be lost if the President leaves the stage.
You saw what happened when [Daniel arap] Moi in Kenya left and our own here Milton Obote. We need to get institutions working and focus on key issues, have the party strong. This squabbling, of course, casts the party in bad light.
The President may at times choose to leave people to quarrel and exhaust themselves, but the situation instead worsens and so he has to come in.

Some people have suggested that fights among top politicians are partly to blame for the regions challenges such as poverty. What can be done to put a stop to these fights?
Busoga doesn’t have a forum of elders to handle such problems. We need a body of independent-minded people who can call anybody to order and the government should support us on this initiative because it will create a semblance of stability in the Busoga [sub-] region.
The squabbles between leaders definitely affect our people because some people have continued to sow seeds of hatred. How do you expect such people to lobby for the people? The current fights are tarnishing our image. That’s why we need elders on board to always handle such problems. Some of our elders like [Busoga Diocese Bishop Emeritus Cyprian] Bamwoze are aged and can’t handle some issues.