Lesson from Lutwa for Kasese leaders

Following the ouster of Apollo Milton Obote in July 1985, the Gen Tito Okello Lutwa led military junta engaged Kaguta Museveni’s National Resistance Army rebels in peace talks in a bid to lure them into joining the junta government.
The talks were hosted by then Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi in Nairobi, Kenya.
However, the talks were characterised by mistrust and dragged on for four months and, more often, it seemed agreement was out of reach.
Mr Museveni later described it as “a very painful experience sitting in a room with criminals across the table”.
After four months the two parties in the talks somehow managed to navigate through signing a ‘peace accord’ on December 17, 1985.
Back in Kampala, Gen Lutwa, who had been in exile in Tanzania with Mr Museveni during the Idi Amin regime, was exhilarated as he and his group thought they had pulled off a master-stroke against the wily revolutionary.
On several occasions he openly boasted announcing that “Museveni is a very dangerous snake whose teeth have been removed by signing of the peace accord”.
However, little did he know that the talks were a mere farce only relevant for the purpose of lulling to enable Mr Museveni mobilise his men and resources for the final push to capture power, which he accomplished on January 26, 1986.

In his speech made on January 29, 1986 shortly after he was sworn in, Mr Museveni said: “Our position, however, has always been very clear. If you play tricks with us, we shall play tricks with you; if you are honest with us, we shall be honest with you; if you are violent against us, we shall be violent against you. We are people who pay others in their own currency and we never use cowardly tricks”.
Likewise, President Museveni seems to have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing in respect to tricks, especially those relating to ‘peace jokes’.
This, ought to have become apparent to those closely following his dealings with the Rwenzururu leaders in respect to the ongoing court cases of their king and kinsmen. However, in case you haven’t yet got the drift, please read on.
As we all know, the king of the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu (OBR), Charles Wesley Mumbere, and 150 or so of his subjects are currently in prison attending court where they are charged of multiple cases ranging from treason, terrorism, aggravated robbery, attempted murder and malicious destruction of property.
The arrests followed the deadly clashes in Kasese District, including the attack on the king’s palace, in November that left more than 100 people killed.
Whereas government blames the cause of the clashes on secessionist tendencies with the desire of leaders in the Kasese sub-region to form the so called Yiira Republic, many believe there are other underlying factors that need proper investigation.
Following the violence, there has been a lot of back and forth movement by various individuals and organisations with a view to either resolve the current crisis, find durable solutions, or, seeking justice for the excesses.
Area MPs, all of whom happen to belong to FDC, have already asked the ICC to investigate the “indiscriminate massacres, acts of genocide and extensive destruction of property with the persons of interest being President Museveni, who also happens to be Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, Brig (now Maj Gen) Peter Elwelu, who was the commander of the attack, and Mr Asuman Mugyenyi, the Assistant Inspector General of Police and the Force’s operations commander.
The ICC prosecutor’s office has already communicated to acknowledge receipt of the petition and confirm that it has been added on their ‘to-do-list’.
Government officials have, however, dismissed the petition as mere political posturing meant to divert attention from the commissions and omissions in Kasese.
Sometime around Christmas, the President invited top political and religious leaders from Kasese for a discourse on the situation in their area.
Although initially reluctant to go, they eventually yielded with the delegation, included area MPs, district chairperson and diocesan bishop meeting the President at his Kisozi ranch on December 28. .
However, the discussions failed to make any progress because the political leaders insisted on the prior release of their king, either by dropping the charges altogether, or on bail.
The President on the other hand reportedly argued that he could not interfere in the court processes.
It is apparent that in the spirit of ‘you play tricks on us, we play tricks on you’ President Museveni, who usually loves to do things on his terms, developed better ideas. To begin with, a committee that was in effect spearheaded by the Presidential Advisor on the Rwenzori Sub-region, Ms Christine Muhindo, sprang up.
The six member committee, whose task was to reportedly ensure relative peace returns to the sub-region, also comprised of two kingdom officials and two other elders, with one of them acting as official chair.
Ms Muhindo is reported to have told journalists on December 22 that the President had already directed security agencies to screen the 150-plus suspects arrested with the king and immediately release those found innocent.
The committee also reportedly revealed that the President had agreed to talk with the king although he had not specified when.
Rather interestingly, IGP Kale Kaihura, told journalists on December 29 that he was not aware of the directive but had only heard about it through the media.
However, in a rather contradictory twist, he is also reported to have gone on to say: “But we cannot deny that some might be dropped, especially if there is no substantive evidence pinning them.”

Who is fooling who?
Who then, could be fooling who? Who could be playing tricks on you?
In, perhaps, the most intriguing twist, someone seems to have gone and mobilised a group of Rwenzururu kingdom officials, who reportedly included serving and former ministers, veterans and royal guards, and taken them to State House to sign a statement of apology and renunciation of insurgency activities before Mr Museveni. This reportedly happened on two different days around and about January 8, 2017.
The statement is reported to also have been witnessed and signed by the Queen-Agnes Ithungu Mumbere, the Queen Mother – Christine Bira, Chief Prince – Christopher Kibanzanga, Prince Willam Kibanzanga, and Princess Christine Kibanzanga.
A State House release said: “The leaders considered the acts regrettable as these had led to loss of innocent lives and destruction of property.”
These leaders also reportedly acknowledged that the refusal by royal guards to lay down arms had led to the loss of lives and property and went on to apologise for the loss of lives and property.
However, what made the leaders tongues and hands so smooth and light, remains an imagination but one may not help but imagine healthy-looking envelopes containing the ‘handshakes’ tactfully lying somewhere. After the confessions and repentance, the veterans are reported to have gone on to ask Mr Museveni to pardon them.
Naturally, being the parent that he is, he did, before going on to task them to preach peace in the region. He then promised to settle them with some money.

Disowned the group
However, some leaders have reportedly disowned the group saying they are the same people who confessed to have been behind the attacks of 2014 and that government has continued to give them protection and use them for propaganda.

One has called the same a concoction of untold magnitude and also wondered why they were pardoned so easily.
But away from that, it is common knowledge that when the king was granted bail on January 13, he was promptly rearrested and whisked to Nalufenya detention centre.
On January 16, he was produced in court in Jinja and slapped with fresh charges.
Perhaps, it may be wise to have faith and assume that “to the extent that the law permits” has not yet matured.
Now, the latest from police indicates that the Rwenzururu movement veterans and the royal guards who confessed may be used as witnesses against their king.

Hopefully, it is not like the Okello Lutwa case of “If you play tricks with us, we shall play tricks with you”.
Meanwhile, Mr Museveni has firmly secured under his armpit a great deal of evidence to confidently and comfortably host Fatou Bensouda of the ICC to a cup of tea, should she find enough cause to follow up on a certain petition.
Even the photos and recordings of the meetings and poses with Winnie Kizza (the Kasese Woman MP) and her colleagues might be on record.
Have you not heard what Yahya Jammeh of Gambia did to president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia?
He called her on phone and minus her knowing recorded and broadcast the conversation as she promised to see what to do for him!
These revolutionaries! When you think you have seen the best of them, tomorrow is yet another day.

Clamour for peace talks

Prior to the failed Nairobi Peace Talks of December 17, 1985, between the Junta government of Gen Tito Okello Lutwa and the National Resistance Army/Movement rebels led by President Museveni, there had been efforts to have peace talks between the NRA rebels and Obote’s government before the July 27, 1985 coup.
Perhaps, the loudest drum sounded was recorded on the floor of Parliament by Wilberforce Kisamba Mugerwa, MP, Luweero South-West Constituency.

It had been four years of unfulfilled promises that the Uganda National Liberation Army would militarily defeat the NRA rebels. Thus, on July 4, 1985, MP Kisamba from the floor of Parliament challenged the UPC government to organise a referendum so that Ugandans decide if they supported the peace talks option or not, saying that since the government had failed to defeat the rebel groups, a peaceful settlement should be sought.