Gimugu, Muhangi fight on, but at what cost?

KAMPALA.

While reviewing a consent order that debit-froze the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) account, pending the auditor general’s investigations, magistrate Alex Mushabe assessed that the disagreements among the boxing fraternity “cannot best be settled through litigation but through administrative means.”
He set the order aside and Moses Muhangi, a co-applicant in the case, walked out boasting, smiling.
Did he and his rivals get the magistrate’s message? Hardly.
The following day as his nemeses, the registered trustees of UBF, secured a High Court order staying the execution of the magistrate’s, Muhangi, the new UBF president, was planning an abrupt ‘assembly’, that banned Kenneth Gimugu, Paul Ayiasi, Fred Kavuma and their allies from participating in anything boxing for 12 years. The charge? They were ‘killing’ boxing with their endless court battles.
A week later, Gimugu, Ayiasi and Kavuma, invoked their power as the registered trustees of UBF and suspended Muhangi, federation secretary Simon Barigo and treasurer Richard Muhumuza, pending the IGG investigations on “embezzlement of public funds, causing financial loss, conspiracy to defraud, among other felonies.”

Perspective
To understand this, look back to the electoral process. Kavuma, who was the publicist in Gimugu’s federation, fronted Muhangi against Gimugu in the polls. To many, Muhangi, a flamboyant newcomer, a deejay-cum-politician-cum-businessman, is the redeemer.
But to many, he is a self-seeking stranger, completely ignorant about matters. That’s not just a footnote. It is the gist of the unwavering resistance he is facing, even though he has tried to justify himself by visibly changing the face of boxing.
Even before declaring his presidential ambitions, he threw the Bombers a party for winning at the 2017 African Championship in Brazzaville.
In his three-month tenure, Muhangi has refurbished the federation’s office at Lugogo; taken the boxers to a blood donation; camped the Commonwealth-bound team at Kavumba Recreation Centre in Wakiso, flown the boys to a regional tournament in Tanzania [they used to go by road], dressed them with name-tagged bibs, rewarded the Commonwealth bronze medallist with Shs1m, attracted more media attention, et al.
But again, Muhangi’s aggressive and dictatorial approach isolates his executive, and despite his financial status and drive, his detractors see a man who lacks managerial skills and whose coming breached the constitution.
On January 20, when Muhangi became president, Gimugu was re-elected president in a parallel election which High Court annulled February 28 and confirmed Muhangi’s.
But Gimugu, a magistrate, still hopes of recouping power. “We just couldn’t sit back and watch those people (Muhangi and co.) hijacking boxing.”
The weather is so far not favourable for negotiations because each side has a low opinion of the other and believe they have enough armoury to win.
Magistrate Mushabe, also remarked that “all the parties seem to be acting in the interest of Uganda Boxing Federation.” But do they have control over the consequences of their actions?

Stalled progress
Normally, by June, the federation is done with the National Cadets’, Intermediates’ and Open tournaments.
But all these tournaments have been delayed by the wrangles. The elite and youth teams prepared for hardly a month to the Commonwealth Games and the African Championship respectively.
No wonder the poor performance: a bronze from Gold Coast, and a silver and a bronze from Casablanca.
The Schools Championship which was revived last year, returned last week, but not at Lugogo.
The two boys from Casablanca need serious training for the World Youth Championship, in Budapest in August but…
Freezing of the federation account is the natural excuse for all this, yet the president tells national media that he spent Shs150m on the six boxers and four officials in Casablanca.

Boxing in the court yard
Boxers are very vulnerable when they are idle.
Muhangi’s age, sense of style [taking selfies with them] appeals to the boxers who see him as a peer but his happy-go-lucky conduct can be risky. It has dragged the boxers into these wrangles. They freely post abusive stuff and comments on Facebook andWhatsApp directed at the opponents of the ‘Saviour of Boxing.’
Recently, they went a step further: holding placards hitting pads and making all the unnecessary noise in the courtyard of the Mengo Magistrates Court.
On May 29, Magistrate Mushabe warned against such hooliganism that disrupted court proceedings.
But again, under the watch of Isaac ‘Zebra’ Ssenyange, they repeated it for over 30 minutes: carrying placards [Free Boxing, President M7 Help Plz, Mama Janet Save Our Sport, We Want To Box, etc] outside the court fence, blocking traffic as Muhangi’s BMW cruised away.
On Facebook, that evening, Muhangi was proud of the boys’ action.

Financial loss

The sanity in Gimugu’s presidency [2013-2107] gave boxing a break from the Nyakana-Dungu turmoil but did not attract enough corporate support, nor did it bring back the fans to Lugogo.

But at least it won government confidence, fetching Shs340m for the January-March quarter. But if the same money is fuelling trouble, isn’t Ugandan boxing moving backwards into the future?

Muhangi insists the trustees’ mandate expired in 2017. Yet the trustees conducted the polls that brought him to power in January 2018. Actually, the Trustees Incorporation Act 1939, says the trustee’s term lasts five years from the date of certification. Gimugu and company were certified September 1, 2015. Trouble has just begun.