Bukenya vows to give Museveni a run for his money come 2016

2016 presidential race. “We have always been endorsing one person as a presidential candidate. We have had elections for secretary general before but not a presidential candidate. If they cheat me, then I will quit and contest for president independently.”

What do you say about the fate of your colleagues who were recently expelled from the NRM party?

Disciplining members in a political party objectively is not bad. However, using vendetta as a basis for disciplining one group and leaving the other is a recipe for breakdown of the party. Disciplining members of your party with a purpose of throwing them out of Parliament is excessive.
Trying to do something outside the norms of the Constitution of Uganda is a big indicator of dictatorship. For all of us know that a party expelling an MP does not unseat the MP and it is in the Constitution. In 2005, when we tried to change the Constitution, that proposal was totally thrown out of Parliament. We are all still here who participated in that Constitutional amendment including the current leaders in cabinet.
Why do we want to tempt our judicial system through the Constitution Court to try and interpret the obvious?

Do you regret championing the calls to amend the Constitution to remove term limits to give President Museveni a third term?

I do regret but I was fooled by the system. The fooling was that we give him [Mr Museveni] the last chance in 2006. I expected he meant it but it became a norm.
I salute Mr Gerald Karuhanga for initiating a petition to amend the Constitution in order to restore term limits. I feel so jealous when I see former presidents in Kenya and in Tanzania sitting in happiness than in sorrow with current presidents of those countries.
Leaders must come and leaders must go. But when gone, live in respect and be looked after by your country.

Mahogany’s troubles

In 2005, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya surprised political watchers when he suddenly alleged that the government was being controlled by a mafia clique. He said the mafia was plotting his downfall - pointing fingers at then Cabinet colleagues Amama Mbabazi, Hope Mwesige, and Sam Kutesa.

As the shock waves following his accusation reverberated around political circles, Prof. Bukenya, turned around and denied the claims. At a staged photo opportunity, the then VP appeared with the very Cabinet colleagues at a press conference to denounce his own allegations.

Then he referred to himself as an unassailable tropical hard wood-Mahogany. This would not be the last time he manipulated the press for his own ends – several times winning another lease of political life each time the President appeared ready to drop him with carefully choreographed media demonstrations of his supposed popularity.

Prof. Bukenya then focused his political energies on promoting upland rice (NERICA), spending weeks on end touring the country and building vast networks in the process. Regime insiders now say this, alongside the reported fact that he was holding night meetings with senior army officers, got him into trouble.

Political watchers will have observed that the former vice president was, at the time, feeling very insecure as his growing visibility - popularity and closeness to the powerful Catholic Church in Uganda – was being deemed to pose a political threat to senior establishment figures.

It was about this time that his political star began to wane. That star had shone bright largely because of his reported smooth-talking and mobilisation skills.

For many ordinary Ugandans, Prof. Bukenya’s political name is remembered in the same breath as his, at times tasteless associations with a string of women and an unabashed love for the nightlife.