Bush War fighter’s son writes book refuting Museveni biography

Kampala. One of the children of the Bush War fighters has written a rival book that has punched holes in President Museveni’s autobiography Sowing the Mustard Seed.
In his new book he titled Unsowing the Mustard Seed, Mr Norman Tumuhimbise, says he seeks to correct the “the lies” President Museveni planted in his book first published close to 20 years ago (1997).

“In Chapter One under the sub-heading, ‘background and early childhood’ he [President Museveni] says he is a born of [sic] Banyankole and Bahima nomads of western Uganda in about 1944. As a literature student, this leaves him none of the two ethnic tribes. Either my President is not proud of his tribe of the two or he is not sure like he is not sure of his age,” Mr Tumuhimbise said in a July 28 interview with Sunday Monitor.
Mr Tumuhimbise claims Mr Museveni’s book is a seed of deception to confuse Ugandans. “In his book, President Museveni says he has professionalised the army and developed infrastructure.

“He criticises his predecessors Idi Amin and Dr Milton Obote without recognising their contributions. His first job was an intelligence researcher in Obote’s government, who is actually his mentor,” Tumuhimbise says.
He also mentions the mysterious deaths of Museveni’s fellow bush fighters in the National Resistance Army rebellion.
“Page 66 (Sowing the Mustard Seed) reads, ‘Although nobody fired at us during this encounter, I lost my driver and a few of our colleagues including Raiti Omoding simply fled into the valley crossing the hill. We shouted at them but never saw them again’, ” Tumuhimbise quotes from Museveni’s Sowing the Mustard Seed book in his new book.

He further quotes Museveni’s Sowing the Mustard Seed: “On page 67, it reflects ‘ …… We stayed in the forest till 2pm resting and reflecting on losses. Obote soldiers later randomly fired at us using light motors. Many of my colleagues not to mention Obote’s supporters were killed. These include close comrades such as Mwesigwa Black, Raita Omoding, Bahuga Bagira who were captured and killed by Obote’s soldiers. One wonders how Omoding disappears, was never seen again on page 66 and is also killed [by Obote soldiers] on page 67’.”
Mr Tumuhimbise accused President Museveni of ignoring his bush war comrades.

“I am a son to RA1390 Sergeant Patrick Nuwagaba, 60 years old, who has spent 30 years on the same rank. In 2012, Dr Ponsiano Ocama diagnosed him with an infection of the intestine. The disease has no specialised doctor here and the entire Africa. We spend about Shs100,000 on his pain killers and special food per day. What kind of professionalising the army is this when Bombo Military Hospital, for example, has no drugs for combatants?” Tumuhimbise queries.

Police on Wednesday, stormed Grace Gardens on Bombo Road and blocked the launch of the book.
Mr Tumuhimbise, an activist and coordinator of the Jobless brotherhood, challenged Mr Museveni to rebut the contents of his new book like an intellectual instead of using police threats. There was drama at the venue when Tumuhimbise’s lawyer Isaac K. Ssemakadde challenged police to cite the law under which they were dispersing the launch meeting.

Prof Edward Kakonge, the first minister of Local Government in President Museveni’s 1986 cabinet, said dispersing youth from launching a book is an act of disrespect for freedoms and rights of Ugandans.
Information and ICT minister Frank Tumwebaze declined to comment on the matter saying he had neither seen nor read Mr Tumuhimbise’s new book.

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