Museveni says teargas has silenced Besigye

Nakaseke

President Museveni has dismissed his major political opponent, Dr Kizza Besigye, as a spent force who cannot “disorganise” Uganda.

Speaking at the Heroes Day celebrations at Butalangu Town Council in Nakaseke District yesterday, President Museveni said Dr Besigye had been contained. “No one can disorganise the country. Besigye tried to disorganise Kampala, the capital city. We tear-gassed him until he cooled off. He doesn’t need bullets. Just teargas is enough for him,” said Mr Museveni.

In the aftermath of the 2011 presidential elections, a pressure group, Activists for Change (A4C), led demonstrations in Kampala, protesting the “difficult economic conditions”.
After a series of confrontations with the police, the group led by Masaka Municipality MP Matthias Mpuuga, was banned. It mutated to For God and My Country (4GC), which has also been declared illegal by the police.

Dr Besigye, who recently quit the FDC presidency to engage in political activism, was a key fixture in the demonstrations. There was public out roar when the police in April 2011 stopped Dr Besigye’s car at Mulago roundabout, dousing him with pepper spray that left him partially blind. He had to be flown to Nairobi for treatment.

The FDC spokesperson, Mr Wafula Oguttu, yesterday said the President was scared of Dr Besigye.
“Let him wait for what will come in 2016. There is no doubt that Dr Besigye is popular and Museveni knows it and is scared of him.”

Mr Mpuuga, the brain behind the demonstrations, said the President had no role in the decision to stop the protests. “The President did not sanction the protests, we chose when to start, halt and resume. These decisions are not in the President’s hands. We shall be back soon. Let him buy more tear gas,” said Mr Mpuuga. Among those honoured was minister Tarsis Kabwegyere, UPDF officer Ramadan Kyamulesiire and former minister Syda Bbumba.

President Museveni said had he and other patriots not sacrificed, the country would not be peaceful.
“If we had not sacrificed, I do not think Uganda would have stabilised. The previous leaders knew nothing other than how to butcher people,” said the President.

Mr Museveni said now that he has pacified the country, he would find time to educate Ugandans about development. He also wondered why private schools were performing better than government schools implementing universal primary and secondary education and yet teachers in the latter were being paid.

On health, the President did mention that the government was distributing mosquito nets across the country to fight malaria and also promised to find out why Nakaseke Hospital had not yet been rehabilitated despite the existence of a programme to fix such facilities.

Other issues
President Museveni laid a wreath at the grave which holds 796 skulls of people killed during the Bush War in Wakyato Sub-county in Nakaseke District. The chairman of the Uganda War Veterans Association, Hajj Idris Ssedunga, said the skulls were collected after the liberation war in 1987.

Hajj Ssedunga requested the government to revisit land laws that require Bibanja holders to pay ground rates at the Magistrates Court in cases where landlords reject the Busulu, instead proposing that they pay the money at sub-county headquarters. He also requested that beyond medals, veterans should also be given some money.

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